Conversations with a Budding Jesus-Lover

So, our beloved city, Portland, is nationally and perhaps internationally known for many things: gourmet food, organic living, dedication to environmentalism, gorgeous scenery, etc. We are proud of these characteristics and love living here for all of those reasons. We are also nationally and perhaps internationally known, however, for having the highest per capita sex industry of any city in the county. We are slightly less proud of this characteristic. Even the nicest of neighborhoods seem to have a strip club or an adult film shop within a stone's throw, and there are certain streets or parts of town where these institutions are literally lined up next to each other.

One of these such institutions is called the Sugar Shack and is located on a road that we now frequent given that it's the most direct route to Madelyn's preschool. It's painted black and white with captivating red trim and has female mannequins posed in the windows in all sorts of curious positions wearing what can only be described as "smut" -- seriously, live naked bodies would be significantly less offensive.

In the last week or so, Madelyn has not only taken notice of this establishment but has started asking questions about it. Our ever perceptive and curious daughter inherently knows that there is something different about this place, and this morning she finally asked me "What happens there, Mommy?"

So I decided to tell her.

"Well honey," I began. "That place is very sad. The people who work there and go there are not very respectful or nice to each other. They say inappropriate things and dance inappropriately and wear clothes that are not meant to be worn in front of strangers."

"Do they hit each other and slap each other?"

Answering all-too-truthfully, I said "Yes, honey, they probably do hit and slap each other there." (Yikes.)

Boy, she thought and thought about this new information. After a minute or two she said, "It's kind of like Ninevah, Mommy."

Now, for those of you who might not be super familiar with the Bible, Ninevah is the place where the prophet Jonah refused to go, even when God directly asked him. Ultimately, a big whale had to swallow him and carry him around for three days before spouting him back up on Ninevah's shore, and only then did he obey and deliver God's message of repentance and salvation to the lost people of Ninevah who were destroying themselves, each other, and their city with their sinful behavior. Veggietales made a movie out of this story some time ago that we have recently discovered, but I had no idea that Madelyn had so thoroughly and accurately absorbed it's message. (In the movie, the people of Ninevah don't exactly participate in promiscuous and leud sexual behavior, as they did in the Bible. They "slap" each other with old, stinky fish, hence Madelyn's question about whether or not the people at the Sugar Shack "hit and slap" each other. I find this connection to be particularly hilarious.)

"Yes, Madelyn, it's exactly like Ninevah," I went on. "And just like Ninevah, Jesus loves the people there just as much as He loves you and me. He wants them to be healthy and loving and kind, and we need to pray for them every time we drive by there. Do you think we can do that?"

"Mmm hmm," she replied. "Let's go there right now and pray for those people."

"Umm, we're just going to pray for them as we drive by, honey," as I imagined the line of questioning that would arise from actually setting foot in the Sugar Shack...

Anyway, 'twas a very enlightening morning for the both of us. I'm writing this down because I want to remember it, but I also want to give you all an accurate description of our conversation lest you spend some alone time with Madelyn in the near future and she tells you the 3-year-old version that leaves you scratching your head and seriously questioning our parenting :)