Christians and peace signs.
Maybe I’m a bit too “radical” (never been called that, but there is always a first time for everything) but the word Christian is about as effective nowadays as someone holding up their two fingers and saying peace. Do they mean it? Do they intentionally mean to say that they wish for world peace? I’d say no. The term Christian used to put fear into the hearts of governments. The term Christian instigated violent persecution to any person who mentioned the name. Why? I don’t see to many people being chased down the streets with baseball bats today. No, in fact, I see no persecution other than when some one gets an email stating that their last political email that was broadcasted was proven false. I’m not trying to be argumentative but the passion for my Father has diminished and is no longer recognizable by his people. More so, any genuine passion that is generated in the hearts of individuals for the Father usually ends up turning into a program or is diminished by other believers as nonsense. I guess for that matter who needs persecutors when other Christians will be more than happy to do it for them.
I guess all in all, I’m not happy with the current state of the church (not structure I mean people). The bickering, the comparing, and the questioning… it all makes me uneasy. Look, I know that I too have had my fair share of mud tossing. It was and still is something that I am going through. I trust that, you the reader understand that I want a God given passion that comes through deep searching. If you are not willing to search yourself and struggle in your faith, you will never find that true passion because it will be all second hand information. I now desire to be occasionally wrong because that is where Father is at work in me.
“We would rather be ruined than changed. We would rather die in our dread than climb the cross of the moment and let our illusions die.” W. H. Auden
Something that hit me the other day….
When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love
When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love
I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong
I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love
The storms are raging on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love
That is one of the greatest love songs that I’ve sung to my wife. Perhaps even better – it is one of the greatest love songs that my Father has sung to me. To know that my Father loves me most is a overwhelming thought but to see it in a song – that’s power my friends.
Have you ever shot cola out your nose? I just did when I read that Tommy voted for George Bush. What was it? My constant badgering? Maybe it was all of those bumper stickers? I know…. I prayed that he would vote for Bush. HEE HEE! Cool man.
Stupid... yes – humor me.
I was at the barber shop last Wednesday and I got into a discussion/debate with a “born again” atheist. When I heard this man, who by the way was well into his 60’s, telling his barber that he thought that religion was stupid and foolish I had to join in and some other things about stem cell research. I wasn’t there to beat him over the head with my bible and get him to profess Christ in 20 minutes – the way I would of 5 years ago. I was there to interview him – only. I asked some pretty tough questions about the origins of life and where he received his morals from mostly, I was very curious. He skipped the origins part and took the morals part well. I found in the 20 minutes before he had to go that I had more in common with him that not. He was adamantly against religion and said that it was the most repressive thing out there. I agree. He also said that religion should be out of our government and our schools. I also agreed. He said that he came from an atheist home and that he learned to love through his family – in fact he has been married to his wife for 43 years. He said that all of his morals came from love. I told him that I was a disciple of Jesus and that everything that I have learned comes from love as well. We parted after his hair cut. He came back in and shook my hand and said it was a great discussion. I agreed.
The most interesting thing is that if it wasn’t for the elections that are coming, we probably wouldn’t have ever said a word to each other.
An ode to our future lawyer Greg-
These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of biting their lip to stay calm while these exchanges were taking place.
Q: Are you sexually active?
A: No, I just lie there.
________________________________
Q: What is your date of birth?
A: July 15.
Q: What year?
A: Every year.
________________________________
Q: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
A: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
________________________________
Q: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
A: Yes.
Q: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
A: I forget.
Q: You forget?
Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten?
_________________________________
Q: How old is your son, the one living with you?
A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
Q: How long has he lived with you?
A: Forty-five years.
_________________________________
Q: What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke up that morning?
A: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
Q: And why did that upset you?
A: My name is Susan.
_________________________________
Q: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo or the occult?
A: We both do.
Q: Voodoo?
A: We do.
Q: You do?
A: Yes, voodoo.
_________________________________
Q: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he does know about it until the next morning?
A: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
_________________________________
Q: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he? _________________________________
Q: Were you present when your picture was taken? _________________________________
Q: So the date of conception of the baby was August 8th?
A: Yes.
Q: And what were you doing at that time?
_________________________________
Q: She had three children, right?
A: Yes.
Q: How many were boys?
A: None.
Q: Were there any girls?
__________________________________
Q: How was your first marriage terminated?
A: By death.
Q: And by whose death was it terminated?
__________________________________
Q: Can you describe the individual?
A: He was about medium height and had a beard.
Q: Was this a male, or a female?
__________________________________
Q: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition which I sent to your attorney?
A: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
___________________________________
Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?
A: All my autopsies are performed on dead people. ___________________________________
Q: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK?
A: Yes.
Q: What school did you go to?
A: Oral.
____________________________________
Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
Q: And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?
A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy. ____________________________________
Q: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
____________________________________
Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Q: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
A: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive, practicing law somewhere.
Dear Ella,
I have been waiting for you with deep anticipation and anxiety. I knew that someday someone would steal my heart but never like this. Your mother has had my heart for a long time, and now you and your brothers also have a piece of it. I didn’t think this was possible but nonetheless it is true. God has given you to me as a gift that I am not worthy of. The very thought of you growing up shakes me to my core. How you can walk into the room and make it dance is beyond me. You captivate everyone’s joy and hold it in the palm of your hand. Your eyes sparkle as you bring me your gifts and give them away freely.
As I held you tight last night and rocked you to sleep I sang the song that was played at our wedding. I know that someday you will leave my house and become the woman God has created you to be but until then, I will cherish these years that you live with me. Until that time, your are mine and I will show you what a man of God should resemble. I will never be perfect but you will get the idea. I will show you how a man should honor, love and respect his bride so that someday you will find a man that will do it better than me.
As you can see, the years ahead will be very busy with me teaching you and your brothers the joy that is found on this world. But for now, I will treasure the thought of you snuggling me and tucking your hands under your body and resting in the peace that God has given. Goodnight my treasure.
Sincerely,
Dad
Today, for me, is a very exciting day. This marks the event that will eventually put ordinary men into space. It took a team of entrepreneurs to accomplish the goal and that is one of the main reasons why I am so excited. A spacecraft made from fabric, graphite and epoxy going mach 2.3 and 64 miles above earth - American ingenuity at it’s finest. My sons and I watched a documentary on the progress of
SpaceShipOne last night on the Discovery channel. Later, we sat around the fire pit and I tried my best to tell them that they might someday fly into space and see the earth’s beauty from miles up. They might someday fly to the moon, see the stars up close or wherever their dreams may take them. To this Damon replied “then we can meet Luke Skywalker!”
Salesmen…
My hat is off to you. I have tried to be one in many different ways (currently a grocery clerk with an attitude – not one of the most successful jobs out there). I get irritated at some customers who ask stupid questions or misuse the food stamp system, the store, or my employee and I don’t hide my feelings very well. Some call it a curse or a gift – I don’t know.
Here is my BSW (Blog Subject of the Week).
When is it time to tell those that are trying to impress you with how many people they “led to the Lord” (via the sinner’s prayer and a handshake) this week that I don’t agree with that mindset… at all? I grew up going to a Southern Baptist mega church where every sermon was filled with yelling, sweating, and a sinner’s prayer. I see this everywhere - people doing their damndest to convince a person to accept Jesus in the shortest time possible - all the while knowing little if anything about the person they just met.
But how long will that new Jesus feeling last? Surely the gimmick words that got them to make the decision in the first place will wear off in time and all that is left is a mundane life that is filled with porn, cursing, and lying. This isn’t something that I made up; I have heard these symptoms from many Christians that are board stiff with their spiritual life. Did you ever think that the life lived in this mindset will never look like the life lived by our Master? I can’t picture myself ever trying to explain what my Father is like to a stranger in a short 30 minute interview. Come to think of it, I have yet to fully understand this life. My only answer is to spend an absurd amount of time with people, be ready for the whispers from the Father and live an open life closely with anyone who is unfamiliar with the Father.
