"Imaginary Jesus"

Have you ever discovered that the way you imagined Jesus to be wrong? I clearly remember the time it struck me that Jesus did not look anything remotely like the flannel graft Jesus I grew up with. Gone was the vision of light brown, straight hair, blue eyes, glowing white clothes, and perfectly manicured nails.

Matt Mikalatos carries the analogy even farther in his book "Imaginary Jesus". I was hesitant to start reading it. Was he going to poke fun at people who believe Jesus is real? Was he going to push one type of "Jesus" on me? Once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down! I finished reading it in one sitting.

Join Matt as he takes you on a fun filled, laugh out loud romp "through time, space and Portland, Oregon". He journeys to discover if his Jesus is the real Jesus. Along the way he meets Magic 8 Ball Jesus, White Supremacist Jesus, Political Jesus, and a host of others. Would one of them be the real Jesus? I'm not going to spoil the book. I promise you one thing, you will enjoy this book. It will make you think, while laughing. What could be better?

copy of "Imaginary Jesus" provided by Tynale House

Thumbalina, et al

While out grocery shopping this morning with Amelia and Hope, every time I spoke to Hope, using her name or not, she would respond to me, "I not Hope, I Thumbalina!" I spent the day calling her by her current chosen name.

Shortly before supper, Hope was looking at books. I went over to talk to her, calling her by her chosen name. She showed me some of the pictures that she looking at. In one Princess Jasmine and her father were locked in prison. Pointing to it, she said, "That's me. I locked in jail. What's her name?" I told her, and called her Thumbalina. To which she replied, "I not Thumbalina, I Jasmine!"

Taking on different persona's through out the day is not unusual for my three older children. Not only do they pick a person for themselves, but for everyone else. This can ensure fighting if the others don't agree on their new name. Then, for a period of time, they are that person.

I enjoy watching them try on different people. I watch as they see what personality traits and attitudes they like and want to adopt as their own. Of course, some of those traits and attitudes are not what I want them to pick out, so power struggles happen while I try to excise the bad traits. They have such active imaginations. It is fun to watch them imagine and dream.