Don't touch your female cousin.

What?!

That's exactly what I thought too when I found that written in the back of an old notebook. I have a problem with starting to use notebooks and never finishing them. I found one just last night with only two pages used in the front from late 2009. As I flipped through the pages to the very back, I noticed this very strange sentence written on the top of the page - Don't touch your female cousin. I didn't recognize the handwriting but knew it certainly was not my own. I went to bed wondering not only who wrote it but why. Why would someone write that in my notebook?

Earlier today I was talking with my best friend and favorite Maritimer, @CourtneyWarnell. As we caught up on recent life events we started talking about the influence of various music artists, particularly Lady Gaga. I know what you're thinking - Is she seriously tackling the controversial subject matter of Lady Gaga? This is only her second blog post, is she insane? Not quite. I mentioned one of Gaga's latest songs Judas and how the lyrics seem to mix together the characters of Jesus Christ, Judas (the betrayer of Jesus), Peter (the one who denied Christ 3 times), and even the woman who washed Jesus' feet with her hair as a sign of her love for Christ. (Luke 7:44) Courtney and I wondered how someone could read the Bible and gather such a distorted understanding of these characters. From a marketing point of view I suppose it's quite strategic. I'm sure that twice as many people have listened to the song because they've heard it's "controversial" or "blasphemous" and want to check it out for themselves. Personally, I think it's sensationalism more than anything else.

As we talked it occurred to me that when people who don't know God personally read the Bible, it just doesn't hold the same meaning. It doesn't all connect. 1 Corinthians 1:19 says, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." I think that unless you're reading the Bible with the intent of finding truth about God, it's not going to hold the same significance. 

Later on in the conversation I mentioned to Courtney the strange note I found. We laughed as she reminded me of a sermon we had heard and some story about dating someone who turned out to be a family member. (They were probably from West Virginia...) And then it clicked - Don't touch your female cousin sounds weird and pretty creepy. But, in the context of the story (and in the form of a joke) it made a lot more sense and it slightly decreases the creep factor. It also helps that I know the author. 

When we read the Bible, we should be listening for what God is trying to say to us. That's where the "be quick to listen" part of James 1:19 comes into play. I think being quick to listen means being ready ready, being prepared, moving forward with an expectancy in our hearts. Being quick to listen means purposefully turning your ears (and your heart) to listen to what God has to say. As @gillyadam puts it, when you can't hear the voice of God, you can always read it. If you're reading God's Word with the desire to learn and grow, you're going to be challenged and changed. If you're looking to the most popular book ever written to write a song that will top the charts and stir up a little controversy, well, you're kinda missing the point.