"Dorks are Hot."

This was the t-shirt one of the girls in my youth group was wearing tonight. I don't know why but I thought it was really funny. But I thought it odd that this girl was wearing it. She's probably 14 and just a beautiful young girl ... really, super nice kid. Tall, thin, cute, friendly, polite ... just a super kid. She's just the type of kid you're glad to be her pastor. Now I don't see her day-to-day in her school and would have never perceived her in any way, shape or form to be a dork. But from the conversation, she was making a statement, albeit somewhat in jest, about herself. It's funny how we perceive ourselves in comparison to how others view us. I often find it amazing when I hear a second hand compliment about myself or hear from someone about my own reputation in a positive way. Not that that happens much mind you but every now and then a delusional person speaks up and says something gratuitous about me. Even tonight at ¡alive@5!, my neighbor came to visit and heard me preach for the first time. He attends a Roman Catholic Church in Black River and is also part of Toastmasters. He paid me some really nice compliments and suggested I be the "opening act" for Steve Wingfield when he comes in June. He was very serious. He was that impressed. But I just look at myself as your basic pain-in-the-ass, cantankerous, high maintenance, dysfunctional pastor. More like I should have been wearing the "Dorks are Hot." t-shirt but even that would be a substantial overstatement. Funny how we look at ourselves in comparison to how others view us.