judge Archives - The Swirl World

Anyone who knows me can tell you, gumbo is my favorite thing to eat in the. whole. wide. world.

The. whole. wide. world.

Whelp, a couple of weekends ago I had the distinct pleasure of attending the 24th Annual World Championship Gumbo Cook-Off sponsored by the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce.

Imagine the scene: When I came within a mile of Bouligny Plaza on Main Street in downtown New Iberia, I was hit with the wonderful aroma of roux, the rich, dark goodness forming the base of the gumboey goodness to follow.

Closer in, I was engulfed by the sights and sounds of the Festival; crowds slowly gathering, gumbo teams (almost 100 of them) stirring and cooking away ~~when they weren’t carrying on and entertaining the crowd~~.

The smell of seafood permeated the air: shrimp, crab, oysters – and alligator.

I also had the privilege of serving as one of the judges of the booth decorations, and skits presented by the teams – complete with costumes:

To say that hilarity was the order of the day is an understatement:

MonMon, PawPaw and “TP”

(TP wanted me to zoom in for his closeup):

Once the judging was out of the way and 11:00 a.m. rolled around, it was time to eat and enjoy the gumbo!

Chicken and sausage gumbo, seafood gumbo and exotic gumbos including rabbit, alligator, “green” . . . .

and even gluten-free!

I have to admit that by the end of the day, I’d eaten four bowls of gumbo, taken three bowls home and earned this:

~~Don’t judge me.~~

Ahem.

So, you wanna know how to eat rabbit gumbo?

With a spoon, of course!

Join in the Fray: Would you try rabbit gumbo? What’s the most exotic food you’ve ever eaten?

My time has been stretched thin for the past two weeks, so I’m a bit behind on the news.

I’m not so behind, however, that I missed the tragic news that Matthew Warren, the 27-year old son of Pastor Rick Warren, took his own life. Rick Warren is Pastor of the Saddleback Church and author of the prodigious bestseller The Purpose Driven Life.

My heart goes out to Pastor Warren and his family. Enduring the death of a loved one is never easy regardless of the circumstances. Unfortunately, the pain brought on by an occurrence like this is exacerbated when you live your life in the proverbial fishbowl – first cousin to a glass house.

I’m too weary to be angered by the onslaught that Pastor Warren is receiving from people I’ll simply call “The Judgmental.” They sit on both sides of the aisle; Christian and non-Christian, yet their message is the same. In some ways, the criticisms Pastor Warren is receiving reminds me of similar words hurled at Jesus when He was on the cross – pretty much the most crucial time in His life:

“He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” Matthew 27:42, NIV

Really?

Is the loss of a son through the heart-piercing means of suicide something else that we judge people about?

Blogger Jenny Bolt Price had this to say on her Facebook page:

“Why would anyone kill themselves?”
“Why would she have an abortion?”
“__________ is just sick! I don’t know how you could do/be that!”
“Drug addicts want to be stuck. They want to be hooked on drugs so they don’t have to grow up.”

Have you heard “well meaning” people say these things? Or statements like this?

Sin is sin. I won’t deny that. Not at all. Wrong is wrong. What God says stands.
And Grace is Grace.
It too is undeniable.

Think about what you say, and who might be around you as you say it.

They will know we are Christians by our LOVE – not our judgment.

(this comes in the wake of many strong voices saying awful things to/about Rick Warren and family in the loss of their son to suicide)

I’ve been the victim of horrific judgment and even slander, so I know what it feels like to receive blame instead of a blessing, criticism instead of caring, and loathing instead of love.

My love and prayers are not only with Pastor Warren, but with anyone else who bears the brunt of someone else’s judgment, unkind words, and uncharitable attitude.

What Would Jesus Do? Well, examine your own actions and thoughts. Would His mirror yours?

I’ll wait.

Join in the Fray: What’s your first, true response when you hear of a tragedy?

I’m blogging every day in the month of April in Blogher’s NaBloPoMo Challenge. Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!