As a new inductee into the laundromat “hall of shame”, I have spent many hot, boring hours making observations about the people that use laundromats and how they interact. Since I do have a degree in psychology and love to “people watch”, the potential drudgery that is a coin operated washing machine has turned into somewhat of a social experiment for me. Here is a very non spiritual blog about human nature.

Lesson #1: People do not know how to handle money……….

I already knew this lesson based on the current state of our economy, the high bankruptcy rate, and the excessive credit card debts that Americans have. However, my lack of faith in peoples ability to budget correctly has been confirmed. Unless a laundromat is a necessity (i.e. you live in a tiny little space with 4 people and it is impossible to have a washer and dryer, you live in a college dorm, you have items too big or too numerous to wash at home, or you are temporarily in hock with a broken appliance), laundromats save you absolutely no money whatsoever. It typically costs us around$20 every time we go to a laundromat to wash and dry our clothes. Maybe it would save you some money if you were a single person, but I figured even if you didn’t have the straight up cash to purchase the washer and dryer, most appliance stores and furniture stores have 90 plus days same as cash and other payment plans. Even if you only went to a laundromat twice a month at $20 a pop, you could put $40 a month into a payment for a washer and dryer. Sam’s Club has a good quality washer and dryer for $300 each. It would take you 15 months at $40 a month to pay both a washer and dryer off if all the money you had was your laundromat money. This saves you bunches of money considering the life of your machinery is at least 10 years and 10 years in a laundromat at $40 a month would cost you $4,800. Also, it is not economical to spend $2 on a tiny one time use box of off brand detergent. Buy your detergent at Wal-Mart and bring it with you.

A majority of the people that visit the laundromats that I have frequented must have an extreme fear of others because they literally won’t even look at you. Is it any wonder that so many Americans are on Prozac? People might possibly be happier if they acknowledged other humans and had interactions that brought them out of their comfort zone. I have had very few things said to me in the laundromats that I have a visited with the exception of one warning from an employee that it was too late for someone like me to be out walking the streets with laundry. Hey, at least one person cared. For the most part though, people live their lives full of complete indifference and mysterious unconcern.

Shockingly enough, in a world of thongs and butt cracks hanging out of low riders, people at laundromats do their best to hide their underwear when putting them in the washer, transferring to the dryer, and folding. I find this quite interesting considering the fact that people have no modesty of shame in most public places. I daily see breasts, butt cheeks, and thighs that I have no desire to look at because people wear clothes that don’t fit. But for some reason, people would rather die than have their tightey whiteys exposed at a laundromat.

Believe it or not, in a place where you are trying to get all of your stuff clean and rid your life of stains, dirt, and baby poop smears, cleanliness has little or no value. I would think of a laundromat as sort of a temple to worship the soap God. In fact, it is quite the opposite. It is very scary to imagine the sorts of creatures and fuzz that live in the washers and dryers of a public laundry facility. I deeply inspect every machine before I let it touch my clothes. Beyond that though, the floors are sticky and filthy and you better not even walk near the bathroom. You may be accosted by a sea monster or some other species that lurks in the sink and toilet. Definitely don’t wear the same shoes in your house that you wore in the laundromat. I have encountered every type of sticky goo plastered on the laundromat floors, stools, benches, and tables.

There is power in the concept of capitalism. As enticing as it sounds to make sure that everyone has an opportunity for equal financial status, the laundromat has shown me that competition and supply/demand still work as a basis for financial growth. The amount of money I have spent at any given laundromat has varied considerably from the North East to the Mid-West. The towns with only one laundromat cost excessively more than the towns where free enterprise reign. If you offer a good product and a good price, they will come. We don’t need too many regulations on that, we just need entrepreneurs to stir the American spirit. I have used the same machine in two different places and in one place it cost 8 quarters to run and in another place the identical machine was 15 quarters. While this would make some people upset, it only serves to remind me of the freedoms that we have as Americans to succeed or be duped. It is up to you which end you sit on.

Lesson Learned: It is amazing what sitting and watching clothes spin around will due to your psyche. Go outside more often =)

This is just a check in for those that really don’t want a daily dose of Jessica’s spiritual ramblings but just want to keep up on us. We are currently in the West Virginia district and will be leaving here for the good old Buckeye State. The sad thing is that we may not be back in Ohio and this area for a significant amount of time once we are done with our deputation travels here. Gentry is clapping his hands, saying Dada 5 million times a day, blowing raspberries, and just generally being all around adorable. Reese is, as always, rambunctious and intelligent. He keeps us all in line and entertains Gentry. I will hopefully be posting more pictures of our family and our travels at our website sometime in the near future. I’ve got lots of them but it takes forever to upload them if I don’t have them put on a disk. We will do that soon, hopefully.

We finally have this trucking thing down and we have learned to live with all of our new found friends, the RV insects. Although we have sprayed continuously for ants and other various bugs, it is apparent that since we are basically living in a box, we are a haven and easy port for Gods most glorious of creatures =) I woke up with a kiss the other day and it wasn’t my husband. It was my new man, the lightening bug. Of course all of our misadventures will probably not be over until we finally sell the 5th wheel and get a normal house. Until then, I’ll enjoy the laughs as they come and not worry about things out of my control.

After a conversation with somebody today that professes to be a Christian about politics, I couldn’t get the thought out of my head that we rely on God too much. We are always taught to bring every little thing to God, his eye is on the sparrow and we know that he watches us, and that he knows every need before we ask. While not disputing these Biblical truths, I do have to make the statement that religion can be a crutch to many people. A crutch is simply a device used to uplift people in times of brokenness and weakness. If you sprain your ankle and it is weak, you turn to a crutch to aid you in your mobility. Oftentimes though, you can get used to walking on this crutch and you no longer desire to walk on your own.
God gave everyone of us gifts to use in his kingdom and a mind to use in our own everyday choices and decisions. This person I was talking to about politics stated that she isn’t going to vote but she is really praying for the hand of God in the election. Is it fair to rely on God to pick the right president when we aren’t even willing to put legs to our prayer and do our part to vote? Is it fair to blame God when we pray about things and then do nothing to help bring our prayers into fruition? For example, can we complain to God about our financial situation if we aren’t willing to get a job, transfer jobs, or budget?

The book of Philippians talks about being anxious for nothing but to let our requests be made known unto God with prayer and supplication. Just a little bit down in the same chapter it talks about being content in whatsoever state that we are in. Whether we want or are full, we are to be content. With this thought in mind, is it fair for me to use the church and the mysterious “will of God” as an excuse to not succeed? Could I just be saying that something is or isn’t the will of God to fit into my own personal paradigm? Is this just an excuse for me to have to do nothing to help myself? I can pray every day to lose weight and then consume 2 gallons of ice cream on top of my prayer. I can pray for health and well being and then refuse to receive preventative care at the Doctor and follow basic medical laws.

The goodness and mercy of God is not an excuse or a crutch for Christians. If anything, it should be the reason that we desire to better ourselves. We should desire education, greatness, and success. This all brings glory to God. God doesn’t desire for his people to walk with a spiritual limp and a God crutch under their arm. God also wants his people to rely on him, call on him, and seek him for things that require a God intervention. If God has already given you the tools to accomplish a task, do it and do it well. Don’t wait for God to provide the miraculous for a situation that you can do on your own.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might”

Find something to do with your life. Do seek God in decisions, but search for things on your own. This passage of scripture speaks of hard work and diligence. Of course earthly pursuits are secondary to the work of God and will of God, but they are still something that are required to survive in the 21st century. Ruth chapter 2 talks about God rewarding your work and making your wages full. God will help those that help themselves.

At some point in the 1980’s John Mellencamp sang a song entitled “Hurt so good”. I’ve often thought that this is one of those pointless, bizarre songs that echos in our heads because we hear it playing on Muzak and in elevators. Strangely enough, today I was contemplating the spiritual connotations of this song. I have read the lyrics to it and frankly have no idea as to what the song is about. I’m assuming it is about the pangs of sorrow that we have all felt in a love relationship but that love is worth taking the risk,however to the pure all things are pure and maybe it means something entirely different.I began to think about how in our lives we do absolutely everything that we can to avoid pain. There are prevention groups and clubs for every ailment and mental disease. I had a full time job as a “prevention specialist” and many others in the medical and mental health field hold this same title. Are we trying so hard to put ourselves into a bubble that we are missing out on valuable life experiences. Studies are now showing that our excessive use of anti-bacterial hand gel to prevent disease and infection has done nothing but breed strands of super bacterias that we have no anti-biotics to treat.

Eventually we are all faced with situations in life that we would much rather avoid. Jesus Christ prayed for the cup to pass from him as the time was coming for him to die on the cross. However, just a few short scriptures later we find, “And they gave Him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but He received it not.”— Mark 15:23 Jesus chose to not have anything to block the pain and suffering of the sins of the world that he felt via the nails in his hands in feet. He chose to feel every ounce of the misery and grief from both the physical pain and the emotional/spiritual pain of bearing our burdens.

This train of thought has inspired me to challenge everyone to not live in a bubble. Don’t try to prevent all suffering in your life. Get your hands dirty by helping the hopeless and getting involved in someones life. It is true that the people that disappoint and hurt you the most are the ones that you have poured excessive time into, but you can’t let that stop you from affecting your world. Also, instead of always praying for God to intervene on every situation according to your choosing, learn to truly say from the bottom of your heart and mean it, “Thy will be done Lord”. Jesus put away the thoughts of comfort and thoughts of himself for the will of God to be accomplished. What would happen if we all did the same? Remember, “sometimes love doesn’t feel like it should.”

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about age and how many people like to categorize others according to the age demographic that they are in. Many like to limit what they feel they can do both in the secular and spiritual worlds because of a number. In a youth obsessed culture, John McCain has faced much criticism about running for president in his 70’s. Why is it that in church culture we don’t respect ministers until they reach their mid-fifties and beyond? The church fights enough as it is to stay mainstream and connect to culture yet when we downplay people’s roles and ministries because we don’t feel they are old enough, we are further ostracizing our self from society. Recently, Luke Ravenstahl became the youngest mayor in US history. He is 26 years old and yet he leads, guides, directs, and casts vision for one of the largest cities in North America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. If this same young man were to try to pastor even some of the smallest of churches we would say that we don’t want a kid in charge. How bizarre is it that we are still holding onto antiquated ideas when even the word of God says not to despise youth and to remember the creator in the days of your youth. There are numerous Biblical examples of men as young as 8 years old fulfilling the calling of God and leading armies to great victories.

This topic has a particular importance for me because my husband and I became pastors at the young age of 21. We are currently missionaries beginning a church plant in Cleveland, Ohio that will have a global impact. God is no respecter of persons. If he has called and commissioned you, you can do it regardless of your age. Age is only an obstacle to those that are disrespectful and unwilling to participate in God’s plan. Many CEO’s, managers, governors, and top ranking officials all fall in the age category of 20’s and 30’s. Why in a world with anti-wrinkle cream, liposuction, and botox is the church still fighting to keep only the oldest members in top ranking positions? This seems out of touch with not only the word of God but with the swing of our culture. Our elders have a lot to provide and give and this is not to be derogatory towards those that are older, however, we must get out of the mindset that you must be a father figure to effectively pastor a church.

I am excited at the trend I see of couples in their 20’s starting churches, pastoring churches, and changing cities for God. Why let the secular world have a one up on us? If a 26 year old can be a mayor to millions of people, why are we worried about a 20 something pastor? Get jealousy and pride out of your heart and be sensitive to what the spirit is saying. Youth are to be the example and the leaders!

1 Tim 4:12-16
12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.KJV