The Founder of the Feast

Reflection during the Christmas season is inevitable, however cliché. And as I sat pondering about the events of the past year, I saw a mix of salty and sweet.

Since Christmas 2012 our family grew by not one, but two (Landon and Adam) and that is mighty sweet. But also since Christmas 2012, through a series of unfortunate events, I lost my job of three years.

Yes, the Lord has faithfully provided new opportunities, but it’s still often my inclination to say “SCREW CORPORATE AMERICA!” (Obviously, oozing the joy of Christmas spirit…)

But then this morning, as I got into my warm car to leave for work at my new job, I let out a sigh and said “To Dentsply – the founder of the feast.”

In case you don’t know this cultural (and seasonally appropriate) reference, allow me to explain. In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Mr. Scrooge’s clerk, Bob Cratchit (most popularly portrayed by the talented, Kermit the frog) sits down to Christmas dinner in his small home. To the shock of his family, he famously raises his glass and toasts “I’ll give you Mr. Scrooge, the founder of the feast!” Despite Mr. Scrooge’s scrooginess, Bob Cratchit’s thankfulness overflows for the provision of his employer.

So this is my renewed perspective for the path my life has taken in the past three months. Dentsply afforded me many opportunities, including references that helped secure mycurrent job and a salary ample enough to help me pay off acar. More than that, my three years at my first job out of college gave me some life insight.

Here are some things that my first job taught me:

To love everyone.

On a daily basis at Dentsply I interacted with everyone from a single-mom-production-worker, making minimum wage, to a high-back-chair-executive-with-two-PHDs, making more money than 99% of the world. This interaction taught me to love them and everyone in between for exactly where they are.

It taught me that character is not commensurate witheducation. And kindness certainly does not come with pay.

People are good.

This is something I knew, lost, and then was refreshed at the end of my tenure. You could throw lots of scripture at me to prove that we are all rotten from the start and there is nothing good that lives in any of us because of our sinful nature; man is fallen; the world is broken without being reconciled to Christ. Yes, I get it. But I believe people are good. And for that, my naivety has caused me suffering when people don’t always do the right thing. Nonetheless, I saw people—Christian or not—taking care of each other, vouching for each other, and loving each other unprecedentedly.

A glimpse of what it means to “Be all things to all people”.

When grabbing my coffee in the cafeteria, I could joke and show off my natural sass. But in the board room, I could be reserved, only speaking when spoken to. There’s a time and place for every part of who I am and that’s okay.

You can get through even the roughest days with enough black coffee, Avett Brothers albums, and people who know you need some love.

2013 brought many new things, some good and some not-so-good and quite honestly, I am ready for it to be over. My sincerest hope for 2014 is that I carry these things with me: into shifting jobs, shifting relationships, and shifting faith.

...Be Modest but Not a Prude

The internet can’t seem to stop talking about Miley Cyrus’ racy performance at the VMAs on Sunday. Before you scroll to the next thing on your timeline, I will not be offering my own opinion on her “cry for help” or the “blurred lines” of male/female standards. Honestly, I don’t care at all. Sure, I love me some Hannah Montana (true story) and long for the days when the most controversial thing Miley did was kiss her Zombie High co-star.

The issue I see goes way beyond whose performance was better at the VMAs or which teenage pop star turned crazier. For some reason, the thing that struck me the most out of all of this hub-bub is the same thing that has bothered me since quite a young age: modesty.

Mean Girls is daily quoted in my life. In the wise words of Ms. Norbury, “you all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it okay for guys to call you sluts and whores”. I also don’t want this to turn into a bashing session of my female comrades. We ladies need to stick together.

I have been removed from the dating world for quite some time and so the past few months have been a learning process for me, trudging through life’s messiness with my boyfriend, Adam. The first thing you should know about Adam is that he lives under a rock so he’s none-the-wiser about Miley’s foam finger or even that there was an award show on Sunday night. The second thing you should know about him is that he is sweetly candid (notice how I chose notto say “painfully”).

In his truest form, he explained to me what it was like to go back to a college campus this fall where, in the heat of summer and the thrill of going out, girls dress rather scarcely. Especially in light of today’s fashions—crop tops, bandeaus, denim cut-offs—the first day of school surely included the best skin-bearing outfits Urban Outfitters had to offer. Though the following ideas he shared with me were not new by any means (in the church or elsewhere), I sat a little shell-shocked.

1)      When women dress in a way that accentuates their bodies, they become objects.

2)      As someone who has chosen purity, it serves as a distraction for Adam (and surely, other dudes).

3)      Furthermore, it sometimes makes girls lose their humanity. As “objectification”, by definition, means “treating a person as a thing, without regard to their dignity”, I’m pretty sure “loss of humanity” is one-in-the-same.

Adam cares about people. He cares about their very souls. So for him to say that, made me realize that he is certainly not the only man who thinks that. Even of “holy” men.

As romantic as the notion “I only have eyes for you” is, can I really blame him when girls are willingly bearing all just on the way to class?

As someone who is somewhat curvier, it’s no secret that I have other reasons for not wearing crop tops.   But I know how to dress for my figure, flattering it instead of showing it off. In our conversation, Adam nicely complimented the way I dress, saying it is not a source of “stumbling.” However, even I have had Adam or other great guy friends recommend that I don’t lean over in a certain blouse etc.

From this, I can conclude that “objectification” is both brought on and prevented by both parties.

Ladies, it takes awareness on our parts. I think some girls innocently dress scantily out of ignorance for the effect it has on men. On the flip-side, there’s Hanna on Pretty Little Liars, who wants her boyfriend to sleep with her in order to feel desirable because of a body-complex. So ladies, I implore you, if you don’t want men to think of you as an object, don’t dress like one. Either way, men still find you attractive when you dress somewhat modestly. Moreover, they actually see you.

Men, seek men with whom you can talk candidly about struggles. Want to go one step further? Tell your female friends, girlfriends, sisters to pull down the skirt or put on a cardigan. They’ll appreciate that you want to look them in the eyes while talking.

I don’t think any girl is thinking “I should act like Miley Cyrus to get attention from guys” but the objectification is no less when women openly flaunt their bodies. And when I hear songs like “The Dress Looks Nice on You” by Sufjan Stevens, I don’t imagine a side-cut-out mini dress. I imagine something flowery and simple. As a result, he describes the girl as full of life, not full of sex.

...Not Read Every Christian Book, Blog, or Sermon

Perhaps the title alone makes this blog post null and void. So if you stop reading here, I won't really be that offended.

The pressure to read the best authors or bloggers is often a source of condemnation to me.

Around a year ago I got tired of people countlessly saying to me "Have you read [insert inspiring apologetics book]?" Or "Don't you just love [insert radical author]?" So I simply stopped reading anything but scripture. (Seriously.)

Francis Chan, C.S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, Bob Goff, Beth Moore, Shauna Niquist - they all have wonderful things to say. But I don't enough time in a day to read all the Christian rhetoric other Christians tell me to read.

Now, beyond just published authors, there are countless (some reputable, some self-proclaimed) bloggers and opinion leaders of the interwebs. A friend will send a link to a sweet blog of a non-profit founder. Relevant Magazine will post their latest article on Millenial-Christian-Culture. Jon Acuff will tweet another blurb about how fear is a lie. Sometimes it's a lot to take in.

Please know, the previous paragraph listed some of my favorite things in the world. Jon Acuff speaks a language that I get. I am a two year subscriber to Relevant Magazine (Cameron Strang, please hire me someday). I am an avid reader and encourage others to be well-read. But sometimes information overload kicks in, inadequacy abounds, and I feel like a failure  because of "Christian self-help".


Even as I write this I'm laughing at myself because I'M PUTTING MY OWN VERSION OF CHRISTIAN RHETORIC ON THE INTERNET FOR PEOPLE TO READ. My point is: my blog will not increase your faith because you listened to my ideas. And maybe best-selling, faith-based literature won't either. 

Confessions: I've never read The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I abandoned Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. I straight up wasn't interested in the last John Piper book I picked up. 

Am I less holy to you now? 

I'll let you contemplate that as I leave you with a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier.

"We search the world for truth;
We cull the good, the pure, the beautiful,
From all old flower fields of the soul;
And weary seekers of the best,
We come back laden from our quest,
To find that all the sages said,
Is in the Book our mothers read."

I wrote this in the front of my bible as a reminder that truth can be sought from even the wisest of men but I usually don't need to go even that far to find it...

...Online Date

In follow up to my post a few weeks ago about dating, I have a confession to make: I tried online dating.

In our highly technological culture, I suppose this is not such a great admission. In fact, my sister and brother-in-law met on Match.com. Because of their success (and my new-found confidence in "dating"), I decided to give it a try.

My search was futile (which turned out to be a really good thing so stay tuned for that). However, in my short experience, I saw so much go wrong. Not because the online-dating concept is skewed; but because of the way people chose to portray themselves. Anyone who knows me well knows I am incredibly careful about my word choice because we choose the way present ourselves to people.

Dear friends, should you decide to create an online-dating profile, please do so according to my own 10 Commandments of Online Dating:

1) Thou shalt not include the number 69 in your username

I don't care if you inherited your dad's mint '69 Chevy or if Bryan Adams is your favorite artist - it's suggestive and creepy and you should choose another identifier. (And if you were born in 1969 then you're too old for me and this is irrelevant.)

2) Thou shalt not call out another specific user in your profile 

I'm not kidding: some guy wrote "prettygirl85, please respond to my messages - did you get them?"  He could have been a great guy! And his dream girl could have been out there but obviously, I'm not going to continue to explore his profile because he's already blocked me out.

3) Thou shalt not include a photo of you playing video games in your profile

It's not cool. It's not interesting. It doesn't make me want to spend an evening with you watching you play WOW.

4) Thou shalt not overuse words like "adventure" "laid back" etc...

I do like adventure. I do like relaxed people. However, not everyone can be these things though everyone claims to be them. It's actually statistically impossible (my credentials as a statistician will be available at a later date) so these words become diluted fillers. 

5) Thou shalt not specify "no drama"

To be fair, no one LIKES drama. So boys, I understand this. First, girls that ARE drama, aren't going to identify themselves as such. That being said, all girls are 50 shades of cray (patent pending). You may as well be saying "I don't want a girlfriend". Guys, just know - there ARE women out there that won't cause you extra heartache because we have good heads on our shoulders. But that, by no means, means we're not dramatic. 

6) Thou shalt not talk about your ex 

We haven't even met. But I now know that you and your ex dated for 6 years and she dumped you for your brother and stole your cat. No. Just...no.

7) Thou shalt not spell "boy" as "boi" 

It's not 2003 anymore. Period.

8) Thou shalt not acknowledge seeing people you know on the site 

Living in a small town, it's inevitable that you stumble upon profiles of people you know. Namely, coworkers (yes, my life is that awkward). It is a law that we must not acknowledge the fact that we know the other is desperate enough to seek a mate on the interwebs.

9) Thou shalt not bear false witness against your future paramour 

Ok so this one's kind of an actual commandment too but seriously...why would lying about who you are make someone like you more?

10) Thou shalt not send stock emails
Literally, my friend got a copy and pasted elaborate email. It's not personal, it doesn't show interest, it doesn't show that you read the profile at all. Take 2 minutes out of your busy schedule and ask a question. It's not that hard, people.

Hopefully, this short list will help you navigate the the online dating world with a little more grace. Even if I'm no longer a part of it (sorry, fellas). 

Also, here's a gem from one of my favorite blogs: [IMG] Insert Image.

...Not Have Your Act Together

Today was part of an anomaly I like to call "Get Your Act Together Tuesdays." Most people are familiar with the phenomenon "Case of the Mondays", however, Mondays aren't such an issue for me. Mondays require A-game. I take extra time to prepare for Mondays, remembering that I have to get up early again. I always have events going on after work on Mondays too, which forces me to budget my energy for the whole day.

No, Mondays aren't my problem.

But Tuesdays...Tuesdays I put my guard down. It is on Tuesdays that you will find me without mascara, waiting in line at Taco Bell. Seriously, without fail, on the second day of the work week, I forget prior commitments and find myself floundering.

After realizing this ridiculous pattern in my life, I recall saying vehemently under my breath before a meeting "ASHLEY, CAN YOU GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER?!" Although, considering it was a Tuesday, it probably wasn't the word "act" that came out of my mouth...

Inevitably, the fact that I forgot to send that report and my hair is only half curled leads me to believe my entire life is a failure. Don't ask me how I make this astronomical leap. As a culture though, I think we love this concept of being a "hot mess".

/Hot Mess/ An attractive person, generally female, that repeatedly engages in situations which could negatively impact his or her social, mental, societal, and legal reputation.

The other day I tweeted "Sometimes the biggest thing that causes me to have a meltdown about how not-together my life is is my inability to find my sheet in my bed." Somehow this warranted, not just one or two, but many "favorites" from twitter users I have never met. Mostly, in Japan.

Despite our affection for faux pas in a seemingly normal person's life, this grace does not always extend to Christians. Whether or not self-inflicted, it's as though the world expects perfection from those who call themselves "Christians." Even worse, fellow believers hold one another to such a high standard that a simple slip-up seems earth-shatteringly detrimental.

In a reminiscent conversation with an old friend, I laughed about something rude I once said to him. Apologetically I said, "Thank God I'm not who I once was." He responded, "But I thought you've always been a Christian."

Yup, he meant exactly what he said: because I knew Christ, I had no excuse to act the way I did.

This exchange made me feel as though I only deserve grace when I'm doing things right. That entire thought process is a contradiction in terms, as "grace", by definition, is "unmerited."

I'll be the first to confess to you: I have no idea what I want to do with my life (seriously, one day I want to be a farm-stay and the next, a New York City executive). Sometimes I'm rude to people without meaning to be. Sometimes I forget to send things on time. And I usually wait until I'm totally out of underwear to do any laundry.

My life is not 100% together. But that has more to do with the fact that I'm a human than it does that I'm a Christian.

I know this because, even though man often expects perfection, God doesn't. Nowhere does the bible say "Being perfect makes you holy."

At first glance, Proverbs 4 (and passages of the like) may seem like they could cause my entire argument to crumble. The section lists a few dos and don'ts, summed up with:"Keep my commands, and you will live." Rather than stringent guidelines, however, this section of scripture allows the reader room to "seek". Verse 5 doesn't say "be wise already", it says "seek wisdom." The freedom to grow is built into God's call for our obedience. How beautiful.

I think this applies to every aspect of our lives as Christ-followers. My pastor often uses the phrase "We're not better because we have Christ, we're better off".

Seeking righteousness in Christ doesn't require me to have a 5-Year Plan, a perfect filter on my mouth, permanent smile, or even a flawless Tuesday.

This is not an attempt to justify my laziness or bad habits. But it's the truth.

If you haven't seen/read Silver Linings Playbook, please do so immediately. 

...Ignore the Homeless

Wait, no. That's not right. But I got your attention, right? After all, scripture straight up says "¹³ If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13

And yet, here I am: an upper middle class white girl, content to walk by those in need despite my Corporate Salary.

I understand entire political parties are divided on what kind of help we, as a country, should provide for those under the poverty line. I will not claim to solve all the world's issues by a single blog post. But I'm convicted.

My conviction likely came from 1 of 3 places:

1) This video of a homeless man in Chicago my church recently featured. My pastor is incredibly passionate about caring for our local community. Therefore, he initiated a series called "Jesus in the Trenches" where we discuss how Jesus got his hands dirty with people. Furthermore, Jesus expects the same of us.

Ronald Davis, the man in this video, tearfully explains to the camera crew that he is not a bum.  After a sweet sermon, my pastor charged all of us to care for the needy of Dover. He asked that we reserve cash in our wallet to do the Lord's will with that week. I left pretty pumped!

2) My newest online friend/girl crush, Rachel Karman. Rachel runs a blog from LA called Hit on by the Homeless, documenting her work with the at-risk population on skid row. She caught my attention because of her graceful response to the #FitchTheHomeless hooplah going on in the twittersphere.

She described the homeless, who are often regarded as either permanent street fixtures or statistics, as friends. The 3.5 million people who experience homelessness in a year have valid opinions and feelings that can be hurt. Perhaps you'd already come to this novel conclusion. I, however, apparently needed a kick in the pants to realize this.

3) While options 1 and 2 were incredibly compelling to me, it was likely my wild encounter today that led to heavy guilt on my conscience. During my lunch hour, I sat on the river bank by the library in the ho-hum town in which I work. I frequent this spot as respite from the office but today was different. My bible was open as I leaned against the cypress tree and a man approached me.
"What are you studying, young lady?"
"The bible."
"Good for you! What part?"
"Genesis - I'm reading about Joseph."
This simple and honest exchange led to a 30 minute conversation about life, and more importantly, Jesus. My new friend, Charlie, explained his hardships in life as he cracked open his beer. I often say that my favorite thing about people is their story. Through the unveiling of Charlie's story, I discovered that Charlie believed God was good but that he'd had a rough life.

Because of the passage I still had open, I was equipped with an account that seemed so applicable to Charlie. Joseph was dealt a pretty crappy lot. He was offered great temptation. And yet, Joseph was obedient to God. Genesis 39 says that God showed Joseph steadfast love and ensured anything he did succeeded.  

I told Charlie I could not possibly imagine the hard life he'd been dealt. And that my prayer for him, and myself, would be for obedience like Joseph's.

He was beaming. He said he could see joy glowing from my face. He then offered to buy me lunch sometime. Did you catch that? He offered to buy me lunch. Granted, this was mostly a come-on but still...what incredible generosity!

My lunch hour was up so I exited the scene, saying I hoped to see him around town. As I drove away, I remembered my pastor's charge (see option 1). The excitement I'd felt leaving that sermon waned: I had failed. I did not have cash on me, nor anything else tangible to offer Charlie. I missed the opportunity to provide for this man's physical needs.

Certainly, I could pat myself on the back for feeding his "spiritual poverty". But at the end of the day, I am a fool if I believe I did all I could for Charlie today.


The best part of all of this? Charlie lives in my own little suburbia. Sorry youth group kids, you don't need to go on a mission trip anywhere to fulfill the charge to "³ Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. ⁴ Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:3-4 

In the pursuit of holiness, being shoved outside of my comfort zone is required. Giving, both spiritually and tangibly, is required. Being a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant doesn't make me holy; being kind to the needy does. 

...Work a Corporate Job

I am a Christian. I also work for The Man. While it's no Goliath National Bank, I own stock in the $3 billion corporation. I have business cards with the boring-ish blue logo on them. It's not my ideal world but I am making an honest living in my 40-hour-a-week-cubicle. 

I have many friends who work in full-time ministry. I am incredibly grateful for them. Actually, sometimes I want to be them. And yet, not for any reason that they themselves have given me, working a Corporate job makes me feel like a second-class Christian. 

Jon Acuff, author of Stuff Christians Like (among many other awesome works) hilariously approaches the desire to go into full-time ministry, calling its workers "professional Christians:" 

"'I wish God was my boss. That would be awesome. He wouldn't care about my sales sheet. He would care about my soul sheet.' Then you feel a little embarrassed becuase it was that was such a low quality joke...You tell your friends, 'There has to be more to life than this. I need to be serving God with my talents full time.'" 

Perhaps that's true. But I wonder where I got this idea that I would achieve first-class Christian status by being hired by a faith-based organization? 

A few months ago, I met a phenomenal woman who has been in full-time ministry for many years. Upon my introduction I said I wasn't "crazy about the corporate world." She hastily replied "Well, of course you're not: you've tasted The Kingdom." Immediately, I agreed. But as I contemplated the matter-of-fact statement, I thought "Isn't the implication, then, that others who work in the corporate world haven't tasted The Kingdom of God?" That for-profiters don't have the opportunty to taste and see that The Lord is good? I think her intentions were pure in saying this to me. In fact, I think she probably wakes up everyday realizing the blessing of receiving a paycheck for preaching the gospel.

Still...I don't like when people tell me life. It makes me think of my favorite scene in the Italian-cult-classic, Moonstruck. The young Nicholas Cage and even bigger-haired Cher get in a shouting match. In her heavy Brookyln accent she says "I'm tellin' you your life!", implying that she knows his life better than he does. 

Does that make me the angsty Nick Cage then? Maybe. But the fact of the matter is that not everyone can receive a paycheck from a ministry.  Who would fund them if all Believers worked for ministries? Who would build connections with people in those corporate offices? If we all worked for churches or organizations with "justice" in the title, Christians would rarely interact with those who don't share our beliefs without them being "work". People don't want to be your work; they want to be cared for (see Ronny and Loretta). 

The beauty of the world is that it's not divided into good guys and bad guys. Or Christians and non-Christians. As Christians, we should never divide ourselves as "us" and "them": a perspective I've gained by working for a public company. 

Whether they're the backbone of a social good organization or on the streets teaching scripture, I have great respect for those who give up their lives, in and out of work, for a cause. Maybe someday I'll work for a life-altering, chill-inducing non-profit organization. 
For now though, in my short life, I have been denied for jobs with ministries. 

And the lie of the world is that I'm not a good enough Christian. I am not righteous enough, pious enough, selfless enough. When the truth is: I'm not called to it. I work in Corporate America. In a booming industry. Where projects drive a bottom line and that bottom line is fiduciary, not altruistic.

It would be easy to believe that bottom line doesn't contribute to The Kingdom. The alternative? To combat the lie that the privilege to work in full-time ministry directly correlates to a higher degree of holiness.

...Date

As dating was the trigger subject in the "still be holy" concept, I feel it's an appropriate spring-board.

Yes, the Christian dating scene has been beaten to death. But that's my point: it's been beaten...to death. Like there's not even whimpering breath left in it.

I find that Christian culture has largely demonized dating.

Growing up, my dad made me read books like I Kissed Dating Goodbye and I Gave Dating a Chance (whose book description actually calls "dating" a "dirty word"). So my 15-year-old self thought this stringent dating view was simply because I was too young. But now, 8 years later, I still feel oppressive judgement in dating. As if people are saying "No no, you don't want that."

It's as though somewhere along the road, someone told me dating makes someone's heart weak or is only reserved for those who don't know how to be alone.

One day, I literally quoted to a friend "Sometimes I think I want to be in a relationship but then I realize I'm too busy being awesome." I wasn't even directly quoting Barney Stinson. Where did I get that idea? That somehow dating and not-being-awesome were linked?

Perhaps it's a result of the pressure of already-married friends. Perhaps it's my incredibly low percentage of fellow Christian friends who are actually dating; skipping right from "talking" to "WE'RE GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW". More likely, it has to do with the lack of scripture that points to courting in our vastly different cultures. 

Regardless, my feelings on the subject came to a head during a phone conversation with my best friend. I found myself shyly telling her how nice it would be to go on a date. I expressed that I "selfishly wanted someone to take interest in me." I could actually hear her roll her eyes as she said, "You know you're not crazy, right? You're 23 - of course that's a natural desire for you to want to date."

As I exhaled, I felt my 3-dateless-years (yeah, 3) release with the carbon dioxide. "I can still trust that the Lord will provide AND desire to go to dinner and movie with a nice guy! Whoa!"

I am not negating His promises by wanting to date, nor disobeying.  I am not sacrificing closeness with the Lord by opening up to a dating relationship.  I am not rushing God's timing by actively choosing to date.

Matters of the heart are delicate - I get that. I am not suggesting that we singles should be reckless.  Yes, these things come with time. There's no need to hurry. But in the mean time, it's a nice reminder that we were created for relationships, not even just romantic ones. We are wired to love and to desire love.

Perhaps it will be another 3 years before I go on another date. And that's fine. As long as I can rest in the fact that I'm normal for wanting to date. And so are you.

You Can Still Be Holy and...Not Be Holier Than Thou

ho·ly adjective /ˈhōlē/
:dedicated or devoted to the service of God, the church, or religion; pious; having a spiritually pure quality. 

I am a Christian. And as a Christian, I will say – sometimes Christians take life too seriously. After an illuminating conversation with a friend, I realized that the call to be holy often stands in the way of relaxation in life.

Here I will explore the experiences that lead me to believe we can still be holy without being legalistic or super intense (umm, Pharisees, anyone?).

Whether you’re a Christian or not, you could probably come up with examples of times when someone made you feel guilty about life decisions. I don’t even mean major life decisions – I mean, “why did you choose that shade of lipstick”-kind-of-decisions too. Which begs the question: why the heck do we do that?

So fill in the blank:

• You can still be holy and [date].
• You can still be holy and [like celebrities].
• You can still be holy and [have depression].
• You can still be holy and [be a social drinker].

You name it. We’ll talk about it.