Wordy Dirds

I was thinking about my respect thing which is one of my standard rants. I always would use these verses to say that swearing was okay:

Matthew 5:21-22
"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brotherwill be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. (NIV)

I figure Raca is the equivalent of "F-you!" Whenever someone said a wordy dird, most Christians that I know go nuts. It's almost as if the person had commented the unpardonable sin by using a four letter word and we as Christians generally make a value judgment of the character of the person that used the word. If I read the passage right, it is not the word choice that is important, but rather the intent of the speaker and the way words are meant to be received. People in general and Christians in particular have become very skilled treating people like garbage without using the magic words as if the magic words are missing then the words don't hurt.
I spoke a professor at college about my thoughts and he said I was right, but that he chose not to swear because it made a person sound unintelligent. I have also learned that some people swear because they have learned that language pattern from birth, but that doesn't indicate anything about the character of the person, rather that their word choice is appropriate to their upbringing and culture.
I guess my point is that you can not tell anything about someone's character by their vocabulary. One has to consider their actions and the intent of their words. Also that we can be meaner to each other than we pretend to ourselves.

Great Expectations

This week something at work that I thought was going to happen, well...didn't happen. First I was shocked and a little upset. Then slowly as I began to take it all in, I realized this just saved me a ton of work. Why would I want something to happen that is going to make me work harder? I mean I'm doing my job. The person that decided that this wasn't going to happen thinks I'm doing a good job. What else can you ask for?

Getting it all in

Life has been pretty hectic. I have been working alot. I got a gym membership. I have been trying to practice guitar. I have been trying to review my musical skills and knowledge. (I have degrees in music, but I do nothing vocation-wise that uses those degrees. I feel like I losing the knowledge I had, but that's another post entirely.) I got a playstation 2 for my birth day a few months ago and I feel like I need to play to get my moneys worth out of it. I have a collection of movies tivo-ed that I keep meaning to see. Who thought tivo would be so much pressure. I have the blog which I intended to post regularly on, but obviously I haven't. I haven't even talked about house chores. I have never been able to balance it all very well. Oh well.

Offended

A woman I work with asked me if I was offended by her use of foul language today. I told her that I wasn't and I'm not. I began to wonder "What am I offended by?" I don't really have good answer yet, but I would have to say I'm offended when people don't treat people with respect. Then I guess the natural question is "Do I treat people with respect?" The honest answer to that question is "When I feel like it."

Delmar Dog-My little Man-Redux

Delmar passed away Saturday night. Delmar when we got him was described as a chihuahua dachsund mix at the pound. He later grew up to be we think a rat terrier mix of some kind. He was amazing with kids; they could pick him up by his head and he wouldn't do a thing to them. My wife and I were really looking forward to seeing him play with our own kids, but it was not to be. Things are quieter without Delmar; we have 2 other 4 legged pets but he seems to have been to one that kept them all riled up. It's amazing how you get attached to these animals. I miss him.

You could not imagine a better dog.

Democrat Senate Conspiracy

This has been my theory for a while, but only now have the means to share it. Democrat senators' filibusters of President Bushes judicial nominees shows that if an issue is important enough to the party the issue can be dead in its tracks. Here is my theory, the Democrat senators allow certain legislation to go through for the sole purpose of being able to claim that the Republicans did it. It seems like nothing seems to get passed other than the stupidest bills ever created (bankruptcy reform, the Patriot Act, etc). And there has never been any real discussion of real things that need to be addressed like Social Security reform, which every financial counselor I have ever had says not expect SS when I retire. I do not think that the Republicans have not or would not stoop to that level (latest federal marriage amendment), but this is my idea and I have never heard of anyone expressing this idea other than me. I basically think the Democrat Party and Republican party are in cahoots to prevent legitimate discussion and suppress other voices in politics.

Billy Graham Edited

I just read this article about Billy Graham on MSNBC from Newsweek. It is pretty interesting to me that the article reveals more about the theology of the writer of the article than about the theology of Billy Graham. I don't want to say that author is forcing words into his mouth, but perhaps trying to make him palatable for the universalist mindset. I'm afraid to say more.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14204483/

The Gym

Saturday I joined a gym. Now, a long time ago circa 15 years ago, I was in pretty good shape; I could run 3 or 4 miles and not think too much of it. Now....I can run 3 or 4 steps and not think too much of it. I am 90 POUNDS heavier than I was 15 years ago and my muscles have atrophied so much, I'm a skinny wimp trapped in a fat man's body. Joining the gym is my attempt at fixing that.
The first thing I notice is no matter how much I could lift before, I can't lift any where near those amounts. That is kind of depressing. It's kind of like picking up my guitar after a month or so of not practicing.
The second thing (which I hope will remain true), watching other people work hard inspires me to work hard. I got to walk faster and longer than I normally would because that guy next to me has been running and has been doing even before I got on the treadmill.
The third thing related to number 1 and number 2, there were a few times, I said to myself "Please God, let me be able to lift more than my wife!"

The Pokey

Now I must say that I have been in several detention centers (not as a resident), but recently I had the opportunity to go to the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center. Each jail that I have been to has been pretty much what you expect. I have never seen bars; mostly solid steal doors with a tiny little slit open window. Some, like the cells I saw the other day, have unbreakable glass windows where the inmate can be seen at all times.
When I went into the juvenile court building I was told that I could use the gated parking area since I was transporting an inmate and told to go in the door and upstairs. I drive up to the gate hit the button, and wait a few minutes and the gate opens. I pull up and get my shackles and walk up to the door and hit a button, after about 30 seconds it opened. I enter a tiny room and there is another door in front of me. I hit the button and nothing happens. I hear a lock open, but when I pull it wont budge. I hit it a again, I hear the noise behind me and I see another door around the corner. I push the door and it opens to a stairwell.

"Go up," I remember. I walk up one flight of stairs, see a door, and hit a button. Nothing happens. I go up another flight of stairs, reach the last floor, see a door, and hit a button. I look around and see a camera pointed at me. I hear a women's voice on a speaker system say "Sir, where are you going?" I say "I'm trying to pick up my kid from detention." She says "go down." I am starting to get a little nervous now. I walk down to the 2nd floor and hit that button and try to open the door; it won't open. I walk down to the original floor and there is no button to push. I'm getting really nervous now. I walk back up to the top floor, hit the button and a woman again says "where are you going?" "I WANT TO PICK MY KID UP FROM DETENTION!" I said (not yelled) frustratedly. She tells me to go down one floor and hit the button. I start to walk down and a door opens on the top floor, and a guy wearing a tie says go down one floor and hit the button. I say I did, but the door wont open. He says that they must be asleep. I reach the second floor hit the button and wait.

I hear the lock, I open the door, and enter a new very tiny room. On my left and right are doors with the buttons; in front of me there is an elevator with a button. I hit the button by the door on the right; nothing happens. I hit the button by the door on my left; nothing happens. I hit the button by the elevator; I hear the elevator move. I wait. Nothing. I look around there are no cameras, or windows. I wonder "Do these buttons even work?" I start hitting buttons and pushing on doors like a maniac. I feel like I'm about to pass out. Finally the door on the right opens. I'm there! My heart is beating like crazy.

The workers can tell that I've been scared, but they think that it is because of prisoners. Not in this place. I'm afraid of becoming a skeleton locked in some room with buttons.

I now know what claustrophobia feels like.