I only like diamonds

Diamonds are my birthstone. Had I been born in May, my birthstone would be emerald.

And that is all I know about stones.

Except, today on the morning radio show, the two hosts had a discussion about how stones can be healing and therapeutic, and how one host's mom had given her a topaz to "de-clutter" her mind. They asked for callers who could help explain the power of stones like rose quartz and boy howdy, did callers ever have things to say.

One caller spoke about a stone called snowflake obsidian, which she says is useful for bringing out the truth. She had been in a horrible relationship when she purchased the stone, and a week after she started carrying it around, the horrible truth came out and the relationship ended. Subsequent callers echoed the power of the obsidian, telling of how it too helps to de-clutter a person's mind, although apparently topaz does not ... and then it got even stranger, with callers talking about the negative energy that one might experience if one purchases a stone that has been previously worn. One caller's friend bought some kind of ring that gave her headaches, and as it turned out, the previous owner had also had headaches! (Maybe the ring was just on too tight!)

So then people said that what you might not realize is that you must cleanse a stone before it will work for you. Not clean, but cleanse. One lady suggested taking the stone out at a full moon and burying it in the sand to get rid of the negative energy. She talked about how stones are like sponges and they absorb whatever energy you put out. Someone else said that you obviously would not want to pick any stone, you must let the stone pick you. Yet another person said that the stone should touch your skin in order to work properly.

I admit, I was surprised by the level at which people believe in the power of an inert, inanimate object. Call me crazy, but the girl who was in the crappy relationship needed a stone to tell her it was crappy? And feeling as though a stone has healing powers, or could help "ground" you or clear your mind? I just can't fathom that at all. Perhaps this is an example of how people realize there is something missing in their lives, but instead of reaching for God, they reach for some kind of false spirituality. And then maybe they receive some sort of comfort for whatever reason, and their belief in that object increases even more. I don't know.

But it does suggest to me that we aren't doing enough to spread the good news about our God's love.

Luke 19:37-40
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

Let us learn not to keep quiet.