The other day a friend of mine was telling me about a Christian female singing group she thought I’d like. So I whipped out my handy-dandy iPad (now that I am finally a woman of the new millennium I can do that kind of thing) and Googled ‘em. Though I couldn’t find a website under their group name, I did find something fairly close. So I clicked on it.
The webpage that came up was dedicated to “beauty you can believe in.” It was filled with photos of bronzers and brushes, lipsticks and liners, plus exhortations to exfoliate (with “natural scrub recipes!”). It looked so much like the Ulta website I figured I was in the wrong place. Oh no, I thought. Their website was taken by a makeup company and now their fans won’t be able to find them.
But then I looked further and realized, with horror, that it was their website. I had to search the page pretty thoroughly to be sure. But there they were, tucked down low on the right side of the page.
There was not one word on the page about God or Jesus. The Holy Ghost? A total no-show. Heaven forbid a mention of heaven (however, the page did offer to show me a technique where I could look seven years younger in two weeks, which led me to wonder: if I kept going, could I look 14 years younger in four weeks, and maybe even 21 years younger in six weeks? Now that would be a blessing).
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not looking for them to use Jesus as their celebrity spokesperson. But if they’re a Christian group, I just figured they might actually want to mention His name, or maybe even offer a little shout out to His Dad. Dunno, it’s just a thought.
But the part that really made me kooky (I know, how could you tell?) was that they are selling makeup! Oh, ewww. It just depressed me.
I am not going to name them or their website (although the whole “look seven years younger in two weeks” deal is tempting. But I would be soooooo disappointed if after two weeks I only looked six years younger). I’m sure they are good Christian women. I even bet they have beautiful voices and make lovely music for the Lord. And I completely understand they have to find a way to support themselves and merchandising is one of the ways many Christian artists are helping finance their ministries. But of all the things they could hawk, they chose makeup? Don’t we women have enough “you’re not quite good enough” messages to worry about without our own people turning our spiritual lives into beauty contests? In the immortal words of Jesus: Oy vey.
All that being said, I’ve come up with some ad ideas for them. How ‘bout: “Jesus loves you, but He’ll like you better with a little blush.” Or: “You lay your foundation on The Rock, and we’ll lay our foundation on your face!” Ok, last one: “All your sins are forgiven, and our concealers can hide all the evidence!”
Please feel free to add your own ad lines below.
- - - - -
I’ve decided to end my blogs with some of my favorite recipes. The challenge is going to be to tie them in with my ramblings. But this one was easy. This recipe from Peg Bracken is a staple in our family, one my mother made frequently when I was growing up, and one everyone I’ve ever served it to has loved. I paired it with this blog because it looks awful (definitely in need of beauty treatment), but tastes great. Enjoy!
Skid Row Stroganoff
8 oz uncooked wide egg noodles
1 beef bouillon cube
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3C chopped onion
1T oil
1 lb. ground beef
2T all purpose flour
1t salt
1/2t paprika
6 oz can mushrooms, drained (whole, slices, pieces , whatever you have on hand)
1 can Campbell's cream of chicken soup (don't cheap out, get the real stuff!)
1C plain yogurt (or sour cream, if you don't have yogurt. Sometimes I use half yogurt, half sour cream)
1. Cook the noodles like you always do, just add the bouillon cube to it as they cook.
2. Brown the beef, garlic, and onions in oil.
3. Add flour, salt, paprika, mushrooms. Stir, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add soup, and simmer on low for 10 minutes.
