Category: culture

Pride & Roar

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We live in a middle-of-nowhere town in central Ohio called Pickerington… ever heard of it? No. well, neither had I [ever heard of it] until we moved here.
Let me describe it to you… it’s surrounded by corn fields… and another town called Reynoldsburg. That pretty much sums it up.
We do have a Target. Well, technically Reynoldsburg has the Target, but we are close neighbors, so it’s also our Target.

We moved to Pickerington from New York City in 2005. When we visited for our interview, at the church we now Pastor, we were whisked off of the plane and taken to a house in the middle-of-nowhere, nowhere. Are these people we just met from this church we’ve never been to going to abandon us out here and leave us for dead? The thought did cross my mind. 

Instead, we were warmly welcomed into a beautiful home in the middle-of-nowhere by a group of wonderful people interviewing us for the position of Youth Pastor and his wife and kid.
Afterward, we drove into a sea of corn fields Pickerington, and the drive was utter darkness… and silence. It was terrifying. Coming from New York City, where no one ever sleeps, and there are always lights on, and constant noise, into the darkness of the country and have I mentioned the corn fields? well, it was… interesting.

By the next morning, daylight had broken, we could see there was a Target {whew}, and we were in love with our (new) church.
Were we in love with Pickerington? Well… not so much, but we knew God called us to our church.

Now. Our town is famous. Pickerington’s own Central High School students made a video for the Katy Perry song Roar. They entered the contest, made it into the top 5, and Good Morning America is coming to the High School in the morning. We’re famous!
Our daughters dance studio – Passe – is also using the song Roar.
I’ve never been so proud to be a Pickerington – also known as other affectionate names I call it – Picktown – Picktizzytown – resident.
Yeah! Tiger Pride! Roar!

Sooo… just like anywhere or anyone famous, our town / school will have it’s time to shine in the limelight tomorrow. We might win the contest and Katy Perry will find her way thru the surrounding corn fields, she’ll also probably stop by Target, and make an appearance at the High School. Then what? 
Life as we know it in Picktown will go on as normal. 
Parents will go to work. Kids will go to school. Life will go on…
and Picktizzytown will always have its famous moment etched in their history books forever.

Yet I believe this historical moment is brewing something more in this town…
It is stirring up pride…
Renewing creativity, raising up voices, and reminding us to Roar.

Roar for what matters.
Roar for those who can’t voice it themselves.
Roar beside those who need encouragement.
Roar for the calling God has placed inside of you. 

This has been our hearts cry from the moment we moved to Picktizzytown.
Nothing has changed for us…
We are called by God to serve and love the people in our church, and our corn field community. 
That’s why we are here.
Katy Perry doesn’t change that…
but because of her song Roar, there is a stirring in our community that has been rising…

My prayer is for our community to Roar thru our great schools, businesses, homes and residents… and my prayer is for the many wonderful churches Pickerington.. that we would raise our voices, and Roar even louder for our God.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life ~ His presence in Pickerington will change this town for the ultimate good ~ more than any song, person or contest ever could.

After the lights dim and Good Morning America leaves, Life will go on in Picktown, even better than before… if we let our voices be heard loud and clear and Roar. 

In Him, Leslie

10 reasons why i’m not a good friend…

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<>
can leslie come out and play?

i grew up with no shortage of friends.
i have always been extremely social.
large amounts of laughter and silliness were key to my friendships growing up…
and the same is still true today.
i am blessed with an abundance of friends, but…
as i grow older [and hopefully wiser] i find myself realizing, i’m not always that great of a friend…

Here are 10 reasons why:

#1. I like my coffee more than you. 
seriously, I do.
our friendship will need to involve coffee.
if this is something you can accept, we can be friends.

#2. I have a short attention span.
i’m a great talker. i’m not a great listener. if i’m not talking, i might fall asleep. because i {heart} sleep. during my senior year of high school i fell asleep talking with a friend on the phone about some very difficult circumstances in her life. she was talking, pouring her heart out to me… and i was drooling. i felt awful. being a good listener is a big part of being a good friend. so if you can accept my lack of good listening skills, and the fact that i might fall asleep while you’re talking, we can be friends.

#3. I will interrupt you.
not only will i possibly, maybe, most likely fall asleep sometime during the duration of our friendship, i will also definitely interrupt you {while you’re talking}. i’m not trying to be rude. but i get distracted <> easily, and can end up being unintentionally rude by interrupting, making my point known, forgetting where we <> left off last in our conversation. causing a cycle of rabbit trails to commence. if you can follow my rabbit trails, squirrley distractions and unintentional rudeness, we can be friends.

#4. I am terrible at thank you notes. 
i can not emphasize this enough — i am ter.ri.ble. at thank you notes. i am good at showering people with love and thank you’s in the moment, but i will very rarely write a ‘thank you’ note after the moment has passed. it’s even worse now with three kids who receive presents… i feel the pressure to write, and feel the guilt, but will rarely send a thank you note. so if you’re someone who needs ‘thank you’ note affirmation to be sure of our friendship, it’s not gonna work out. but if you’re okay with lowering your expectations in the ‘thank you’ note department, we can be friends.

#5. I am terrible at parties. 
birthday parties, 31 parties, pampered chef parties, origami owl parties, tea parties, really any kind of parties. in this world of throwing parties for every life event, there is no lack of parties to attend. and there’s only so much time in a day. occasionally we can party, but usually i don’t go because i can’t go. and a lot of times, my kid can’t attend your kids birthday parties. this is sometimes hard, but true. so if we can be friends and our kids can be friends without always joining the party, we can be friends.

#6. I get on my own nerves. 

i get on my own nerves. so i will get on yours too. and you will get on mine. it’s as simple as that. so if you’re okay with all that, we can be friends. 

#7. I am short tempered.
i have a short temper. and if we are friends, my anger issues will appear. most of the time i am displaying righteous anger, some of the time, i’m upset about what i can’t control. some of the time, i’m just irritable… or it’s my time of the month. whatever the reason, i can have a short temper… and if you’re patient with me, we can be friends.

#8. I am not always available. 
i’m a busy woman. my main jobs are as wife and mom. my secondary jobs are worship leader, women’s ministry, and everything else in between. these are the places i spend most of my time. if your kids are friends with my kids, we will probably spend more time together, than if they are not. because my kids will bug me to hang out with your kids, therefore i will be hanging out with you, mom of my kids friends. outside of being mom/wife/daughter/sister/worship leader/women’s ministry leader/everything else in between… i’m not available that much to hang out with. this makes it hard to maintain a good friendship. but some of my closest friends are those i don’t see that often. i am thankful for these friendships and the short sweet times we spend together. these friendships are more intense because we skip all of the formal pleasantries and dive right into deeper friendship waters. if you are okay with my lack of availability at times, we can be friends. 

#9. I am kind of intense. 
i can grow very intense about subjects i am passionate about, such as human trafficking, sex and money, overseas missions, the local church, and quitting church, my husband, our kids, our family… and my very best friend, my B.F.F. in the whole wide world ~ Jesus. if we’re friends, Jesus will come up in conversation. His name is always on my lips. i can be kind of intense about Him. sometimes i might seem too much, but trust me, Jesus is way more intense about me (and you) than we can ever (hope to… or not hope to?) be. if you can bear with my intense nature, we can be friends.

#10. I will disappoint you.

back when friends were knocking on my door asking, can Leslie come out to play? the expectations between friends were different. if we were sick of each other, we just went home. we took a break. we got over our hurt feelings. it was what it was. and if it wasn’t, it wasn’t. {profound, i know.} as we grow up, the complications in a friendship can grow… and communication with me can be frustrating at times, i’m sure… i’m not great at calling people back in a timely manner. and i’m forgetful about replying to text messages at times. so just know, i will disappoint you. and if you’re understanding about it, we can be friends. 
In conclusion… 
i’ve learned much about friendship in my 36 years of life thus far… i’m grateful for the friends i have and what i learn from them. i’ve had my share of friendship challenges, hurts, disappointments, failures, rejection, hope, healing, success and freedom. since Jesus is my best friend, i look to Him to teach me how to be a friend and who to seek out as friends. His Holy Spirit is my guide for how i spend my time with friends. i am fully aware [as you are now too] i’m not always a good friend. but neither are you. no one can be a good friend all the time. we will all share in growth, challenges and changes in the friendships we have. Jesus can teach us thru those times of disappointment, challenges, hurt and rejection and bring healing, hope, freedom and His Love. 
as we seek friends who stick closer than a brother [or sister] no matter what, know that Jesus is the only friend who will never disappoint, hurt, reject you ~ He is always available, always patient, will never falls asleep on you, will attend all your parties, return all your messages, won’t put the limitations of coffee on your friendship, you won’t get on his nerves, He is always intense about you, and He will always {again, always} stick closer than a brother. 
Proverbs 18:24
“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Have you had a unique experience with friendship growing, challenging or changing you? 
Has Jesus influenced your friendships?

Please share and thank you for reading!
In Him, Leslie 

sex and money.

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sex. and money.

i can’t seem to get these two things off my mind.

i’m obsessed with sex and money…

how they are interlocked interconnected intertwined.

their union haunts me. burdens me. motivates me.

distorted destructive detrimental.

sex and money united together destroys lives.

why?
 
money {+} human trafficking. slavery. strip clubs. brothels. sex boxes. prostitution. peep shows. porn. magazines. romance novels. shades of grey… {=} destruction.
 
sex {within these terms} needs money to thrive. 
they keep funding and feeding each other.
it’s a disturbing cycle where one perpetuates the other.
sex and money were never meant to have intercourse with each other.
sex and money were never meant to become ONE.
never never never never…
but sex and money have taken a romp in the sack together and made a bunch of porn babies.

it’s an epidemic. the desire which gives into the money exchanged for the demand of sex.

which came first? 
the chicken or the egg? 
the pole dancer or the person paying for the dance?
the prostitute or the person paying for the sex?
the sex box or the person driving thru?
the magazine, the romance novel, the shades of grey… or the person reading it?
the trafficked person or the people who ‘own them’?

God created sex. Sin entered in. Sex and money were united. An epidemic was born.

…

sex and money are good separately.
sex within marriage is good.
money within proper boundaries of spending and saving is good.
sex and money together are distorted. they should never. go. together. ever. ever. ever.

seriously.

…

i pray our eyes will be opened to one of the most damaging unions {sex and money} facing our world today.

this epidemic is not hopeless.

Jesus was born. Jesus rescues. Jesus redeems. Jesus restores. Jesus renews. 

i pray we will do something. change something. say ‘no’. look away. it starts with our choices…

the soft porn also known as magazines… they line every bookstore shelf, welcome you into every grocery store aisle, and cover your door step with every subscription.
the t.v. shows and movies lined with subtle innuendos, coarse words and full on nudity.
the shades of grey in books filling minds with fantasy romance and descriptive sex scenes.
what may seem harmless leads to a disconnection from reality. 
what may seem harmless leads us to lies, believing sex and money can be intertwined.  

what sin has joined together only God can separate. 
no more money in exchange for a magazine.
no more money in exchange for a porn video.
no more money in exchange for a lap dance.
no more money in exchange for a life.

yes. we are suffering from the messy union of sex and money.
what are we going to do about it???
the change needs to happen carefully and with respect. 
what are you doing?
what are you being called to say ‘no’ to?
what are you being led to look away from?
we have a choice to not be controlled by unhealthy sexual desires. 
call out sin for sin. lust for lust. fantasy for fantasy. porn for porn. prostitution for prostitution. 
…
the union of sex and money is a complicated relationship. the only answer is Jesus redeeming this epidemic. the light will expose the dark.
human trafficking, prostitution, pornography… their deep roots need to be uncovered to be understood.
– we need to start somewhere –
we can all do something to help ourselves and help influence others away from being caught in the intercourse of sex and money.
…
there is so much more to say on this subject… i’m just getting this conversation started… it is only half written… until then, please share, comment and join this blog community.

In Him, Leslie

 

quitting church

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Hello. I’m Leslie.
I’m a Pastors wife and a Worship leader…
and I’m quitting church. 
…

The Pastor thinks he’s Superman…
The other Worship Leader sings all the wrong songs.
The Youth Pastor is a punk.
The Associate Pastor is too happy.
The Children’s Director has the gall to ask me to serve in the Children’s ministry.
The building is too cold, the lights are too dim, the sound is too loud, the coffee is too bitter, the parking lot too small, the chairs are too pink, the walls are too tan, the greeters are too friendly, and the rest of the people are not friendly enough.

so. I’m quitting church.

It’s too hard. 
It’s too time consuming.
It’s too messy.
It takes too much effort.
It’s too emotionally draining and heartbreaking.

So. I’m quitting church.

Great! Now my Sunday mornings will be free to go shopping*. 

(*Sarcasm emphasized)
***
Sometimes quitting church seems like easier thing to do… the popular thing to do.







In any church community, of any shape-size-or denomination, we can always find a reason to focus on what is not meeting our expectations… perhaps causing some to quit church. 



In fact, this past Sunday, September 15th was National Back-to-Church Sunday.
Wow.
So many statistics are showing people are quitting church by the masses.
I enjoy reading church leadership articles, from a variety of sources.
Much of what I read leans toward the decline of the American church in morality, and also in attendance… yet other articles cry the opposite.

Apparently, we needed to schedule a Sunday {besides Christmas and Easter, of course} to go back-to-church…
I love the idea of a back-to-church Sunday and the focus to invite people to church…
But it’s so much more than a one-Sunday-fix.

***
The church is full of broken people ~ and we are all in desperate need of a Savior.

The church is messy.
The church will disappoint.
The church will fail.
and I’ll write it again… 
The church is messy.
The church will disappoint.
The church will fail.

However, Jesus never fails. 
He uses imperfect people for His divinely perfect purposes.
It sounds crazy. And it is crazy.
Jesus doesn’t need us ~ but He chooses us ~ and He wants to use us, His church.
To reach the people who are broken and dying, living without Christ, in this messed up world.
From the inside of our hearts ~ to the inside of our homes ~ and to the ends of the Earth…
He needs us ~ His people, His Disciples, to rise up, reclaim our voice, and be who He has called us to be ~ His church.

So whether you’ve just quit church, just returned to church, just started visiting a new church, or have never left church… don’t give up on church.
Jesus loves His Church ~ His Bride. 

And regardless of how much we mess church up, we can be sure of one thing – God is in control.
He is moving.
He is working.
He is shaking.
He is stirring.
He is rescuing.
He is restoring.
He is redeeming.
He is renewing.

The story is already said and done.
Jesus is coming back for His Church.
We are all invited to be part of the story.
So as tempting as it might be, don’t quit church. 





19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. {Hebrews 10:19-25 NKJV}
…
Are you quitting – or committing – to church?

I would love to hear your thoughts from where you are on your journey…
In Him, Leslie


































































































































































The Happiest Place On Earth ~ Disney

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Nine. Seven. Three.
Seems like the perfect ages to take our kids to the
“Happiest Place on Earth”. 
moon gazing on an evening hike
We love these kids to the moon and back. 
Like most parents,
We want the best for our kids. 
We want them to enjoy life to the fullest. 
We want all their dreams to come true… 
But we probably won’t ever take them to Disneyland.
Or Legoland.
Although we have taken them to Portland.
Several times. 
I know. Disneyland is where “dreams really do come true.” 
But is that really true? 
Has anyone’s life ever been changed by a trip to Disneyland? 
Is it really the ‘happiest place on earth’?
Maybe… 
Perhaps… 
for some…
As much as we want our kids to have the most. fun. ever. on our family vacation, 
we’re not cut out for Disney.
and we’re (all) okay with that.
For our family of five to walk thru the gates of the Magic Kingdom, it would cost us $442 *plus* the cost of travel, food and hotel.
Well, lucky us!
We were staying with a friend, who lives 20 minutes from Disneyland. 
We could see the Disney fireworks from her house every night. 
We didn’t go.
We couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. 
The kids didn’t even ask to go.
The money, the time, the energy to walk around the park all. day. long.
Hmmm… no.
We even had the opportunity to go to Legoland-with 2 of the tickets already paid for.
All we had to do was buy three more tickets, pack a lunch and hop on a bus.
We opted for the beach instead.
As the comedian Jim Gaffigan says, “How can I spend an enormous amount of money, be uncomfortable, and listen to my children complain and whine? *I know* ~Disney!”
Adam and I experienced Disneyland as kids, and went to Disney world as married adults.
We know all the Magic Kingdom has to offer.
Maybe our kids will resent us for not taking them…
Maybe they will need counseling once they grow old enough to realize they were denied going to Disney as children… 
Maybe they will decide to go to Disney as adults…
Nah. Probably not. 
Perhaps we are denying our kids of a priceless life experience…
well, I don’t think so.
Everywhere we turn, someone is trying to sell us an “experience”.
What about the experiences creation gives us?
What about the people we encounter?
We have family in Oregon and California. 
So when we visited this summer, we went to the beach, the lake, the mountains, hiking, to national parks, and quirky places like Portland. 
Portland is a magical city filled with wonder, crazy characters, yuppies, hippies and homeless people, unique restaurants, loads of local shops, farms and markets, and countless state parks.
We visited Adam’s Uncle Gilbert and Aunt Dolores on their farm ~ and their house is a state of California historical landmark. 
They are in their 80’s and have had quite a life adventure.
The kids chased their peacocks and picked fruit off their trees.
We shared stories and had a wonderful meal together.
The kids still talk about their dog, Keepers, and how much fun they had playing with him.
These are some of the happiest places on earth,
where we have created some of the most wonderful memories.
Where is your ‘happiest place on earth’?
Maybe for you it is a trip to the Magic Kingdom…
Perhaps the happiest place on earth can be right in your own backyard… 
Time with our kids is precious.
No matter where you go and what you do with your kids…
live the fullest. love the deepest. laugh the hardest. 
In Him, Leslie 
***
What has been your “Happiest Place on Earth” experience? 
I’d love to hear your stories! Yes, even the Disneyland ones 🙂