don'tcha love the rumor mill

I was intrigued to read this about urban legends. I remember believing some of those early emails, especially the one about the underground black market of internal organs. Nowadays, I'll decide by the subject title. If something sounds too good or too wacky to be true, I just delete it. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone followed those same rules? There'd be a lot less spam, I'll tell ya.

Recently, I received an email entitled "Are these the end times?" The email portrayed Obama as the anti-Christ and tried to "prove" that we are in the end times. Look, whether he IS or ISN'T the anti-Christ, if it is the end times people, then so be it. There "ain't" a damn thing we can do if we are in the end times. Get right with God and there's nothing to worry about.

I have a friend who had a yard sale today and was planning on selling the entire contents of her home so that she and her husband could move to NC where she will be closer to the mountains. She is putting all her trust in her belief that we are getting ready to see the end of the world. Scripture has told her to escape to a cave. As nutty as it sounds, I gotta love her for who she is. She's convicted. She's one of my dearest friends and always will be. I'm not going to sit in judgement of her decisions. I am just going to pray that she will somehow be comforted by Christ's peace, no matter where she is living. What else is there to do?

I have another acquaintance who tends to go overboard on this type of urban legend/rumor stuff. A real "the sky is falling" type of personality. Paralyzed with fear. Perhaps I've said this before on my blog, perhaps not, but it bears repeating. In the Catholic Mass, during the consecration of the Eucharist, the priest prays the words: ".....and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ." Can it be any more clear than that? If we pray this in earnest every Sunday (and every time in between that we attend Mass), are we doubting that God will deliver on that request? No, He will protect us from anxiety for as long as we allow it.