All posts by David Stembridge

pretty is not good enough

He likes pretty girls; 
not me.
He likes sexy girls; 
not me.
He likes those busty, bronze-skinned babes
Who turn a guy on with the tap of a nail…
Not me.
He likes a somebody; 
not me.

lorrie
I cringe at the ugh of it all.

I wrote that lovely piece of (ahem) poetry at the ripe old age of 15. I don’t know who the guy was at the time but I was certain that  I was anything but pretty and therefore, of little value and unworthy of love.

I was an awkward, insecure and friendless freshman in high school at the time and deep in the throes of “I hate me-hood”.  And for a variety of reasons, I have sorta stayed in that neighborhood for a long, long time.

But I don’t live there anymore. In fact, I exited that place, shook the dirt off my sandals, packed up it’s baggage and sent it back to the pit of hell with all the other lies that somehow have had a hold on me for so many years.

And I want to go on record today with the following statement:

Pretty is not good enough for me. Let me tell you more…

The Low Down on {December 26th}

bell-ringer-oneChristmas is coming and statistically speaking, so is the most “generous” giving time of the year in our country.

This is the season when folks will typically be moved in their hearts and feel more likely to give to the “Cause of the Less Fortunate”. People will give generously of their time and volunteer in shelters and soup kitchens.

Blanket, shoe and coat drives will take place. Loose change will be dropped in a bell ringer’s bucket and wallets will be opened so that on December 25th many people will be fed, clothed, warmed and sheltered while  families and children in desperate situations will be given “glad tidings” and gifts of the season.

68617_455735544490416_594398092_n1This is a very, very good thing. This is a very, very necessary thing. This is exactly what Jesus talking about when He referred to giving to ” the least of these” in His name. (Matthew 25: 31-46)

But then comes December 26th and the 363 days following…what then? When the plight of the destitute and the homeless becomes a little less pressing on our hearts, when the lives and people suddenly become a little more invisible, a little easier to ignore…what’s the story then? Let me tell you more…