Is Cinderella a Christian?

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qzskrx58froA4k0Nd4h3ZPziUMi23NlJKgZ8QKEqcPOwlZXmIMBfyzvxxfh5Ze7TjChA93QjzzZMeXAAnVA8fGvZJi5iOvX40DQB3M-EFSZgcpdOOAsbH3rL-MkUTYoIXtj7_m9T-EY/s1600/cinerella2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qzskrx58froA4k0Nd4h3ZPziUMi23NlJKgZ8QKEqcPOwlZXmIMBfyzvxxfh5Ze7TjChA93QjzzZMeXAAnVA8fGvZJi5iOvX40DQB3M-EFSZgcpdOOAsbH3rL-MkUTYoIXtj7_m9T-EY/s1600/cinerella2.jpg" /></a></div>As a kid I asked <i>way</i> to many questions for Sista Sheen (nope, that's not her real name), the youth Sunday school teacher at Greater Victory Church of God & Christ. My Uncle (who adored me) was the pastor of the church, and thanks to my questioning ways, I usually ended up in his office or as the only child in adult Sunday school.<br /><br />I remember being very frustrated with Sista Sheen because she couldn't tell me whether or not Cinderella was a Christian. I don't know why it was so important to me at the time, but it was, and in my mind, the fact that Sista Sheen couldn't tell me Cinderella's religious preference meant that she wasn't at all as spiritual as she professed to be.<br /><br />My obsession with fictional characters didn't stop at Cinderella, nor did I have the good sense to stop trying to create conversations that would prove that my Sunday school leader was either kicked or had flunked out of divinity school. I was convinced it was the latter.<br /><br />One Sunday evening during youth group Sista Sheen asked, "Is Cinderella a Christian?" If it were possible, my head would have done the full on exorcist spin! Everyone looked right at me, and I nearly froze. This was my chance, my chance to make everybody see right through Sista Sheen.<br /><br /><b>Me:</b> Yes, Cinderella is a Christian.<br /><br /><b>Other Kids:</b> How do you know?<br /><br /><b>Me:</b> Because she was a servant and Jesus was a servant.<br /><br /><b>Other Kids:</b> That doesn't mean she was a Christian.<br /><br /><b>Me:</b> Yes it does. She served with a humble, but happy heart and sang uplifting songs.<br /><br /><b>Other Kids:</b> That's stupid and doesn't prove anything! Gargamel sings songs that are uplifting to him, but he's still evil to the Smurfs.<br /><br /><b>Me:</b> It's not stupid! Plus we believe that cleanliness is next to Godliness and she was very clean and is therefore a Christian!<br /><br />Sista Sheen having heard enough, brought it all to an end. "<span style="background-color: white;">Cinderella isn't a Christian and Gargamel isn't evil! They are both figments of a creators imagination, they are drawn pieces of art, they don't exist! They aren't real! I wanted to have this discussion so that Sista Beehive would stop these nonsense questions, but it seems that you are all CRAZY! You all need to focus</span><span style="background-color: white;"> more on the individuals in the Bible and how you can avoid becoming like the ones who are evil, and be more like those who followed Christ our Lord and Savior!"</span><br /><br />Years later, I feel that Sista Sheen missed an opportunity to engage her Sunday school class in a deeper conversation. Back then our young brains hadn't yet made a connection with the people in the Bible. We didn't see them as actual people, the weren't our everyday heroes, we didn't watch them on tv on Saturday mornings, and they sure didn't come as prizes in our favorite boxes of cereal.<br /><br />Now that I am a volunteer Sunday educator (ya'll know what I mean), I have much more appreciation for Sista Sheen. And because I had so many experiences as a youth where my questions went unanswered or my very active imagination was treated with disdain, I also have an appreciation for my students who are of a more inquisitive and creative nature.<br /><br />Go With God,<br />Sista Beehive

Is Cinderella a Christian?

As a kid I asked way to many questions for Sista Sheen (nope, that's not her real name), the youth Sunday school teacher at Greater Vic...

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Sistas in Zion Radio! - Today's Youth, Tomorrow's Future

Want to know what our future holds? You've got to ask the youth of today. Sistas in Zion welcomes our special guest panel made up of the Class of 2012! Plus we're  talking with MTC bound Stormy Sheppard, who had his LDS missionary farewell today. Sistas in Zion Radio! Every Sunday 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) Listen live <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sistasinzion/2012/05/20/todays-youth-tomorrows-future" target="_blank">here</a> ! Call in at (646) 478-3671.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJPsuqozYrLTjj2HxukWaHOUvTQFf2wQpPFkFu_rcM7oX9SI7DC55uK9XUYIoXDVvGw84H5ZaJ4ny_PIDsWY5cD2aR-ozZEKoiT06Wirjv7wYwsvu9h8C30L790fzqGOMT9tcb0LZGT8/s1600/s3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJPsuqozYrLTjj2HxukWaHOUvTQFf2wQpPFkFu_rcM7oX9SI7DC55uK9XUYIoXDVvGw84H5ZaJ4ny_PIDsWY5cD2aR-ozZEKoiT06Wirjv7wYwsvu9h8C30L790fzqGOMT9tcb0LZGT8/s1600/s3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />

Sistas in Zion Radio! - Today's Youth, Tomorrow's Future

Want to know what our future holds? You've got to ask the youth of today. Sistas in Zion welcomes our special guest panel made up of the...

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Stake Dance Wars

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9apbwKJvI7cFqfNqPMIgzIsWEO-hQVKKFpYclWFBnl3eFnbDzIQFwOcH94kxyKJeh1jlAAq5j-FCwU0wbkaTVXvzTkl5RhAtwEQv3d8XmDqsojIPkutGS_gkLEnkW0wytXEiywOQJew/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9apbwKJvI7cFqfNqPMIgzIsWEO-hQVKKFpYclWFBnl3eFnbDzIQFwOcH94kxyKJeh1jlAAq5j-FCwU0wbkaTVXvzTkl5RhAtwEQv3d8XmDqsojIPkutGS_gkLEnkW0wytXEiywOQJew/s1600/4.jpg" /></a>I attended a very diverse <a href="http://www.lds.org/">LDS</a> <a href="http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Stake">stake</a> where I was <a href="http://lds.about.com/od/organizationsauxiliaries/p/church_callings.htm">called</a> to work with the <a href="http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Youth">youth</a>. Our stake was diverse in age, racially, culturally, economically, socially, you name it. Many blessings come from being surrounded by people who are different from you, yet all having common ground as brothas and sistas in the Gospel.<br /><br />Minus the out-of-whack hormones, I enjoy working with the youth. However, there is one youth activity that can get a little crazy when working with a diverse group...a stake <a href="http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Dance">dance</a>. Somehow I always find myself on music duty, which means sitting next to the DJ, keeping the girls from flirting with him and maintaining the requests list. If you think that sounds easy, you don't know how wrong you are.<br /><br />First issue, age, there could be a ninety year old sister serving punch and cookies and the youngest teens at an LDS dance are usually fourteen. What happens is: dear sweet Sister 1920's shuffles over to let me know that she finds the music too loud. Then Brother So-and-so wants me to translate every rap song because he can't understand what they're saying. Another sister comes by and asks that we try not to play so much rock music, it makes the boys jump in to each other and it's dangerous.<br /><br />Then there are the kids. The black kids inform me they came to the dance to get crunk (have a good time), but they can’t because the music is whack (bad). The DJ plays a hip-hop track. The Hispanic kids stop by to let me know that they want to <em>really</em> dance, and you can't <em>really</em> dance to what the DJ is playing, please, please, play some Bachata (a form of music and dance that originated in the Dominican Republic). The DJ obliges. <br /><br />Some of the Asian kids want to get a break dance battle going, so could the DJ hit’em with a tight (cool, hip, amazing) beat. The Polynesian kids would like to chill (hang out, relax) to something mellow. The DJ plays a little something-something with ukulele in it. A group of white kids come over, like (a word spoken in between each word in a sentence, usually used by teenage girls) do you like have any like High School Musical.<br /><br />By now the DJ officially thinks <a href="http://www.mormon.org/">Mormons</a> are crazy (there goes any chance of converting this dude) and he can't wait to get out of here. Play some Beach Boys and the leaders are on the dance floor, but the kids are a united front and clearly on strike. The girls say there are not enough slow dances the boys say there are way too many.<br /><br />It’s the end of the night, there are no satisfied customers. I tell the DJ to put a <a href="http://www.michaeljackson.com/">Michael Jackson</a> song on. The dance floor fills up. Leaders know his music; the kids are poppin’ n lockin’ (urban dance style associated with breakdancing). Finally everyone is happy. Brother so-and-so is boogieing this way (what now, he can’t possibly need me to translate Michael Jackson). In between his spazmatic dance moves, he tells me that he likes Jackson 5, but The <a href="http://www.osmonds.com/">Osmonds</a> are better. <br /><br />Now I’ve had it, the DJ announces last song and asks me what he should play. Everyone seems to be pretty happy with Michael Jackson, so I figure we stick with Michael and end the night on an up swing. “How about <em>"Beat It"</em>,” I say. Here’s to hoping they all get the hint. ;-)<br /><br />God is Good,<br />Sista Laurel

Stake Dance Wars

I attended a very diverse LDS stake where I was called to work with the youth . Our stake was diverse in age, racially, culturally, econo...

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