Thankful Winter is Nearly Over!
Introducing my other publications and some spring break plans
For the past two and a half months I've been following the legal drama that has been unfolding between celebrities, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
It's what has kept me entertained during the worst sustained winter weather I've experienced in over twenty years, let alone having to deal with the bulk of it in the mountains, apart from my husband and two children.
But now, spring is in the air, enabling me to get out of this cabin and move not only freely about, but also more frequently over the mountains that divide me from my family & friends. I'm ready for the next season in my life!
Seeking Celebrity Justice
I put my attention, time & energy spent on following the Blake Lively / Justin Baldoni drama to productive use early last week by publishing a page on our website and a set of She Said & He Said posts documenting a simple timeline of the unfolding legal battles between the two celebrities (plus Ryan Reynolds) along with a list of charges being made by each party and links to their filed complaints.
For anyone interested, you can find those she said/he said posts at CelebrityJustice.substack.com.
Returning Home
Over the span of the past several weeks, I was able to spend much needed time back on the homestead with my family, and I got to see a few of my friends again. It was all a great spiritual boost for me.
First, in late February, I helped my husband host a gathering of folks he met over the winter (plus a few of our mutual friends) in our barn.
It has been a long time since we've utilized the barn’s facilities as we intended with our renovations over the years, which made me long to get back into coordinating & facilitating activities & events in there again.
So, the following day, our family went back out there and spent the evening playing ping pong, listening & singing along to music, and noshing on chicken nuggets, egg rolls and French fries. It was a lot of fun. :) (I hope to do more of that in there as the year unfolds.)
Then, my husband took a turn spending several days in the mountains with our youngest son, while I enjoyed staying on the homestead and spending that time with our older kids.
At the week's end, we were all reunited and enjoyed more downtime together. And thanks to the warming temperatures, I also spent some time down by our pond and played some pool on the barn's porch. (Here's an episode from four years ago down by our pond with an unexpected guest.)
Then, the next weekend, while our kids hung out with each other at home, my husband and I attended a Sabbath (Saturday off from work) fellowship with a friend. This was something I haven't done in a long time.
Although, while it was nice to meet & fellowship with everybody there, I had a feeling I would regret sitting through the discussion of that week's Torah portion (Bible reading). And I was right.
Attending Bible studies and/or Bible discussions frustrates me in particular, because there is typically a prominent (& only acceptable) view concerning the authority & merit of the book, which naturally influences its readers' perspective on how the material is received & applied.
And then undoubtedly, people from diverse circles of influence have differing levels of knowledge & understanding concerning the book’s contents. So, it's nearly impossible to get very far in gleaning anything significant from the joint study and/or discussion.
If we are all going to just objectively discuss the text that is read together, I probably would be fine. But that is rarely the case when it comes to this particular book because of the strong personal spiritual ties most people have to it.
I wish this weren’t the case and people were truly open to consider my perspective.
But oftentimes the moment Bible-revering folks find out how my understanding of the Bible differs dramatically at the most fundamental level, my credibility with them as it pertains to that book is shot. That is usually because they assume they're right without question and therefore, I must be wrong.
But what if I'm not? What if there is just cause for me to hold the position that I do? What if the "Good Book" was just a good book and not the inerrant Word of God that so many of us have been led to believe by religious institutions? And what if the authors of the content never meant for us to insert ourselves into their pages, let alone even read them?
Would we be looking to the skies for someone to rescue us from this God-forsaken place had we never consumed the latter part of the New Testament?
Would we be elevating & buddying up with a nation state that kills scores of innocent men, women & children had we never consumed the Old Testament?
Would we be subjecting ourselves to wicked authorities, going along with the wickedness out of a sense of obligatory duty had we never read Paul's letters?
Would we see ourselves as innately sinful or the natural world we inhabit as cursed & in need of destruction had we never consumed the early pages of Genesis?
For quite a while now, I have resisted the urge to share my understanding of the book in Bible-influenced conversations because I understood it would result in limiting the depth of my relationships. (Because that's been my experience in the past.)
But now, I'm thinking it's time for me to change and start volunteering my perspective (under appropriate circumstances, of course).
Because while I've changed my view of the Bible and hold a different understanding of what it actually says than most who are familiar with it or claim to have read and/or studied it (-- I have actually read & studied much of the book myself), I have not tossed the book out. I still value it. But I value it for what it is and with the understanding of the need to keep its contents in their proper context.
And my understanding embraces the natural world with its just & merciful natural order, recognizing it to be very good. And I stand by the notion that human beings are not innately sinful — we all have a choice & a personal responsibility in how we behave.
I have no reason to believe or expect that someone else is going to clean up the mess around us. Instead, I acknowledge I, along with those around me, play a necessary and significant role in my children’s (and their one-day children’s) future.
And I believe their future here on this earth can be bright, beautiful and bountiful. So, I am dedicated to living in a way to help bring that about. — But I need help from others who understand these things as well.
I see too many good (& good-hearted) people trapped in a false paradigm concerning the Bible’s contents, and I can’t remain silent any longer about this subject.
While, as I’ve said in the past that I have no desire to preach, I do have the desire to reveal my perspective to those with whom I come in contact.
Early last month I began to share some of my understanding of what the Bible says & means at Messyanic's Findings, pulling from personal studies and previous posts I've shared at Messyanic.com and providing my current perspective & thoughts.
And now, with spring quickly approaching, I hope to share my thoughts through that venue on the early springtime happenings referenced in Exodus 11-15, Leviticus 23:4-14 and in the latter gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
So, if that is of interest to you, please consider subscribing to Messyanic Findings to receive that material when that time comes.
Lastly, Looking Forward to Spring Break
And then, this past week I spent a lot of time contemplating next month's spring break, wondering what to do during my son’s precious period off from public school.
Certainly, we will be making our way back to the homestead, and I’m thinking maybe we, as a family, will camp out together for the week in our backyard. (I'll be seeing them all next weekend, and we'll probably come up with some plans together.)
When I checked the school calendar for the break’s dates, I was happy to see my birthday falls within that week.
So, now, I'm personally planning to throw a party for my friends & family in honor of the life I've been granted, similar to what I did when I turned 30 years old (over two decades ago).
I am not seeking or expecting to get any gifts bestowed upon me. Instead, I simply want to celebrate my life surrounded by the people whom I love and like.
Several years ago, when I turned 50, I wanted to have a birthday party, but I was deterred at the time, having felt like I had no friends or loved ones outside of my household who would show up for me. <-- And that was my problem.
I had misplaced my focus -- thinking about who may or may not have loved & liked me at the time when I should have been thinking about who it was that I loved & liked. Shame on me. Needless to say, that was a depressing time for me. Lesson learned.
I much prefer the outreach perspective on birthday parties. :) So, I’m happily working on making those mid-April plans.
But apparently, winter is not over yet as we’ve got snow in the forecast this afternoon. Joy, joy. I’m so grateful for passing seasons.
I’m also grateful for today, every day, and I thank you for taking the time & energy to read this news update from me. I hope you found something worthwhile in it.
Here's a quick recap of the links shared above:
Personal pursuit of truth & celebrity justice:
https://wiggleculture.com/learn-grow/seeking-truth/celebrity-justice/
Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni: She Said
https://celebrityjustice.substack.com/p/blake-lively-vs-justin-baldoni-sheJustin Baldoni vs Blake Lively: He Said
https://celebrityjustice.substack.com/p/justin-baldoni-vs-blake-lively-heSurprise guest at the pond:
https://wiggleculture.com/cow-gone-fishing/No desire to preach:
https://carrienotkelly.substack.com/p/recent-celebrity-justice-obsessionsMessyanic website:
https://messyanic.com/Messyanic’s Findings publication:
https://messyanic.substack.com/
As always, please take care of yourself and your own, and know that you are a precious human being, filled with immense potential. May you spend (& invest) your life well. :)
Have a wonderful day, and a wonderful week to come! I love & appreciate you!
Sincerely,
Carrie (not Kelly)