You just couldn't leave me alone could you God....

I knew this was gonna happen....

It's usually about a 5 year cycle....

That is, it's been about 5 years since I got out of the whole Religion thing.

Thought I was over and done with it once and for all....

And I think I still am.

But then I had a conversation with a new friend of mine at the gym yesterday.... it was a follow up to a comment she had made on a recent blog post.

Since this lady reminds me of a Viking Woman Warrior, I'll just call her....

Shieldmaiden!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shieldmaiden

Or should I call her Valkyrie?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_valkyrie_names

Or Lagertha?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagertha

By the way.... love the Viking series on History Channel....

http://www.history.com/shows/vikings

I was kinda surprised to find Shieldmaiden was a devout and witnessing Christian.... don't know why I was surprised.... she's a pretty extraordinary lady in other ways too.

Anyway, I interrupted Valkyrie's workout to thank her for the blog post comment.... and the conversation flowed to a "religious" discussion....

And it wasn't about Odin....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin

And let me tell you.... I have a lot of opinions on God, Religion, Christianity and all that goes with it.... so I started expressing some of those opinions.

And I have to tell you, I was doing everything I could to throw out as many of the "problems" I have with God and Religion as I could.... just to see how the Viking Princess responded to them.

I know.... what an asshole I am.... trying to throw Christianity Curve Balls to a devout Christian who's just doing their best to witness and do God's work....

But - Hey - you gotta earn my business.... so I was doing the whole "Fire for Effect" thing, just jumping from one God / Religion Counter Point to another... cause I wanted to see how Lagertha responded.

And I gotta say... she did pretty good... maintained her composure and patience (kept her sword in the sheath - thank goodness!) and addressed most of the issues with Scripture references.... I mean they were repeats.... I had heard all this stuff before, but still....

She did good.  I was impressed and told her so.

And I kept waiting....cause there's always a hook.... every salesman has a hook - right?.... or a right hook...

You know that mechanism to get you on the line so they can reel you in?

And let me tell you she was selling this whole God thing!!

So I'm swimming back and forth in the cold North Atlantic and I'm waiting and waiting and....

Here comes the Cast and there's the Bait!!!

An invite to a Share Group Meeting being held at the Viking Longhouse - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_Scandinavian_architecture -  from 5:00 - 6:30.

And let me tell ya....the Longhouse was more like a Long and Wide House....

But that's another story for another post....

Anyway - I knew the Hook and Bait  was coming and there it is... just laying there right in front of me.

So I played it cool and said I would consider it....

And I did....

And just like any other fish on the line....

I showed up at the Share Group... a little late... not socially late... maybe rebellious late.... I don't know....

And it turns out there's even more to this lady's life and ministry than just talking to arrogant dumb asses at the gym about God and Christianity....

But that's another story for another post.

So I meet the other Share Group Attendees and lo and behold, who do I see but this shining young beautiful blonde that I had met at Starbucks the day before...

Have I ever mentioned Lake Jackson is too small for too many reasons?

But this happened to be a good one....

I'll just call this Young Sun Child.... Barbie....

And yes, of course, there was a....

Ken....

Just about as annoyingly Young and Beautiful (or Handsome) as his female counterpart which is why, collectively, there was only one paired moniker for the Dynamic Duo....

Ken and Barbie.....

But that's another story for another post....

Back to the group.... the share group....

Met Lagertha's husband - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_Lodbrok - who... Yes... looked like a Viking Warrior also and a couple of other young folks....

And I suddenly felt like the oldest pooper at the party....

Cause I was.....

Oh well.... guess I need to start getting used to it cause...

I am old.

So we did the whole share group thing...

Of which the main activity is to...

Share!

Yeah - I know - what can I share but a Sense of Cynicism and Disruptive Religious Counter Points in an Environment that demands Conformity and being a....

Follower!

Yeah - you know being a "Follower" works with me bout like hanging a 100# anchor around my neck.... but hey - I'm here so might as well participate right?

And of course.... there was the prerequisite lesson study.... which was the viewing of a 25 minute video entitled, wouldn't you know....

"Fan or Follower"

Obviously centered on the concept of Religious Participation as Spectator or Devout Advocate....

Of  which I am neither but you know what.....

I enjoyed it!

Why?

Well - you know my whole Life Focus is one of Discovery -

Of New Info, New Experiences, New People...

And I had all that here.... so I showed up and paid attention.... which I tell my daughter all the time is....

80% of Success at Life!!!

Just Show Up and Pay Attention!

So while the video was playing and I was half paying attention - huh? Geez you just said....

Anyway - I was half paying attention because my fingers were turning the pages of Ecclesiastes....

WHAT?  What's this Ecclesiastes stuff?

It's a book in the Old Testament Einstein!!

And absolutely my favorite of all the books in the Bible!

Bible?  What Bible?  Wills has a Bible?  Yes... I have a Bible - Geez - Can we just get on with this?

So anyway.... I was keeping one eye and one ear on the  video and the other eye on Ecclesiastes and the other ear.... well I'm about deaf in one of  my ears so.....

Yep - I was reading my Bible.... sitting in a Christian Share Group watching a "sharing" video....

What is the Wills World Coming to anyway?

I don't know.... guess I had a temporary bout of  insanity.... but I was there.... and that tells you sumpin....

Not sure of what that is but it was a....

Discovery Sunday!

What  was the Discovery?

Not really sure but it got me to thinking....

And that's always a Dangerous Thing!

Stay tuned....