tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72684686938405235522024-02-20T19:50:35.189-08:00Upham Manor<b>A man's home is his castle.</b>Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-7897061614697915112016-10-06T05:38:00.002-07:002016-10-06T05:38:39.408-07:00Daddy Had a Bad Dream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I woke up this morning at just about ten past seven in the most wretched state. My body was shaking, wracked in sobs of absolute despair, and tears streamed from my eyes. I awoke gripped in a soul crushing sorrow the likes of which I have never before even imagined. I suppose that this must be what true heartbreak feels like because I could feel that very organ itself defined within my chest beating as though squeezed within a cruel fist.<br />
<br />
In my dream, I remember standing inside a building speaking to a woman. The building was some sort of last century high school or perhaps a town hall with its block construction and its marble floors and large wrought iron railings encircling the stairs. The steps had been worn down through a century of scuffed feet and the windows reached far up toward the high ceilings.<br />
<br />
The woman was a counselor of sorts. But not a guidance counselor for a high school junior trying to decide on what college to attend. I guess she was a "grief counselor" in a way. Though not one for those who had experienced a tragedy. She was a counselor for the dead. She was counseling me. She was explaining to me the rules of how to die, what to do now that I had died.<br />
<br />
It was time, she said. It was time to leave the building and make my death known. It was time to leave the ones I loved behind.<br />
<br />
I didn't want to go. I wasn't ready to go. I was terribly, terribly sad. And more than anything in the world, I was worried about how sad I was going to make someone else.<br />
<br />
I remember walking down the large granite steps from the building and into a yard. There were people in the yard standing about, talking quietly, mostly off to the sides in the periphery. I didn't heed any of them. I walked past them toward the person I had to face. The woman followed me several steps behind quietly reminding me of what I had to do. Up ahead I saw him. He was playing in a sandbox all by himself.<br />
<br />
He was just a little boy. A toddler I guess. Not quite old enough to talk in sentences, but he could point and make you understand what he wanted and what he needed. He was beautiful. He was innocent and carefree. He was everything to me. And I had the smothering sense that I was about to make him very, very sad.<br />
<br />
"You can hold him," she said, "but you must take him to a corner of the yard that has no memories for you and him. You must take him to a place in the yard you have never been before to say goodbye."<br />
<br />
"Why?"<br />
<br />
"Because what is happening cannot be linked to his memories of the past with you. He has to let you go and that has to be something that he knows is quite different from anything he has experienced with you before. He has to know that this is the end and that he cannot keep you."<br />
<br />
I guess I nodded.<br />
<br />
I approached the little boy and he smiled as he saw me coming. He ran up to me and I picked him up and held him tight. He was perfect, just a perfect bundle of little boy within my arms. He pressed his face against mine in joy and perfect love. I started to carry him slowly away from the sandbox, to some foreign corner of the yard. But he resisted. He leaned away from me and pointed earnestly toward the sandbox where his yellow plastic shovel and Tonka truck lay.. I dutifully carried him away to the edge of the yard near some sapling maple trees. He looked distressed. This was not our normal play space.<br />
<br />
He took my hand and pulled me back to another point in the yard, to a place where he and I used to play together, to the big tree and the rope swing. He tugged me along and smiled more as we got closer. <br /><br />"No," I said. "Let's go over here," and I led him to another place in the yard that was strange to him.<br />
<br />
He began to cry. I picked him up and held him tight, as tight as I could hold another human being. For all the tears he cried, they couldn't keep pace with my own. He didn't understand. He was sad and scared and a little bit mad. He wanted me to go back with him to our accustomed placed, to do the things that he loved to do with me.<br />
<br />
What I was doing to him was unbearable. He couldn't understand. He couldn't know it wasn't my choice. This was not what I wanted, but all he could see was that this is what I was doing. I could feel my heart ripping inside of me.<br />
<br />
I just held him and cried. A few feet away the woman spoke again in quiet tones. She spoke like a perfect professional, factually, with empathy I suppose, but with no emotion. She continued on with her explanation of what was happening and why it had to happen. This parting was necessary, she said. It had to be. He needed to feel the break from what he had known with me and to recognize that nothing would be the same. She droned on.<br />
<br />
Her words were repugnant to me. In them, I felt this reality -- this goodbye -- crumble away . I was no longer merely uttering an unspeakable goodbye to someone from whom I could never bring myself to leave; it had become far worse than that. I was now feeling the malignancy of sorrow dredged from the utter darkness of my very soul. Within my heart, I had isolated the very essence of grief from death itself.. I was feeling pure sadness distilled as it were from pain as though it was water wrung from a cloth. It hurt. God, it hurts. It still hurts now an hour later.<br />
<br />
Slowly the awareness that I was no longer in the yard seeped in. I was still in the depths of dolor, the tears were still rushing from my eyes, but the place was changing around me. I could a hair dryer somewhere in the distance. After a few moments, there were distant voices. They came closer and in them I could hear concern. My wife's hand brushed over my face. I woke up, but not even that stopped the tears. I suddenly realized that I could feel my heart, not its beating, but my heart itself as if something was crushing it. And then the kids. My oldest climbed into the bed and wrapped himself around me. The twins came and asked Mommy if Daddy was okay.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure I am.<br />
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<br />Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-90238925825476747922016-01-01T21:18:00.002-08:002016-01-01T21:22:25.023-08:00Condicio Sine Qua Non<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 12.88px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">My faith in God and in His Word is immutable and perdurable.
However, for the next several paragraphs, I'm going to set it down over here on
the desk for a moment while I bang out this post. I want to talk to you about
life, the universe, and everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">You know my stance on how we came to be, ontology, and the
formation of the universe itself; there's no need for me to rehash that here.
But what if I didn't believe what I believe? What if I wasn't as sure as I am
about the origin of, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">well,
everything?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I'd like to invite you for a moment to let your guard down for a
moment because I swear to you that I'm not trying to convince you of anything.
I'm not going to try persuade you to think the way I do or to believe what I
believe. Can you do it? Can you step away from your own biases for a few
moments?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For a couple years now, I've quietly been migrating from my
previous interests in the humanities into physics, mathematics, biology and
related areas. I've been voraciously reading, watching, and listening to
articles, websites, videos, programs, and lectures on these subjects.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When a noted authority stands up and says, "space-time is
thus and so..." I listen. When a revered scientist says, "the data
reveal this, that and the other" I pay attention. And when a professor of
whatnot writes down a formula to calculate e, m, c, v, p, or something to do
with a quark, I rewind or reread it again until I understand it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But there's one place where they lose me and, frankly, I can't
help but suspect that if you're honest that they lose you as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It's when they start talking about how life came to be on this
planet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I'm putting my religious beliefs aside for a moment in saying
this and I'm asking you respect that. Their whole bearing in these
conversations changes when they make the leap from what is (or what might be)
into how life happened. There's a palpable smell of trying to wring
philosophical certainty from scientific probability. And it stinks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">They don't come across to me as honest at all. Sometimes it
feels like they are under contractual obligation to make statements that affirm
abiogenesis. Other times, they make illogical stretches that conclude that the
processes of evolution absolutely account for all life on this planet. The one
that absolutely blows my mind is when they make certain statements that
contradict the very foundation of their assertions in order to prove them. Here
are a couple examples that I hear again and again:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">"In order for..."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">"So that..."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As in, "in order for life to arise on this planet, these
things occurred..."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">What the frell? The same people who lose their minds when
someone utters the words "intelligent design" have the gall to use
the phrase, "in order to"? There IS NO "in order to" in
atheistic evolution. The words, "in order to/for" and "so
that" presume by definition an objective, a goal, a chosen outcome. You
can't tell me life arose by chance and evolves by random mutations and use the
words "in order to". Those words are off limits to evolution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Here's a perfect example of this insanity from an article on
"evolutionary-metaphysics[dot]net:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">"Worms also inherited sensitivity to touch, temperature,
and light from their single celled ancestors. A cluster of light sensitive
cells has the potential to form a picture, and so there was strong evolutionary
pressure for such clusters to evolve into early forms of eyes."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">WHAT? Are you freaking kidding me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">How the heck do RANDOM MUTATIONS somehow develop a sense of
PURPOSE? How does evolution experience a "pressure" to perform in a
certain way and to achieve a certain GOAL? This jerk just described INTELLIGENT
DESIGN, not Darwinian evolution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I'm sorry, I really am, but if you subscribe to this garbage, you're
being sold intellectual swampland and you're buying into it willingly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">You can (and do) completely disagree with me on my conclusions
of life and it's origin, but for Pete's sake, people wake up. How can you
possibly swallow this crap?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Hypothetically, if I suddenly sprang into existence full blown
without any environmental indoctrination, sure, there's every possibility that
I would not settle on the Book of Genesis as the final word on the rise of life
in the universe. But I have to think that neither would I agree with this
rubbish that I see so consistently in evolution's literature today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I challenge you to take an honest look at how articles on the
evolution of a species are written today and those tackling the astronomical
steps that led to the formation of life; take a good hard honest look and
you'll find that there is an enormous and glaring contradiction between what
they set down as their presuppositions (i.e., that life evolves through a
series of random genetic mutations that, if favorable to the organism, enhance
its viability and allow it to adapt better to its environment) and their sudden
veering off the tracks into a series of "this happened SO THAT this other
thing could happen IN ORDER TO allow this other improvement to happen."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If somehow I tomorrow decided God did not in fact create life,
the universe, and everything, I can tell you this without question -- I would
never buy into the mythology that is being peddled today. The very best I could
say is that I don't know. I wish, I really wish, that scientists today could be
so honest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">And I challenge you to take a look at what's going on in your
corner of this debate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-17390611136389250082015-12-02T10:35:00.001-08:002015-12-02T10:59:34.247-08:00On the Origin of CheeseI've been sitting here on this mental construct poking a stick at the dual concepts of “supralapsarianism,” and “infralapsarianism”. These came up today in a Facebook thread and, not being very familiar with them, I figured I'd jump into the conversation and opine from an unassailable position of near total ignorance.<br />
<br />
I also did some reading on the link I was provided below that compared and contrasted the two positions. I can see the claims of logic in both ways of thinking.<br />
<br />
While I'm never the one to say, "What difference does it make? Just serve God, etc, blah, blah..." I do sort of feel that there is a bit of tail chasing here in that I suspect that an omniscient God would have sort of hatched His plan all at once rather than having to reason it out like we humans would do. What makes the search more complicated is that humans deal with time in individual slices of "the now," while God's understanding and His will isn't limited to specific points in time. God didn't one day "decide" to create the earth and the plan for humanity. All these things were settled back in the eternality of God's existence.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3FrD2YstAuDmV_aE7cosHhcXgtKKcB74gnw_8qQk3-tzvRgoBXq-63zIWUyX8O2zRHmQxLcWHfA7T36iAJmlTEGTY8YmAiWD99nf8_H0hCQvfvkpH_sPOhX7hYtielsgZ6VfnliOR9UU/s1600/1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3FrD2YstAuDmV_aE7cosHhcXgtKKcB74gnw_8qQk3-tzvRgoBXq-63zIWUyX8O2zRHmQxLcWHfA7T36iAJmlTEGTY8YmAiWD99nf8_H0hCQvfvkpH_sPOhX7hYtielsgZ6VfnliOR9UU/s320/1b.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Hence, in my mind, that right there relegates this conversation to being a mental game played by humans within the confines of their sequential thinking and the bonds of time. In other words, it may not be terribly important in itself, but it should be fun to play it out. The true value in the question then, it seems to me, is in what it may reveal to us about what God's intentions were/are, and what we can discover about His nature.<br />
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I've been doing some rather fascinating investigation on the topic of theoretical physics as it relates to time and space. (As a person with a liberal arts background, this is not my customary playground.) What I've learned is that the current thinking among theoretical physicists is that not only are time and space all relative to speed, direction, and gravity, but that all time <i>already </i>exists. That means, not only is time travel theoretically possible (possible in the sense that the math doesn't disallow it), but that the <i>future already exists</i>. Christians are fond of saying that God exists at all points in time and that we need never worry about the future because God is already there in the future with us, watching over us, carrying for us, etc. That sort of thinking makes for a nice warm and fuzzy feeling, but the truly notable and fascinating thing about it is that future time is already in existence and that we and He are <i>already there</i>.<br />
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The analogy that I found purposed by theoretical physicists is that of a film. Just like a movie exists on a reel of film from start to finish, so too the entire "story" of time is theorized to be complete already. We mere mortals live from moment to moment as one who is watching the frames of the film click by, but if we were able to step out of time and space, we'd be able to view time in its entirety from the beginning to the end.<br />
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Like God does.<br />
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So the question between supralapsarianism and infralapsarianism has a certain element of absurdity to it (beyond merely the sesquipedalianism of the two words themselves). Can an actor who only exists within a few frames of the film question the Editor who put the film together in the cutting room? The realities of these two persons are so far removed from one another that it defies reason. How could a two dimensional being in the grip time comprehend the actions and motives of an Director/Producer/Editor Whose existence is completely outside of time/space?<br />
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I sort of imagine that God must have a smirk on His face listening to men ask these sorts of questions. It's got to be a bit like listening to mice squeak to each other about their existential theories of how a block of cheese came to be in the cupboard. The logistics of it is quite beyond their kenning.<br />
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If I had to choose one of these logical sequences, I'd likely throw my lot in with the supralapsarianists. But I do so with the full knowledge that this choice is likely much less a reflection of how God works than it is of how my own logic and reasoning processes.<br />
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______________________<br />
https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/qna/superinfra.html<br />
<br />Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-24579464407142631712014-11-26T15:32:00.003-08:002014-11-26T15:45:53.894-08:00An Evolutionary Idea<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I learned something today that has more firmly entrenched me in the literal 6 day creation camp than ever before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the past several years I have listened to a number of men who hold to the old earth theory. Given certain scientific arguments, I could at least understand why they could be convinced that the earth is millions, perhaps billions of years old. Not agree, but understand. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV278byxE7ZL9xNtjO63Bi_IiPioXAHmndN65cajIcJQBEckWFTu3T5OL8BOAVYuucH3Z97bvEkwzm4aFdJ4EedtkoAMkFZ9gyWjNEiL0lvDoEp5oY2kDc8Va3sH52RRA6cSznPDc4Sh8/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV278byxE7ZL9xNtjO63Bi_IiPioXAHmndN65cajIcJQBEckWFTu3T5OL8BOAVYuucH3Z97bvEkwzm4aFdJ4EedtkoAMkFZ9gyWjNEiL0lvDoEp5oY2kDc8Va3sH52RRA6cSznPDc4Sh8/s1600/11.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of these men would fall into the Theistic Evolution camp; that is, they would argue that God used the processes of evolution to create the world. That was always a stretch for me, but what struck me today is how impossible that position is to hold while still holding to the God as described for us in the Bible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evolution is the process by which life adapts to its environment and slowly improves by means of mutations. Ever so slowly through eons of time, species evolve by means of genetic changes that either prove beneficial or harmful to the species' survival. Either the species adapts, or it fails to adapt to its environment and it dies out. Thus, through countless generations, a species may evolve to become better suited for survival. We call this survival of the fittest. Those that do not adapt, die.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The secular world teaches this as fact and derides those who oppose it. Many thoughtful Christians have decided that this view, that this •science• is not in opposition to the Bible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Except, no. And here's why.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Bible is clear that death was not originally a part of creation. There was no death when God finished creating. Death didn't come at all until •after• Adam & Eve sinned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So... if Adam preceded the concept of death... how could he have evolved? Adam can't be both the •cause• of evolution •and• the result of it. Moreover, how could ANYTHING evolve in a world where there was no death? There is no "survival of the fittest" in a world where this is no death.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Lord is a holy God. His Word shows us that man enjoyed fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden and that the world was in a state of perfection. When man fell into sin, that fellowship was broken; the world was cursed; by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin and so death has passed upon all men. It was God's holiness -- His intolerance of sin -- that separated sinful man and the world from Him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evolution claims to find its evidence in the fossil record. But what do we find in the fossil record? Death. Dead flora and fauna. But not merely death for we also find evidence of sick creatures in the fossil record. And creatures that clearly bore the teeth marks of other creatures. None of that was possible before the fall of man and the curse of sin being put upon the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the atheist, this is no big deal and the point of this post is lost on them. But for the Believer, the one who claims to know the Lord, he must come now confront not only the contradiction between the Genesis account in the Bible and evolutionary theory, but he must also admit that he holds to a view of God that is fundamentally contradictory to that which is revealed in scripture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A holy God would not create from the outset create a fallen world riddled by death and disease and violence. It was man's sin that created that state for ourselves and for our world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's one thing to say that Genesis chapter one is an allegory; it's another thing entirely to deny the attributes of God. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oops.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thus, Christian, we much choose one or the other. We do not have the option of forcing God into the box of "science".</span>Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-5772029318694134272014-04-02T20:03:00.002-07:002014-04-02T20:23:57.969-07:00A View of Noah<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">OK, as stated, I saw the movie "Noah" Tuesday night and I wanted to spend a few minutes offering some comprehensive thoughts on the movie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you've heard anything about the movie at all, no doubt you've heard that it is "controversial." Supposedly there have been many Christians who have spoke out against the film.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(To be truthful, I haven't seen much of that at all. What I have seen is a lot of non-Christians who have been claiming that Christians have spoken out against the film, but that's not one of the points I'd like to offer here.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This post will contain plenty of spoilers, so avert your eyes now if you don't want to know about them.</span><br />
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<li><u style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Story of Creation</u><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">: The film provides an expedited view of the Biblical account of creation by means of a rapid series of images as a narrator recounts the tale of Genesis 1 and 2. Some people will view this and find no fault in it. Those people would be called "Theistic Evolutionists". To me, and others like me, the tale being told and the imagery that runs across the screen have very little to do with one another for one is the Biblical account of six day creation being told aloud and the other is an abridged junior high school science film on the process of evolution. Given the increasing failure of the church to adhere to the Biblical account of six days of creation, I suspect this little criticism will be lost within a sea of other larger problems.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>The Name of God</u>: The word "God" is never spoken in this movie. Instead, Noah and everyone else calls Him "The Creator." I keep hearing that there is a body of people who have a major problem with that. I don't think I do. I've not studied this rather fine point to speak with full confidence on this matter, but prior to God's revelation to Moses that His name was YHWH, it seems that God kept His name rather obscured from man. I believe the term(s) "Lord" and "Elohim" was used prior to this declaration. At any rate, without getting into a theological discussion that will take me all night to study up on and voice my thoughts, let me just suggest two things. One, people who find the use of "The Creator" a problem likely do so because the ambiguity of the term might open the door for others to simply insert the name of their own deity into the story. For some this Creator may be Allah and to others it may be the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Perhaps this is so. However, I think the intellectually honest person will recognize that this is supposed to be the tale of the Judeo-Christian God and His judgment upon wicked men. (Although that too, as you will see, is debatable.) Second, when I try to envision myself living in the antediluvian world removed by fewer than ten generations from the very first man to ever live, the notion of calling the Supreme Being "The Creator" seems very apropos since creation is still a very new place.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>The Watchers</u>: The sudden introduction of a race of beings known as the Watchers is where the wheels come off of this thing. It is this clarion call that echoes over the hi-tech speaker system of the IMAX theatre that makes it abundantly clear that the film that you are about to see bears about as much resemblance to the Biblical account of Noah as <i>Blade Runner </i>does to the novel <i>Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? </i>from which it was adapted. We could camp here all night, but I want to get this blog posted so I'll be terse. <br />The Watchers are explained as fallen angels who were cursed by God and thrown out of heaven because of their desire to <i>help mankind</i>. That's right. This movie attempts to portray at least some number of the angels that God banished from heaven as being thrown out because of their desire to help humanity after the fall in the Garden of Eden. If this is the case, let's call them what they are. These <i>demons</i> come to Noah's aid and help him to build the ark. Demons. They did the heavy lifting in building the ark. Demons did. Only in this story, these demons are kind-hearted, misunderstood spirits that God rejects because of their compassion on man. They also protected Noah and his family when those outside the ark recognize their impending doom and try to break into the ark as the rain falls. In this climactic battle to give Noah time to escape, as each Watcher is slain, its spirit is forgiven and it is allowed to return to heaven.<br />It was right about here that I realized that I wasn't watching a Bible movie, I was watching a science fiction.<br />Incidentally, there is some potential Biblical support for demons interacting with mankind in the antediluvian world (this is not a universally held position). However, far from being a race of spirit creatures who attempt to aid mankind, these "Sons of God" were something more akin to incubuses who were having sex with women and attempting to corrupt the genetics of the human race. Among those who hold to this theory for the identity of these "Sons of God" who were having sex with the "daughters of men", are those who believe that these specific demons were actually removed from the eternal game altogether and imprisoned in hell -- well in advance of Satan and the rest of the fallen angels. <br />Big difference between the two stories. I rather think that the director included these characters in the story because, in his heart, he always wished that Tolkien's Ents had been made of stone.</span><u style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></u></li>
<li><u style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Antediluvian World</u><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">: Now here is where I think the movie scored points. Two things have always interested my Biblical imagination: What will the world be like during the Millennium Kingdom and what was it like during the Antediluvian Period? This movie paints an intriguing picture of what the latter may have been like. Strange and unexplained technologies are seen. Odd looking, crudely designed machines that serve purposes that have been lost to the ages are seen in the cities of the wicked men. A corruption of the very landscape itself is clearly apparent. Where things take a less admirable tact is when various characters employ what we might well interpret as "magic". I could have done without that, but I suppose even this could be justified as a movie' attempt to make this ancient and forgotten world seem strange and foreign to us.</span><u style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></u></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>Methuselah</u></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">: Yes, Methuselah was Noah's grandfather and yes, Methuselah did outlive his son Lamech (Noah's father). Yes, Methuselah died in the same year that the flood waters came. However, there is nothing to substantiate the film's depiction of Methuselah as dying in the flood with the rest of the unrighteous. This is a major departure from the opinion that Methuselah's teachings might have been at least partially responsible for keeping Noah and his family in God's favor and also from the traditions that history brings to us.</span><u style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></u></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>The Wives of Noah's Sons</u></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">: The film included the characters Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah's sons. However, what the film removed and indeed </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">relied upon to create conflict</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> was the wives of Noah's sons. The Bible clearly states that the Ark saved "eight persons". That would have been Noah, his wife, his three sons, and his sons' wives. Eight. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">However, fully half of the movie's tension and conflicts are based upon the depiction that Shem's wife to be is infertile and that Ham and Japheth </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">have no wives</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. I suspect I don't need to explain why this might be a problem for the family once they disembark from the vessel. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ham in particular is incensed at his father's lack of concern for his plight. When Ham almost manages to obtain a woman for himself in the last moments prior to the flood, Noah fails to help him.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>Noah's Misguided Mission</u></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">: Things go from bad to worse when Shem's wife is revealed to have been miraculously cured from her infertility by Methuselah and is found to be pregnant with twins. What seems as though it should be the solution to the family's director-manufactured-problem actually becomes a nightmare as Noah declares that he believes that the Creator's purpose behind this entire event is the TOTAL destruction of mankind. In other words, Noah believes that God wants them </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">all</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> to die. The birth of more children is abominable to him and he declares that they must be killed. For the final chapters of the film, let's just say that Mr. Noah isn't a very nice man at all. Instead of being the man chosen by God to save mankind, he is convinced that he must be the mankind's final executioner. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fortunately for Noah's sons (and for all the rest of us waiting around to be born), as Noah is about to bring down the knife upon the two newborn sisters, he has an Alec Guinness </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Bridge Over the River Kwai</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> moment and realizes he has been working for the wrong side. The children are spared and apparently live to become mothers themselves.</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenlCgbSfx1Ssyi3TFSFCHtA_ZMmP1Ih8jzRb337gX5y5F9QHxopBrJsOHbV67ynf_34wfOACcYUiDi7HNgGwEwK3IpApLdEGprk1Ma6fWPlFZBIlpTux-xIfH3fkfe41pvWSnENlgN0U/s1600/1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are a hundred other small details that might be worth discussing, but I'm simply running out of electrons to address them with, so let me conclude with this bottom line: Criticizing a movie makes about as much sense as listening to someone share a dream they had with you and then telling them that they dreamed it wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Directors are going to do what directors are going to do. We've all suffered these effects any time we've had a favorite book translated into a movie. To some degree or another, the story changes, very often dramatically. Can we honestly expect this film adaptation of the written account of Noah to be any different?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenlCgbSfx1Ssyi3TFSFCHtA_ZMmP1Ih8jzRb337gX5y5F9QHxopBrJsOHbV67ynf_34wfOACcYUiDi7HNgGwEwK3IpApLdEGprk1Ma6fWPlFZBIlpTux-xIfH3fkfe41pvWSnENlgN0U/s1600/1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenlCgbSfx1Ssyi3TFSFCHtA_ZMmP1Ih8jzRb337gX5y5F9QHxopBrJsOHbV67ynf_34wfOACcYUiDi7HNgGwEwK3IpApLdEGprk1Ma6fWPlFZBIlpTux-xIfH3fkfe41pvWSnENlgN0U/s1600/1a.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well... yes. I think we can. And I can give the most practical reason as to why. Money.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why was this movie made?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Money. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To. Make. Money.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The director and Paramount studies agreed to make the movie because the movie would in turn make them money. Logic would dictate that they made the movie which they thought would make the most amount of money.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But it is this premise that I'd like to challenge. This story is at its essence a Bible story. As such, it makes sense that those who are interested in the Bible would also be a large segment of those who would be interested in the movie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So why piss them off?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Doesn't Hollywood stand to make more money by befriending <i>any population of people </i>and giving them what they want? Why not partner with religious folks and show that we can trust you to represent our interests and beliefs with integrity? We have money. We spend it just like anyone else. Why not encourage us to spend it on your product? Why push us away?</span></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-T7goC69T2yo%2FUzzPO_VZuvI%2FAAAAAAAAARc%2F_ZkwU5FBzBA%2Fs1600%2F1a.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenlCgbSfx1Ssyi3TFSFCHtA_ZMmP1Ih8jzRb337gX5y5F9QHxopBrJsOHbV67ynf_34wfOACcYUiDi7HNgGwEwK3IpApLdEGprk1Ma6fWPlFZBIlpTux-xIfH3fkfe41pvWSnENlgN0U/s1600/1a.jpg" -->Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-18210311340721851512014-03-17T07:16:00.000-07:002014-03-17T07:16:02.981-07:00Why Wasn't I Warned?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0vSsp1D2XJQsBhyphenhyphenQMtrPHY61TWsA32x_lkfpL1gN9C1GsxKbwpZ9kk7FGBeyAOWbgLNywG6D_GXwwEy6u8Yd-4DJaHS29u3g0lqFgT7nzIHYFWvp4jTgRG5pVKPAMgPDgevZTr2CvT8/s1600/THIS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0vSsp1D2XJQsBhyphenhyphenQMtrPHY61TWsA32x_lkfpL1gN9C1GsxKbwpZ9kk7FGBeyAOWbgLNywG6D_GXwwEy6u8Yd-4DJaHS29u3g0lqFgT7nzIHYFWvp4jTgRG5pVKPAMgPDgevZTr2CvT8/s1600/THIS.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">It was late in the afternoon and kind of a gloomy day. I headed into the parking garage and started walking up to the roof level where I had left my car. Somewhere on the second or maybe the third floor I encountered one of my professors. She was carrying the a pile of books and papers to take home for the weekend but she was able to quickly find my essay. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">"Here. I thought it was well written, b</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">ut honestly it was far too short. I was very disappointed."<br /><br />I was feeling rather self-conscious and a little contrite so I didn't say much other than to mumble a thank you and politely wish her a good weekend. She got into her car and as I headed up to the next level I could hear her car start behind me.<br /><br />There were no other cars in the lot when I reached the top level and headed across to my car parked over in the far corner of the lot. I don't know why I parked so far away, it's not like I'm driving an expensive car or anything, yet here I am on the top level in the far corner.<br /><br />I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys unlocked the door while balancing my own stack of books. It was at that precise moment that the wind decided to pick up and snatch my essay and throw it over the parking garage wall and down several stories to the ground below. I stood there forlorn watching it fall and come to land on the grass.<br /><br />I didn't even bother complaining. Somehow it seemed par for the course based on how this day was going. I threw the rest of my stuff into the car and headed for the stairwell not knowing just how much worse this day was about to get.<br /><br />I descended two flights of concrete steps when I heard a heard a low moan and suddenly found myself confronted by a shuffling figure in torn clothes, torn skin, and snapping teeth. My hair stood up on end as I realized I had almost walked right into a zombie. I shoved it away and turned around and started racing back up the steps. As I looked up, I realized to my horror that a whole pack of walking dead were coming down the stairs toward me, cutting me off from my only escape. I turned back around to face the one below me only to find that he was now suddenly joined by a number of friends, all reaching out with filthy, bloody hands, each with drooling mouths filled with snapping teeth anxiously looking to take a bite out of me.<br /><br />I was screwed and I knew it. I started punching and shoving desperately trying to get free, to find an opening to dash through. But it was hopeless. My last memory was of a dead twenty-something guy with no nose opening his mouth to take a bite out of my face while I fought off four other mouths.<br /><br />As I started to make my way through the fog of sleep back toward consciousness, I was really, really upset with myself. Two thoughts burned in my mind. First, "How could I be so stupid as to be caught without a weapon?!" No crowbar, no shovel, nothing to protect myself from the hoards of undead. But then the second question hit me. Why wasn't I given any warning that this was a dream about zombies?! I thought I was simply having a dream about school! This was totally unfair! Had I known this was a nightmare I could have been better prepared!<br /><br />I awoke this morning breathing hard and pissed off.</span>Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-33837865680194080782014-03-16T18:01:00.000-07:002015-12-02T11:04:48.363-08:00Shot Wheels<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm on the verge of a temper tantrum right now about toys.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3dbOvWKNgsqSXZdHQqWKQYw0Os0ba4lmjrEk4-qsOmUWUOYdLnExIqDyQRKpvBzU5BZWvEXGdwoxej87JaUhypcwYawnZoMDm9vqaJkaNr6rYkodnPk9agLO4dZrAk-RRFSAbT7krOk/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3dbOvWKNgsqSXZdHQqWKQYw0Os0ba4lmjrEk4-qsOmUWUOYdLnExIqDyQRKpvBzU5BZWvEXGdwoxej87JaUhypcwYawnZoMDm9vqaJkaNr6rYkodnPk9agLO4dZrAk-RRFSAbT7krOk/s1600/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Not the kind of temper tantrum that a 4-year old might have
because he wants to play with one. No, this is much worse. This is the kind of
temper tantrum that full grown adult man has when he's thrown down good money
for the children that he loves on a toy that fails to work.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've spent a whole lot of hours (more than you can guess)
putting furniture, games, and play sets together for the boys. I've had to
interpret idiotic Ikea-like instructions written in Chinglish by people who
have never actually seen the toy themselves.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sometimes, if things click together well, I'll occasionally
comment on the excellent engineering that went into the design of a given toy.
Other times I want to catch the guy that designed it and ring his neck. But
<i>nothing </i>infuriates me like a toy that once put together properly doesn't even
come close to working as advertised.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Case in point with the Mattel Hot Wheels Carcade that I
spent almost two hours working on last Christmas. It's basically a pinball game that
uses Hot Wheels cars instead of a ball. You load up a car and fire it up the
ramp to hit the targets. Except for one small problem: The motor doesn't even
come close to having the power to shoot a Hot Wheels car up the incline, let
alone to give it enough force to strike any of the targets with any effect.
Brand new quality batteries (a LOT of them) were installed in this piece of
crap and it barely farts out the cars that came with it, let alone any of the
myriad other Hot Wheels cars it claims to work with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I put a book under it to give it some help. And then
another. And then another, until I virtually had what was supposed to be an incline level with the floor. What I had
successfully constructed was a $99 piece of garbage. The only thing that worked
was the constant, <i>loud </i>sounds that emanated from this thing. No, there is no
on/off button. Once you touch it, it continues to play music and shriek at you
for 5 minutes -- unless you touch it, which resets the clock back to zero.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Tonight, I finished putting together a Spider-Man motorcycle
play set. I was impressed by the quality of most of this thing until it came to
the final linchpin that held it all together.
That’s where I noticed the problem. This thing was <i>way </i>too complicated to
have any hope of working. Spider-Man is ejected out of the hand-cranked launch
pad into a little stall that is lifted up and then circles around a central hub;
reaching the top, the cycle flies out around a bend; triggers a little mechanism
that captures the Green Goblin; and then Spider-Man must himself grab a safety
hook with one hand and is swung to safety while his cycle crashes into a pit below.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It almost worked the first three times. The whole thing
proceeded to deteriorate with each subsequent attempt until I was ready smash
the whole thing and throw it out the window. The kids, who had not-so-patiently
waited and endured my mutterings for 45 minutes of trying to assemble this stupid
thing were disappointed with the results and then </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">thoroughly</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">astonished as I suddenly
turned green, grew to a size of 8 feet tall, split all my clothes off, smashed
through the wall, and then demolished the local toy store.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Before I ever buy another toy, I’m going to design my own. Using
NASA specs. Then I’m going to stress test it under military conditions. I’m
going to expose it to flame throwers, the impact of freight trains, and days on end of time/use
simulations. The parts are going to fit together so damn well that as you open
the box it’s going to seem as if they jumped out the packaging and locked themselves
together without you having to so much as unfold the instructions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And you know what? It’s going to be fun. Not just fun, but
like mind-blowing, phantasmagorically, holy-Santa’s-Workshop-Batman-where-did-you-get-that-toy
fun. And it’s going to last. In fact, it’s going to outlast all the kids who
use it, the neighborhood kids who try to break it, and all the cockroaches who
survive World War III. The EPfreakinA is going to bring a law suit against me
because the toys I create are not only not going to be biodegradable, they’re
going to be downright indestructible. The Department of Defense is going to try
to hire me to design their next generation armaments.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And I’m going to tell them all to kiss my paternal butt.
This is for my kids and they alone are worth the absolute best. Mattel and all
the rest of them can go rot in a landfill somewhere.</span></div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-ChF05Urnf8g%2FUyZIJStjTbI%2FAAAAAAAAAQ0%2FIGJNgau8ZrI%2Fs1600%2F1.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3dbOvWKNgsqSXZdHQqWKQYw0Os0ba4lmjrEk4-qsOmUWUOYdLnExIqDyQRKpvBzU5BZWvEXGdwoxej87JaUhypcwYawnZoMDm9vqaJkaNr6rYkodnPk9agLO4dZrAk-RRFSAbT7krOk/s1600/1.jpg" -->Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-80813929925421739852014-03-04T11:52:00.000-08:002014-03-04T13:59:00.558-08:00The Surch for Church<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I started to try to write this on my Facebook page, but frankly that was near impossible. Facebook has its uses, but trying to vent thoughts and feelings that aren't likely to be commiserated by others is not one of them.<br />
<br />
As you know, I've been looking for a new church home for me and my family for about six months now. A lot of people have told me that they are praying for us and I really appreciate that. I'm not sure that I'd be able to make any headway at all if it weren't for the prayers of virtuous friends. But frankly, the whole search process has been very frustrating. Sometimes it's hard to talk about without sounding negative and critical -- particularly on Facebook which is where most of these virtuous friends have come to learn about my search. As I've visited one church after another, I've felt the urge to write about my experiences, to discuss aloud what I've seen and experienced, and to compare my notes with other people's opinions and advice. That's just sort of how I am. They say that most men don't talk all that much, that they don't share their feelings. I never seem to shut up.<br />
<br />
And so, since pretty much everyone has strong opinions about their church or their church preferences, when one person says something that disagrees with them, people bristle. That's completely natural. Without question, some people may be offended by some of my posts. (Read "all people, one way or another".) I promise that is not my intent. In fact, there has been a lot that I've wanted to get off my chest but it just hasn't been possible because there was no way to vent the frustration without sounding like a jerk. I can be pretty blunt normally but I'm not one of those who pretends that it is acceptable to disguise rudeness as "honesty". So, as much as you've already wanted to slash my tires, I'm sure you'll be incensed to know that there was more that I held back. (No need to thank me.)<br />
<br />
Now, before you start thinking that I'm some kind of malcontent who is never happy, I want to assure you that is definitely not the case. Probably. Maybe. I really don't think I'm much different from any other guy who attends church on Sunday; who wants to hear doctrinally sound preaching; who wants to be uplifted by spiritual music; who wants to see each member of his family ministered to; who wants to engage in true fellowship and friendships with other like-minded believers; who is jaded by past negative church experiences; whose attitude sucks; and who is in need of a good <i>schiaffo in faccia</i>.<br />
<br />
Don't stand too close to me. When the lightning strikes, I don't want you to become collateral damage.<br />
<br />
<br />Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-41499984018737353632013-08-12T18:50:00.001-07:002013-08-12T18:54:42.467-07:00Friendly Fire<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;">Life handed me one of those little unexpected
conundrums recently, this time in the form of a clear and obvious invitation to
remove myself as a member from an organization of which I had been a member for
15 years or so. The ill-conceived timing and method of this revelation was
surpassed only by its destructive effects in my life.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">For those reading this and considering the best<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="textexposedshow">way to
convey distressing and controversial news to someone, let me suggest to you
that perhaps the telephone is not an appropriate way to do so.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">"Hi. How are you? That's good. Hey, I know
you're on the southeast expressway in bumper to bumper traffic after a long day
at work but I just wanted to let you know that -- BOOM. Take that. Have a nice
day."</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">But then again, if your goal and intention are to
alienate someone and to thrust them away then, well, I guess the telephone is
an effective communication medium after all.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">I won't go into the details on the situation
because, frankly, they're pretty ugly and there is plenty of blame to go
around. But I will make a few general remarks here that, should they get back
to the appropriate persons, the comments perhaps may be found to be
instructive.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Here they are in no particular order:</span><br />
</span></span></div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">When someone approaches you for help (or more
accurately, when they’ve approached you for help repeatedly over a period of
years), in general, they’re probably not coming to you looking to be
humiliated, rebuked, or to have their problems exacerbated.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">It is generally considered to be in bad form to
rebuke a person for problems that you currently have yourself and that you have
not corrected.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">If and when there does come a time to judge
another person, have some idea of whether or not the person in question is
actually guilty of something before meting out an arbitrary punishment.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">If you do feel the need to hand out punishment,
don’t pretend that you’re doing the recipient a favor. Condescension is not one
of the Fruit of the Spirit.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">When questioned about your glaring hypocrisy,
the defense “we are aware of our hypocrisy” really isn’t a much of a defense.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">After you’ve spent ten thousand dollars to learn
from an independent source that your credibility is in the hole, put the shovel
down and stop digging.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">If you find yourself among a group of people
that is about to take a vote regarding the future of another person, if that
other person is neither present nor aware that a such a meeting is being held,
and that person is given zero chance to speak for himself, chances are you’re
about to do something wrong.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">If after such a vote is held, if you voted
“yes”, try not to lie and say you voted “no”. It makes you look small and,
frankly, it’s a waste of your ten thousand dollars.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">The fact a group of men in a leadership position
don’t already know these first 8 points is lamentable.</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">It has often been said that the Christian Army is the only army that shoots its own wounded. I can see why some people think so.</span></span></div>
</div>
Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-32856198573413367202013-05-10T05:56:00.001-07:002013-05-10T05:56:10.851-07:00Degradation of Our Leadership<br />
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I think we've seen something in the Obama administration that we've never seen before and that is the completion of the process of the American people's loss of confidence and trust it their own government. Bush made some bravely stupid mistakes that alienated many of our allies, but it wasn't until Obama took office and fanned the flames of this alienation with his rhetoric by saying that the last 8 years had been a mistake, that we are sorry for them, and that we will be changing our attitudes toward the world.<br />
<br />
That was a colossal mistake. It was a decision to play politics with the entire world rather than to project an air and stance of leadership to the free world. Rather than silently and stoically working to shore up our position and influence in the world, Obama undermined our own integrity by backtracking, cowering and bowing (both literally and figuratively) to those who oppose our interests.<br />
<br />
Thus, Barak Obama has stuck a two pronged fork into the integrity and sovereignty of the United States of America, one which has demoralized and angered her people and one that emboldened her enemies.<br />
<br />
The question now stands before us, "What will the American people do about it? Will we stand up and fight to retake what ought to be ours, or will we go silently into that night?"<br />
Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-7267660528971247762013-05-08T13:20:00.002-07:002013-05-08T13:20:20.743-07:00The Dirt Store<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76F1G_J2ABUSFEBI4yLdK5yveqiuK44a_d2G4XtWf8IuWbZ5bu_pxY9lqryT9QaZUSbDMxYWUsavXQLUJ4-HWTDDwX4LqEwb6sqjEP35_w2LBxUDvo75sVrcIqiPXh9NuWFDj5X-QM3U/s1600/dirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76F1G_J2ABUSFEBI4yLdK5yveqiuK44a_d2G4XtWf8IuWbZ5bu_pxY9lqryT9QaZUSbDMxYWUsavXQLUJ4-HWTDDwX4LqEwb6sqjEP35_w2LBxUDvo75sVrcIqiPXh9NuWFDj5X-QM3U/s320/dirt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">For a long time now, I've been taking Been Jammin' with me when I run errands. The Twinlings are getting older now, and yesterday I figured it was about time to start sharing the chance for them to get out and about alone with Da-Da. I told Daniel that if he got his shoes on quickly, I'd take him with me to the "dirt store" (the garden center where I needed to pick up a load of loam).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">Mom got him ready and I buckled him into the truck and we rolled down to A. Thomas & Sons in Milton to pick up some loam. We looked at plants and garden fixtures and then he got to watch the front end loader dump it into my truck.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">But with all of this, all he kept talking about was, "Where's Jesse? Where's Jesse?"</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">Turns out, when we got home, the same thing had been happening with the other half of this duo -- Jesse had been asking Mom, "Where's Daniel?"</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">It's a totally awesome blessing seeing my three boys love their brothers; it's something I always wanted for myself but never had. I love my sisters, but I've always had a bit of envy that they had a bond with each other in a way that I never got to experience. I'm determined to help foster that love in my three sons.</span>Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-3822723434083186752013-04-08T06:05:00.005-07:002015-12-02T11:12:13.238-08:00There, It's Done<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcbWaA0u0WsZgxTu7uLYwce7vCGzxUR4a83GSxgNyOBJLO2SeOqlogYBiFx6HSlqO7_npsKtj3QYI96VM3F52pCQv7__tq1DT1t_Giowx0vee1DYVf32LUNJZnqbBxlUsh6Jati8P4fU/s1600/geek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcbWaA0u0WsZgxTu7uLYwce7vCGzxUR4a83GSxgNyOBJLO2SeOqlogYBiFx6HSlqO7_npsKtj3QYI96VM3F52pCQv7__tq1DT1t_Giowx0vee1DYVf32LUNJZnqbBxlUsh6Jati8P4fU/s400/geek.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Well, I bought a truck this weekend. It's been a bit contentious for me and the missus so I've been reluctant to say anything. I weighed a lot of options and I felt compelled that we truly needed one given the challenges I'm facing keeping up with two properties now. We have had too many needs for a truck in the past that I had to fill by borrowing one from others. Moreover, there are still quite a number of ongoing needs that call for a truck. <br />
<br />
The truck is a Toyota Tacoma with the double cab. That means it has four doors on it. All the baby/car seats fit in the back so there is no problem taking the entire family places so we haven't lost anything. It's just not what my wife describes as a "family vehicle." She's right, it's not. But our situation requires some flexibility right now and this vehicle does both the hauling and carrying we need and provides 5 passenger seating. It's not what we "want" but it is what we need.<br />
<br />
I want to be excited about this but I haven't been able to let myself feel such since my wife doesn't. I'm hoping she'll understand the decision as time goes on. I rarely (if ever) make a decision that we're not in complete agreement on so this has been hard, but I am confident that this was the right thing for us right now.<br />
<br />
I don't like borrowing stuff and yet I find I'm constantly having to do it. This has gotten wearisome both for the lenders and for me. Too much so. Being a constant borrower makes me feel wretched, like I'm not "good enough" to take care of myself and my family. It's been like this for too long. This weekend's follies of putting 80 miles on someone else's truck looking for a place to unload a big pile of leaves and branches was the last straw. We need to be able to take care of our own responsibilities without involving others.Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-50378616069116140742013-03-22T19:48:00.002-07:002013-04-11T10:50:12.600-07:00Blaine Mellon’s Top Ten List of People Who are Famous for Being Famous<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHR40tWJRpa3HZvi2xjoX4ZCEG8pj8sBxrb4-VJkjM5s7Nhe7mfb52lDJnyNzN2FAs2R5vlxGYN2b_u2FDp0BfzH9NegR2Tk-_958WiVnkm1mn8gnQP_8NNgbX6n0mwDB4nk8FTJpJw4/s1600/Hall-of-Fame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHR40tWJRpa3HZvi2xjoX4ZCEG8pj8sBxrb4-VJkjM5s7Nhe7mfb52lDJnyNzN2FAs2R5vlxGYN2b_u2FDp0BfzH9NegR2Tk-_958WiVnkm1mn8gnQP_8NNgbX6n0mwDB4nk8FTJpJw4/s200/Hall-of-Fame.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is a tiny sector of people in our society who somehow attract
the attention of a surprisingly large number of other people in the broader
grouping of our society. Yet the people who command this recognition do so for
no reason that is apparent. They are not famous for any discernible reason such
as talent, accomplishment, or even infamy. However, having inexplicably come to
the forefront of popular culture at some time in the past, they seem to remain
there, immovable; whether by cultural inertia or by some self-perpetuating phenomena
of notoriety, many of those who keep them famous cannot even recall themselves
why they do so. These are those who are famous for being famous.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Justin Beiber</b> – I’ve been told that she is some
sort of performer of some kind though to my knowledge none of his music have
ever received air play and no one can name a single
one of her songs. Nevertheless, this person (who I believe is a boy (or perhaps
a girl)) seems to remain a constant fixture in the world of entertainment.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> <b>
</b></span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Kim Kardashian</b> – Second in fame only to her own bum,
this woman rocketed to stardom </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">for being
the non-biological, non-adopted daughter of an Olympic track athlete from the
last century who is said to be the 9</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">th</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> best runner in US Olympic
history. Building from this almost incalculably enormous life-advantage,
Kardashian has achieved… well, nothing that anyone knows of. Apart from her
perpetually new lines of fashion wear, lipstick, armpit wax, and scented bath
towels (none of which have ever appeared in any store), Kardashian continues to
not use her myriad unknown talents to keep herself in the spotlife of Hollywood,
Beverly Hills, and other places that I suspect are probably in California.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> <b>
</b></span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Paris Hilton</b> – I’m pretty sure she’s rich. Well,
not her really, but someone in her family apparently is and it seems that she
has a lot of access to this money. According to TV Guide, Paris (no relation to
the town) has been featured on television programs that focused on her own
ignorance of reality, morality, and practicality. This is fair enough since I must confess ignorance myself, albeit it my ignorance is of both </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">her</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> ignorance as well as of every other aspect of her life.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Bobby Brown, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Kanye West</b> – In
spite of his fame, all that is known of this man is that he has a drug problem,
may or may not have spent time in prison or rehab, and supposedly has something
to do with “rap music” (which I am told is something like music, only without
instruments, melody, harmony, or music). Wait… hold on… OK, I’ve just been
informed that these are actually </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">three
different people.</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> My bad.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> <b>
</b></span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Ryan Seacrest</b> – Of all of the people on this
list, Ryan Seacrest is the most notable for being the name I have heard in TV
and radio the most often and yet somehow remaining an absolute enigma. Initially,
I suspected he had gained fame for hosting the reality show </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Survivor</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">, but as it turns out that’s
another guy who is even less important than Seacrest. A quick Google search made
it clear that Seacrest is most likely famous for having stolen Howdy Doody’s
grin.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton</b> – This time I </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">am</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> aware that these two are completely
separate individuals (for whatever that’s worth). Both claim the title “Reverend”,
though at no time has either ever been seen in a church, much less seen delivering a
sermon. Somewhat mysteriously, both have also been elected “black leaders”. Those
with this title apparently serve for life since neither have ever been known to
engage in a re-election campaign. In fact, even more peculiarly, neither was
ever elected to the office of “black leader” in the first place. Exhaustive
research (yet to be undertaken) has revealed that the source of the fame for each
of these individuals is that they decided one day that they wanted to be famous
in order to be taken seriously, which has in fact caused some people to actually
take them seriously. (No, seriously.) Somehow, the press has gone along with this self-declared fame and has worked tirelessly to help perpetuate the myth that
anyone gives a darn about either of these two idiots. The lesson to be learned
here is that in order to be famous, all one must do is show up uninvited to any
newsworthy event and start running one’s mouth about things one knows nothing
about.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Snooki </b>– No one knows what her real name is. In
fact, no one knows what a Snooki is either. The venue for this person’s fame is
a bit more clear than some others on this list, namely that she was on a TV
show entitled “Jersey Shore.” However, no one knows what this show was about or
what Snooki’s role in it was since no one has ever watched it (at least no one has
ever admitted to watching it). It may not be completely accurate to say that
this person is famous since, now that I have given it some thought, I can’t
think of a single thing to say about her other than that you and I have both heard her name, and more than once. But why???</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-48527741808318193782013-03-08T08:05:00.002-08:002013-03-08T08:05:55.723-08:00Prisoner of Inertia<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JDhdfTkNzJbUFCG7dnvEA9FIDUaUetX1KlMKq5uCIwxRKZe6VfaHTvbGm2988vK2fzonBwvmIOum7RUiZKnKdqKndcceVjbN8JA2eWPKTN8uZxgElwX6pk07_7567itOxg-wEM7MSSA/s1600/phone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JDhdfTkNzJbUFCG7dnvEA9FIDUaUetX1KlMKq5uCIwxRKZe6VfaHTvbGm2988vK2fzonBwvmIOum7RUiZKnKdqKndcceVjbN8JA2eWPKTN8uZxgElwX6pk07_7567itOxg-wEM7MSSA/s320/phone.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 9.328125px;">I was reminded today of a story of one of our old rabbit pets that might make you laugh. We have a two story house with the bedrooms on the second floor. The rabbit had free reign of the 1st floor, but we tried to keep her from going upstairs. However, as rabbits are wont to do, she eventually found a way to sneak past our safeguards and scale the stairs. However, when she finally decided to come back down she realized she hadn't a clue how to DESCEND stairs. She stood there at the top of the stairs staring down at us and trying to figure out just how to go about coming back down. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 9.328125px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 9.328125px;">At this point, I will say that the rabbit *did not get hurt* so I feel it is not inappropriate to laugh at what finally did transpire. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 9.328125px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 9.328125px;">After reaching one hesitant paw down onto the next step and withdrawing it a couple times, she ultimately decided upon a course of action: Her plan, we realized in horror, was to run as fast as she could zig-zagging down the stairs. Unfortunately, this resulted in an utter loss of control as inertia seized her little body and she cascaded, half-tumbling down the stairs, crashing into the left and right hand walls like a pinball all the way down. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 9.328125px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 9.328125px;">She arrived at our feet dazed and confused and resolute never to go upstairs again. Until the next time she did so. </span></span><br />
Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-69842516449048925632013-02-11T18:19:00.002-08:002013-02-11T18:19:46.084-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArGN2CK4V_Fa3tz4Yoia49H_Ol_HikPy9Iaba_QBuOAiBAB7n-e78vJhiiavYzBN55TNjFzdwHLTFuVC0ulJIwPlVQM1Tb2kEVZe2YgpviOYFtWbESEwGHjupqcOQawdhg_R6rBDzMGc/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArGN2CK4V_Fa3tz4Yoia49H_Ol_HikPy9Iaba_QBuOAiBAB7n-e78vJhiiavYzBN55TNjFzdwHLTFuVC0ulJIwPlVQM1Tb2kEVZe2YgpviOYFtWbESEwGHjupqcOQawdhg_R6rBDzMGc/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">So (don't you just love when people start a story with "so"?)... </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">I'm lying next to Ben in his bed this evening telling him a bedtime story. When I finish, he informs me that he has a story to tell as well. He begins to tell me about how Spider-Man was living with this one particular family in a house in the jungle and how Spider-Man would sometimes make the family mushrooms to eat.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">Then he star</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">ts saying how cold it was outside and how the family was cold. Next he starts talking about the *air pressure* of all things. I can't quite follow him, but it starts to dawn on me that my four year old apparently has theories about how air pressure is related to temperature. I'm flabbergasted as he goes on and on in his own words about how they needed the air pressure to warm the air up to a more comfortable temperature. I'm lying there thinking my son is a genius.<br /><br />Then tells me that the family had two, one upstairs and one downstairs to make it warmer.<br /><br />"Two what?" I ask, puzzled.<br /><br />"Air pressers," he says.</span>Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-31999290572537726332013-02-04T19:10:00.000-08:002013-02-04T19:14:00.120-08:00Pompous Circumstances<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5e8TT9g11Akcf__EgsI-xIbraTT8cD9PinT9QyJj_drIW4x4ymWnJ3oaL0ZhorFjubZBJySgZ7IYjzPJeJP2n37fklE5zhVvg3VFeX6uFH-CmwhXkTWkC04RClnSDb1EDqR0l-6GeRA/s1600/1rt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5e8TT9g11Akcf__EgsI-xIbraTT8cD9PinT9QyJj_drIW4x4ymWnJ3oaL0ZhorFjubZBJySgZ7IYjzPJeJP2n37fklE5zhVvg3VFeX6uFH-CmwhXkTWkC04RClnSDb1EDqR0l-6GeRA/s200/1rt.jpg" width="200" /></a>Last night's Superbowl Halftime show was the most out of control bit of self-worship I've ever seen. Beyonce (if that is her real name) is marginally talented, sure. (Name three of her songs, if you can; I know I can't.) She's very pretty, but frankly she doesn't need me to like her because clearly she likes herself more than enough for both of us. From the huge lit up profile of herself that appeared at the beginning of the show, to the video effects of multiple images of herself dancing with herself, the entire show from start to finish was one long (very, very long) demonstration of just how much she thinks about herself.<br />
<br />
If I'm ever invited to someone else's party, a party that is being thrown for the express purpose of determining a world champion and then celebrating their victory, I highly doubt that the time I'm allotted during that party will be eaten up with a hubris-riddled scene of me demonstrating how awesome I think I am. I hope I'd have the sense to offer what I could to the celebration and then go take my seat and shut up.<br />
<br />
You can only take so much of someone's crotch (and that's not much) before you want to ask them to please put it away because it's frightening the children. Dressing up like a puttana and having 30 paid "friends" dress up just like you and dancing around you isn't a chorus line, it's conceit. Get a grip on yourself and reel your fat head in before it floats away.<br />
<br />
Not only was the whole affair not entertaining, it was extremely uncomfortable to watch. Go stand in a corner and think about what you did.<br />
<br />
Next Superbowl, instead of having some overpaid and under-talented fool parade their legs around and make eyes at the camera for 20 minutes showing us all how great they think they are, why don't we have some wounded veterans stand up at the 50 yard line and tell us why they love their country and what we ought to be teaching our kids to make them love theirs too?Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-91324484992888426212012-10-30T05:56:00.001-07:002012-10-30T05:56:51.963-07:00Hurricane Sandy<br />
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Hurricane Sandy has come and gone and left Massachusetts relatively unharmed. Rather unexpectedly, once the storm made landfall along the New Jersey coast, it turned west and avoided coming through Massachusetts.<br />
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There are still people without power but thankfully I am not one of them. We had our little 90 minute scare yesterday, but praise the Lord, it did not last beyond that. What little bit of time we were without power really made me irate since, once again, the storm had only barely started and -- pop -- my power went out. It seemed like it was going to be a repeat of the storm last year in which a simple breeze took away our electricity for five days.<br />
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Five days. It may sounds spoiled, but frankly unless there are houses blowing away, short of nuclear war, there's just no way a civilized and populated area like greater Boston should be without power for five days. This isn't the third world.<br />
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So I'm at work today. Oddly, I can be grateful to Sandy for one thing: the ease of my commute. Very few people were on the roads this morning. I was able to drive Ben to school in Weymouth, turn north up through Quincy, and still get to Watertown in an hour. That's astounding. And it made me happy.<br />
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<br />Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-55358972154137117012012-06-22T18:36:00.000-07:002012-06-22T18:36:05.721-07:00Fear Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Damn you, Google, Facebook, SharePoint, and all the rest of you web services. Why do you never cease to insist on changing your interface and the tools you offer? Why must I continually adapt to your every whim?<br />
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I go away for a few months (a year?) of non-blogging and I'm brow beaten by Blogspot to change my blog. Leave me alone.Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-42671061758826369032011-09-01T08:15:00.000-07:002011-09-01T09:16:19.429-07:00National Grudge<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.lisbon-and-portugal.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-weather/images/weathercom/large_icons/30.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 128px;" src="http://www.lisbon-and-portugal.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-weather/images/weathercom/large_icons/30.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br /><div class="mbl notesBlogText clearfix"><div><p>And thus, after 91 hours without power, National Grid finally restored our electrical service.</p><p>I'm pissed off. What if this had been a major storm? Assessments have already determined that the region had FAR more power outages in this storm then we did in the next most powerful storm on recent record. Why? Why is our infrastructure suddenly so much more fragile than it has ever been? Or is it merely incompetence?</p><p> I've heard story after story of people who, like myself, heard transformers blow up in the very opening minutes of the storm. How could that be? My entire family and I were on the porch enjoying the BREEZE when the one in our neighborhood blew out. Can I expect the next time we have a passing rain shower that the town sewers will overflow? We felt the distant tremors from that earthquake in Virginia. Why didn't our roads collapse into sink holes?</p><p> The fact there is some major stinkin' noobery going on down at the power company. You don't lose an enormous percentage of your power grid to a storm that was as mild as this one was without some serious asshattery being the cause.</p></div></div>
<br />Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-77633780784309149302011-06-21T07:51:00.000-07:002011-06-21T08:15:00.480-07:00Fenway or the Highway<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXE2WY0awfI8b8q6yuYpzB3zzrswJWB4bXu0BhEfqdZlTU0jsLc_ExujmgRkK8ZGhKLDmWNCJni94OSW4KyNyEnGSIOeCfgfBh83JZE4XhiJ2DvOkCTS9LiJ_tyNdw9JxRS1vKTmBO6c/s1600/Fenway.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620688152052913042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXE2WY0awfI8b8q6yuYpzB3zzrswJWB4bXu0BhEfqdZlTU0jsLc_ExujmgRkK8ZGhKLDmWNCJni94OSW4KyNyEnGSIOeCfgfBh83JZE4XhiJ2DvOkCTS9LiJ_tyNdw9JxRS1vKTmBO6c/s320/Fenway.jpg" /></a> It's a rare treat for me, but I was blessed to have been able to attend the Red <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sox</span> game last night while the team is still in the middle of a red hot streak. It was just this past Sunday night that the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sox</span> destroyed the Milwaukee Brewers and I was really hoping to get in on some of that magic.<br /><br />I was not disappointed. The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sox</span> put up 10 runs in the 7<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> inning to crush the San Diego Padres in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">inter-league</span> play by a score of 14 to 5.<br /><br />Boston has been the epicenter of sports success in the last few years. All of our sports franchises have brought home the gold in the last seven years and if you go back to the beginning of the decade, it's been even more often than that. I'm not sure that many cities can boast a record of sports achievement that comes close to this.<br /><br />I've loved Boston since I was old enough to venture out on my own. Whether it was me and Math Guy sprinting the Back Bay with mere minute to get to the fireworks down on the waterfront on New Year's Eve or driving hopelessly in circles in a vain attempt to get to the Museum of Science; whether I'm working downtown in the financial district or I'm <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">picnicking</span> with my family in the Public Gardens, Boston does it all for me. I have trouble figuring out why anyone would live anywhere else.<br /><br />The tear the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sox</span> are on right now may not last all season, but my hunch is they're going to plow deep into the playoffs leaving a swath of blown out teams in their wake. Here's <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">hopin</span>'!<br /><br /><br />.Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-89173742477447439782011-06-08T08:42:00.000-07:002011-06-08T09:59:22.735-07:00Seemed Like the Thing to Do At the Time<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQM7OBtxCBSg_AFNgLbTVAWhQD8AtKtevZ84CBplkuGMvsNKcKabAYlK7mV7N7uFUStnN3IQpCualsvHPuFwmY0_tFSEPjJU9lMVKERIYo_BCiE0MBB57dtktBVqeUqITMpqL_uVpwRdk/s1600/aa.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615878486431709122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQM7OBtxCBSg_AFNgLbTVAWhQD8AtKtevZ84CBplkuGMvsNKcKabAYlK7mV7N7uFUStnN3IQpCualsvHPuFwmY0_tFSEPjJU9lMVKERIYo_BCiE0MBB57dtktBVqeUqITMpqL_uVpwRdk/s200/aa.jpg" /></a> So, this morning, my boss called me into his office. He explained that he had found tons of pornography on my computer, that they had records of me using the company telephone to conduct unethical, personal activity, and that numerous women had come forward to accuse me of sexual <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">harassment</span> and each had physical proof. He asked me to resign quietly rather than be thrown out on my butt. I did the only reasonable thing: I initially denied the accusations, then I pretended that what I had done was accidental, then I cried, apologised, and explained that nothing I had done had any bearing on my job so there was no reason for me to leave. In the end, he agreed with me and everything was okay.<br /><br />Does this sound likely to you?<br /><br />Me neither. So why does this dirt bag <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Wiener</span></span> think that if the ordinary mere mortal in a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">shmuck</span></span> job should be booted that he should be any different -- he who was elected to a position of privilege and national leadership?<br /><br />Some people like to pretend that a person's "private life" has little or nothing to do with their ability to hold office effectively. I vehemently disagree, as did George Washington who, in his farewell address, made it clear that <em>nothing was more important</em> when selecting leaders than choosing those who were upright, moral, ethical, and honest in their private affairs. I can remember clearly being taught in Christian school that "character is who you are when no one is looking." Unfortunately, Mr. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Wiener</span></span>, pictures are made for looking.<br /><br />Here are three reasons why <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Wiener</span></span> must step down <em>immediately</em> or be sacked:<br /><br /><ol><br /><br /><li>He has clearly demonstrated that his ability to make decisions is poor at best. Decision making is one of the chief duties of a leader. He is unquestionably a failure at making good decisions. If he can't figure out that pressing "Send" is a bad idea, then we shouldn't be trusting him with our money and our freedoms.</li><br /><br /><li>He cannot be trusted. If man would do this to his wife (of only a year, as I understand it), then how on earth can an entire country of strangers trust him? Not only did he do it, he <em>lied about doing it.</em></li><br /><br /><li>He can no longer be taken seriously. The next time you see him stand up and start talking about <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">healthcare</span></span>, the economy, our country's relationship with Paraguay, what will be in the forefront of your mind? What will he forever be known for by everyone in this country and all other countries who might deal with him? Is this really the face you want representing you?</li></ol><br /><br /><p>Heck, he's had his chance to step down. Just throw the bum out.</p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p>.</p>Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-34020721438942164272011-05-19T12:28:00.000-07:002011-05-19T13:03:55.962-07:00Death Sucks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJ_I1C2mYIcc3PWBu8evHzTgjydLUFDDCYfWkkRZ2wYOLoLxbWORgibZGB0_F_AnE4jv73CMtE_ckkHg0aOOgc991yoCWZxqjPSj-jZjGf9gj5xyVVe-Q48nStemAtSrvoFENNNkLv9s/s1600/time-slipping.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 156px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJ_I1C2mYIcc3PWBu8evHzTgjydLUFDDCYfWkkRZ2wYOLoLxbWORgibZGB0_F_AnE4jv73CMtE_ckkHg0aOOgc991yoCWZxqjPSj-jZjGf9gj5xyVVe-Q48nStemAtSrvoFENNNkLv9s/s200/time-slipping.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608512659345134146" border="0" /></a>From the Venting Department:<br /><br />You might find this sort of a contradiction (and honestly, I'm not sure it isn't) but in spite of my earnest conviction that everything that happens is in the hand of God, that not a sparrow falls from the sky without His knowledge, the fact is, I find myself holding an animosity toward death that is almost unhealthy. (Only almost.) I could not overstate the extent I hate death.<br /><br />It's the ultimate rip-off. Life is <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> supposed to be this way. Far from death being "a natural part of life" (that's a line of crap), I believe that death is completely unnatural. Death is <span style="font-style: italic;">wrong.<br /><br /></span>It's an unnatural, unintended, intrusion into what life was supposed to be. I despise it. I shake my fist and spit into its face. I hate death.<br /><br />When people marry one another they marry "until death do us part." What the heck is that? That's the <span style="font-style: italic;">best we can hope for?!</span> In other words, in a <span style="font-weight: bold;">best case scenario<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span>100 out of every 100 marriages will result in one of the two parties being dead, leaving the other to mourn alone in anguish until they too die.<br /><br />I may not have any authority to criticize reality but if you ask me this freakin' sucks.Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-23679346203501924542011-04-07T08:01:00.000-07:002011-05-05T14:37:59.785-07:00Life, the Universe, and Everything<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZlBq3iI_hBlzG4RrAtakPTQBWK3gMC-Vzg9-4fg7PvmADfi5AcROAd0Aie-jP24TefBB07kXAZhn6k8fQ1NxgEGSWIJMzCoBJUxTSPsQAd6iqLqt_iQ9GQGm39DH58051fT5AMWIwjo/s1600/heaven2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603347888861896338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZlBq3iI_hBlzG4RrAtakPTQBWK3gMC-Vzg9-4fg7PvmADfi5AcROAd0Aie-jP24TefBB07kXAZhn6k8fQ1NxgEGSWIJMzCoBJUxTSPsQAd6iqLqt_iQ9GQGm39DH58051fT5AMWIwjo/s200/heaven2.jpg" /></a><br /><br />As promised in my last installment, I am focusing this post on answering an important question, one posed (somewhat rhetorically) by author Rob Bell. The question has been asked countless times throughout human history by untold numbers of individuals.<br /><br />The jailer of Acts 16 asked, "What must I do to be saved?"<br /><br />The rich young ruler who approached Jesus in Luke 18, asked the specific question, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"<br /><br />Later the on-lookers in Luke 18 asked, "Who then can be saved?"<br /><br />Bell, concerned with the apparent exclusivity of Biblical salvation, forms his question as, "...how do you become one of the few?" I think we can agree that each of these questions is soliciting the same information, but for the sake allowing a broader scope for this discuss I'd like to define the question in a more generic sense:<br /><br />What does the Bible say a person must do in order to be allowed into heaven after one's death?<br /><br />Hopefully, this phrasing covers the range of meanings that these questions imply, while providing enough specificity for us to examine the question in a meaningful manner. Let this be The Question for which we are trying to discover the answer.<br /><br />There are numerous passages in the Bible where people clearly ask The Question, but there are even more passages which answer the question. However, not every passage is intended to be a comprehensive answer and each answer must be understood in the context of the passage.<br /><br />As a student of the Bible, I've sometimes felt it troublesome that it is not always plainly evident to the casual observer what the full answer to The Question is. To wit, some false doctrines have arisen as a result of groups selecting partial answers from certain passages and running off half-cocked with them. ("Repent and be baptised" in Acts 2, comes to mind.)<br /><br />All Christians should be familiar with the "Romans Road"(1), the sequence of verses from Paul's Epistle to the church at Rome that together form a road map of the steps necessary to answer The Question. More recently, Bill Bright of the organization Campus Crusade for Christ, published his pamphlet called "The Four Spiritual Laws"(2) which also uses a collection of scripture verses to logically move the reader from one Biblical principle to the next in answering The Question.<br /><br />Both of these tools -- and that is what they are, tools -- are logical collections of scripture that when taken together form a comprehensive amalgam of the Biblical answer to The Question. These are two of the better known and easily teachable tools; however, there are many others. An adept student of the Bible can take you to any number of passages in innumerable combinations to provide an answer to our Question.<br /><br />Until recently, however, I felt a sort of dismay that I could not find a passage in the Bible that I thought really encapsulated everything involved in answering The Question. (Okay, all you Christians out there, hold your fire. I'm not saying that it's not there, all I'm saying is that I personally hadn't found a passage in which I personally felt everything that I personally needed to know about salvation was comprehensively contained.)<br /><br />Until now.<br /><br />I recently had an encounter with the Book of Jonah, chapter three. You might recall Jonah from his association with a certain whale. However, chapters one and two which recount his misadventures in the deep are really an unfortunate diversion from the real point of the book -- that being Jonah's commissioning to preach to the city of Ninevah and their subsequent conversion. Regrettably, Jonah, upon being given this assignment, decided to avoid such and instead pulls the reader along on an abortive trip to Joppa and into the intestinal track of a large sea creature. Ultimately, he regrets his disobedience to the Lord and is forthwith deposited unceremoniously on a beach.<br /><br />This brings us to chapter three. Herein have I found a synopsis of the answer we seek like no other place in scripture. God speaks to Jonah a second time, "Arise and go to Nineveh and preach..." In response, verse three tells us, "So Jonah arose and went unto Nineveh according to the word of the Lord." (It's a rather profound sermon in itself to think what if Jonah 3:2 had instead been in the place of Jonah 1:3, isn't it?)<br /><br />Then, in verse four, we come to the crux of the matter. Jonah begins to preach to the inhabitants of the city of Nineveh, the people hear his admonition, and they respond positively to what he has to say. In the following verses, I find the message of the gospel enumerated point by doctrinal point in what I believe is one of the most beautiful and well documented conversions in all of the Bible. I shall elucidate:<br /><br /><strong><u>Jonah 3<br /></u></strong><br />• <u>Preaching v4</u>: Jonah preached God's message of judgment of sin. Clearly from the response of the people, his message was an effectual one. Roman 10:14-15 demonstrates the necessity of someone to carry the message to the lost.<br /><br />• <u>Hearing v6</u>: The people heard the message and it was carried all the way up to the king of Nineveh himself. Romans 10:14 implies the importance of hearing the message.<br /><br />• <u>Believing/Faith v5</u>: As a result of the message, the people believed God. This wasn't simply a tacit mental acceptance of the information provided, but a stirring faith that wrought a great change in them. Hebrews 11:6 declares that "without faith it is impossible to please Him..." Ephesians 2:8 tells us that we are "saved by grace through faith." Romans 10 repeatedly emphasizes the roll of faith in salvation (consider Rom 10:10 carefully). The faith of the Ninevites spurred them to action, demonstrating clearly the extent of their faith (James 2:17-18).<br /><br />• <u>Contrition/Regret v5-6</u>: Psalm 34:18 says, "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." James 4:6 says that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. How can one learn of one's sin, believe the message, and not be sorry for one's sinfulness? To sit in ashes wearing sackcloth was a sign of intense grief. (Job did the same in the midst of his trials.) This demonstration by the king and people of Nineveh clearly shows their genuine and admission of guilt and led them to the next steps.<br /><br />• <u>Confession v8</u>: Nineveh did not try to hide their guild. To the contrary, the king himself made no bones about proclaiming what they had done, openly voicing the facts of their "evil way" and the blood on their hands. Romans 10:10 "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." I John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Matthew 3:6 tells how John the Baptist baptised those who confessed their sins. (Note that baptism followed salvation rather than caused it.)<br /><br />• <u>Repentance v8</u>: Thus far Ninevites have heard, believed, were ashamed, and confessed their sins. Now their faith took action in the form of Repentance, a crucial ingredient in salvation. Jesus Himself calls for people to repent (or perish) in Luke 13 not once but twice. In Matthew chapter 3, John the Baptist calls for people not only to repent, but to demonstrate in their actions their repentance. The king of Nineveh himself led this movement of repentence with his declaration to "turn every one from his evil way." Google says that the very definition of the word <em>repent</em> is "to turn away from sin."<br /><br />Given the people's lack of knowing whether God would spare them, and particularly given the attitude Jonah strikes in chapter 4, I rather suspect that Jonah in his preaching left out the part that God loves them and "is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9). But God did not bring the judgment upon the city that He had warned was coming.<br /><br />In this very same way, the judgment that we all deserve (Romans 6:23) can be replaced with the surety of eternal life in heaven (John 14:1-6). Thus, a Biblical response to The Question: What does the Bible say a person must do in order to be allowed into heaven after one's death?<br /><br /><br />Do what Nineveh did.<br /><br /><br /><br />(1)The Roman's Road: http://www.christianevangelism.net/tools/romansroad.html<br />(2)The Four Spiritual Laws: http://4laws.com/laws/english/flash/</li><br /><br /><br /><br /><ol></ol>Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-282328073612949732011-03-25T08:13:00.000-07:002011-03-25T11:57:52.883-07:00Yea? Hath God Said?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzb6VfB5wseqElmBlAkMMzH8HCkcV9CHRaXA4qqF1LwnhF6lD3GdH-l5X5_R_U8Xh_hsnjjC63XE4eUAmGeBa5ZG_DkGoayWh5QYSyaclWkCMFXGQqeJZZxeiZQRTUhwdua0cYLop0IOg/s1600/wolfsheep.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 192px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 131px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588037481074905058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzb6VfB5wseqElmBlAkMMzH8HCkcV9CHRaXA4qqF1LwnhF6lD3GdH-l5X5_R_U8Xh_hsnjjC63XE4eUAmGeBa5ZG_DkGoayWh5QYSyaclWkCMFXGQqeJZZxeiZQRTUhwdua0cYLop0IOg/s200/wolfsheep.jpg" /></a> Well since readership seems to have dropped off to just about nothing once again, I figured I'd do something a bit different here. I can't recall if I've tackled the subject of religion in any direct way in this blog, but today that's going to change.<br /><br />I subscribe to a few different online news services. Each day, they send me a list of news headlines with links to the full articles. One of these alerted me to a controversy regarding a new book written by a man named Rob Bell. At the risk of providing publicity to Mr. Bell's book, <em>Love Wins</em>, I'll ask you, gentle reader, to view a 3 minute YouTube video promotion of his book. In this promo, Mr. Bell uses the subtle tactic of the Socratic Method to influence you to consider the reasonableness of his opinions.<br /><br />Well, I seem to recall another rather "subtle" being who, a great many years ago, used this same tactic to instill doubt in the mind of his listener.<br /><br />In response to this video, I am going to attempt to undertake a bit of conversation with Mr. Bell and provide answers to these questions that he asks you to consider.<br /><br />Here is the link to the YouTube video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODUvw2McL8g">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODUvw2McL8g</a><br /><br /><br /><strong>Rob Bell</strong>: "Gandhi is in hell? He is? Someone knows this for sure?"<br /><br /><strong>Gleno:</strong> That's an unanswerable question. It's also a very leading one. Bell would like us to think that since we cannot know the answer with certainty that the only reasonable position to assume is his position, which stresses the inclusive nature of God's love. God created us all, therefore God loves us all. God is good. Thus, how can we think that a loving God would send anyone to hell?<br /><br />But, as a minister, Bell should know scripture better. Certainly Bell would maintain that only God knows the heart of a man. In this, he is correct. It is written, "Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, <em>whose heart thou knowest</em>; (for thou, <em>even thou only, knowest the hearts </em>of all the children of men)." (I Kings 8:39)<br /><br />Thus, we mere mortals cannot know for certain where Gandhi is. However, the Bible offers quite a bit more about what <em>can be known. </em><br /><br />Scripture is very clear on what it would take for Gandhi to get to heaven: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) According to this, if Gandhi chose to accept Christ as savior before his death, then he is invariably in heaven. It is in <em>this</em> offer of salvation through Christ's substitutionary sacrifice on the cross that God's love "<em>Wins</em>".<br /><br />My modest question to Mr. Bell is how likely is it that Gandhi, whose life was so firmly and famously founded upon Hinduism and its tenet of <em>ahimsa</em> (the avoidance of violence), decided in his later years to forsake Hinduism for Christianity? I can only hope it may be so.<br /><br /><strong>Rob Bell:</strong> "Will only a select make it to heaven?"<br /><br /><strong>Gleno: </strong>A rather unusual question from one who, by profession and training should know what the Bible says in answer to this. Is Mr. Bell being rhetorical or is this question planted to help me to make my point more easily?<br /><br /><blockquote>Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and <strong>few there be that find it</strong>. Acts 4:13-14</blockquote><strong></strong><br /><strong>Rob Bell:</strong> "And if that's the case, how do you become one of the few?... How does one become one of the few?"<br /><br /><strong>Gleno: </strong>What a great question, Rob; I thought you'd never ask! The Bible lays out everything one must do to gain entry into heaven. We need only look there to find out.<br /><br />In Christian circles, there are a number of methods by which one answers this question for the earnest inquirer. (And, before I go on, let me be clear that each of these relies solely on the words of the Bible and each is in agreement with all the others.) Some Christians use what is known as "The Five Spiritual Laws" to share the plan of salvation. Others use that old standby "The Romans Road" to walk a person through the logical process of the salvation decision. Certainly, other Christians will share the salvation message with you with their own personal list of scripture references.<br /><br />Talk with any number of Christians and you'll likely find that no two will use the same exact collection of scripture passages to explain to you how you can get to heaven.<br /><br />They may call it by different names too: "conversion," "being born again," "the new birth," "getting saved," "accepting Christ as Lord." Whether you're "getting religion" or you're "seeing the light", the point is the same: namely, that you are doing what the Bible says you must do in order to enter into heaven when you die.<br /><br />So, what's the plan, man?<br /><br />Well, I think the answer is important enough that I'm going to devote my next post to this question entirely.<br /><br /><br />As you delve deeper into Rob Bell's own brand of religion, it becomes more obvious that Bell is merely rehashing "universalism"; that is, the belief that, in short, God loves everyone and therefore everyone will ultimately be saved. It's what has been called a "Love Gospel" and "Easybelievism." It's contemporary; warm and fuzzy; and it is utterly lacking in scriptural basis. It's a farcical notion that has been ripped to shreds by numerous theologians, and is it intuitively obvious to anyone who has made even a half-hearted attempt to understand the Bible that it is not what the Bible says.<br /><br />According to Bell, there is no hell, and no matter what you believe in this life, you will ultimately end up in heaven. Sounds great.<br /><br />So tell me again why Christ was crucified?<br /><br /><br />.Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268468693840523552.post-25060165042982653202011-03-17T09:17:00.000-07:002011-03-17T09:22:05.193-07:00Words of the Wise<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXAJcJk8ANwk7s_S3q5y7jwFnVFLBOI2-aNQqjZbNU607gAyvOAQDnVRWZkQvl5g-b1wPIXH4RlCCby0FszqrroPvH9bA4Us-VwHJW3uKeR2UtQzfmr7Y0WL9c-y6KLPIS6wdxL9HClY/s1600/hindenberg.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 228px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 178px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585084207116376866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXAJcJk8ANwk7s_S3q5y7jwFnVFLBOI2-aNQqjZbNU607gAyvOAQDnVRWZkQvl5g-b1wPIXH4RlCCby0FszqrroPvH9bA4Us-VwHJW3uKeR2UtQzfmr7Y0WL9c-y6KLPIS6wdxL9HClY/s200/hindenberg.jpg" /></a> <blockquote>"If men of wisdom and knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of zeal for the honour of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth; if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats of government, we may expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and permanent foundation." -- Samuel Adams</blockquote><br /><br /><br />But they aren't. So we can't.<br /><br />.Glenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136566571723615119noreply@blogger.com0