.
For my next post I was going to comment on the various stages of dress (or otherwise) that I see now that I am 'out front,' at the library as opposed to working 'in the back.' But that probably says plenty enough. Sometimes I wish I could wear blinders. ;-)
You may have seen a variety of headlines, titles, signs, or whatever that taken literally can be quite funny. This was a headline today on CNN's website: "Suspect admits texting dead teen."
Uh, Um - Did your message arrive?
Did she text you back?
Where did her message come from?
If you are on any professional or job-related listserv, this is some "Friday Humor" a little early!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
When Liberty becomes a stumbling block
.
The current controversy of building a mosque near Ground Zero of 9/11 reminds one of a passage of scripture that talks about our rights verses putting others first.
We have the right to worship as we see fit, in this country. The day we no longer have that right, we will cease to be the America that was created in 1776. Many people fled to this new land to get away from religious tyrants. They wanted the right to worship God as they felt led. This is who we are. But we don't need religious tyrants demanding to exercise their right to worship just because we have that right. There's more to think about than that.
September 11, 2001 Islamic enemies of this country and terrorists confiscated our planes with mostly our people on board and flew them into some of our country's greatest iconic locations. These heartless people have no concern over the innocent lives that were lost, including some of their own.
Now in the name of religious freedom, Islams want to build a mosque within 'spitting distance' of Ground Zero. If they believe that they (who are building the mosque) are not the same as the terrorists who bombed us with the our own planes, then maybe they need to rethink how they demand and choose to exercise their American rights. They say they are peace loving Americans, "like the rest of us."
If they truely are, then maybe they ought to take a second look at the impact this intended place of worship will have on their fellow Americans. Sometimes it's NOT about our rights, but it's about thinking of and putting the other person first and not ourselves or our agenda. I don't deny that anyone can worship how they wish. But some compassion and consideration should also be taken into account as to where they chose to do so. Going to Mecca and holding a church service is not the way to go about winning Muslims over to Christ.
One of our forefathers (I haven't looked up who, yet) made the comment to the effect that people who are Christian people also make good citizens. [I will see if I can find the exact quote.] So, if the Christians in this country will practice 'not excersizing' our liberty just because we can, but instead consider what that right might do to others, maybe others will see our example and do the same.
It's time we all think about the victims of 9/11, which include the families of the victims. They are victims, too. They are left with grief and trauma of what happened to their loved ones. Excersize your form of worship, but this is a huge country. Even New York City has a lot of real estate. Look around and see where else you might could build your place of woship. In so doing, you would be more considerate of others. You would show that you care about others more than yourself. Want others to be tolerant of you? Then show some tolerance and consideration of others and move to some other location.
The current controversy of building a mosque near Ground Zero of 9/11 reminds one of a passage of scripture that talks about our rights verses putting others first.
We have the right to worship as we see fit, in this country. The day we no longer have that right, we will cease to be the America that was created in 1776. Many people fled to this new land to get away from religious tyrants. They wanted the right to worship God as they felt led. This is who we are. But we don't need religious tyrants demanding to exercise their right to worship just because we have that right. There's more to think about than that.
September 11, 2001 Islamic enemies of this country and terrorists confiscated our planes with mostly our people on board and flew them into some of our country's greatest iconic locations. These heartless people have no concern over the innocent lives that were lost, including some of their own.
Now in the name of religious freedom, Islams want to build a mosque within 'spitting distance' of Ground Zero. If they believe that they (who are building the mosque) are not the same as the terrorists who bombed us with the our own planes, then maybe they need to rethink how they demand and choose to exercise their American rights. They say they are peace loving Americans, "like the rest of us."
If they truely are, then maybe they ought to take a second look at the impact this intended place of worship will have on their fellow Americans. Sometimes it's NOT about our rights, but it's about thinking of and putting the other person first and not ourselves or our agenda. I don't deny that anyone can worship how they wish. But some compassion and consideration should also be taken into account as to where they chose to do so. Going to Mecca and holding a church service is not the way to go about winning Muslims over to Christ.
One of our forefathers (I haven't looked up who, yet) made the comment to the effect that people who are Christian people also make good citizens. [I will see if I can find the exact quote.] So, if the Christians in this country will practice 'not excersizing' our liberty just because we can, but instead consider what that right might do to others, maybe others will see our example and do the same.
It's time we all think about the victims of 9/11, which include the families of the victims. They are victims, too. They are left with grief and trauma of what happened to their loved ones. Excersize your form of worship, but this is a huge country. Even New York City has a lot of real estate. Look around and see where else you might could build your place of woship. In so doing, you would be more considerate of others. You would show that you care about others more than yourself. Want others to be tolerant of you? Then show some tolerance and consideration of others and move to some other location.
Monday, August 9, 2010
I Don't Care To
.
Church had just let out and the parishioners were filing by shaking the preacher's hand. As one older lady came by, his wife standing close by asked her if she would be interested in going to a regional church meeting later that week with them.
Dad pastored a little country church in a southern Missouri town, called Cape Fair. We had just moved there a few months earlier, from a field assignment in western Kansas. Beth and Ira Wagner had answered the call to the ministry while still living in New York State. They attended a bible school graduating in 1957. From there they had first been placed in a western Kansas community before moving to Cape Fair. It was now 1958.
The lady answered cheerfully, "I wouldn't care to." Somewhere in the conversation one of them had told her the day and time they planned to go. Still learning Missouri, hillbilly colloquialisms, they weren't quite sure what she meant.
The day came and Beth and Ira were ready to head to the meeting, (probably an IFCA* meeting held in nearby Galena, MO.). Beth mentioned to Ira, "We better go by Erma's** house and just make sure whether she wants to go or not." [**I don't remember the lady's real name.]
They drove by her house, and into the driveway. Sure enough, she was ready and waiting to go, watching for them to arrive. They learned that day that her response meant, 'she wouldn't mind going, she would enjoy it.' Not that 'she cared nothing about the trip, whatsoever. '
That was a close call and a fast learned lesson of another Missouri colloquialism. They were glad they decided to stop and make sure what she wanted to do and not pull a faux pas and leave her behind!
***************
There's a lot of people I do remember from that country church, even though I was only in the 4th grade and part of the 5th.
Willie and Jaunita Withnall. He was a deacon and always wore overalls. They lived by a store which I think they ran.
Mr and Mrs Jorden who had fraternal twin boys. They didn't even look like brothers. One was tall and skinny, the other was shorter and not-so-skinny. For many years, I remembered their names, but can't recall them now.
Elderly Mrs. Smith who still came to church. She was a typical, sweet little-ole-lady, bun and all. Her husband who was in his upper 90's was unable to come anymore. (I want to say he was also blind, but I'm not sure). Mom and Dad visited with them frequently. They lived in a white clapboard house, right along the edge of the road about a mile or so 'from town.' We would sit in the quaint, homey living room while Dad read scripture to the gentleman and have prayer before we left, on every visit. (Religious pictures and crocheted art hung on the walls.)
On Sunday afternoons, we would go to Wooley Creek. A group of people met there in the school house for Sunday School whether they had any preachin' or not. So we would go out and Dad would do the preachin' for the folks. The Fosters and the Jones attended Wooley Creek.
The Jones were a fairly large but poor family. Their father was like Pa in Little House on the Prairie. Their Pa played the fiddle. The kids would sing, especially three of their girls. They would lean back in the dining room chairs around the pot bellied stove, swinging their bare feet while balancing on those back chair legs, singing their lungs out! Ah, those were the days.
These days folks have an annual singing at Wooley Creek, I learned last year. I need to go.
************
(*Independant Fundamental Church of America)
Church had just let out and the parishioners were filing by shaking the preacher's hand. As one older lady came by, his wife standing close by asked her if she would be interested in going to a regional church meeting later that week with them.
Dad pastored a little country church in a southern Missouri town, called Cape Fair. We had just moved there a few months earlier, from a field assignment in western Kansas. Beth and Ira Wagner had answered the call to the ministry while still living in New York State. They attended a bible school graduating in 1957. From there they had first been placed in a western Kansas community before moving to Cape Fair. It was now 1958.
The lady answered cheerfully, "I wouldn't care to." Somewhere in the conversation one of them had told her the day and time they planned to go. Still learning Missouri, hillbilly colloquialisms, they weren't quite sure what she meant.
The day came and Beth and Ira were ready to head to the meeting, (probably an IFCA* meeting held in nearby Galena, MO.). Beth mentioned to Ira, "We better go by Erma's** house and just make sure whether she wants to go or not." [**I don't remember the lady's real name.]
They drove by her house, and into the driveway. Sure enough, she was ready and waiting to go, watching for them to arrive. They learned that day that her response meant, 'she wouldn't mind going, she would enjoy it.' Not that 'she cared nothing about the trip, whatsoever. '
That was a close call and a fast learned lesson of another Missouri colloquialism. They were glad they decided to stop and make sure what she wanted to do and not pull a faux pas and leave her behind!
***************
There's a lot of people I do remember from that country church, even though I was only in the 4th grade and part of the 5th.
Willie and Jaunita Withnall. He was a deacon and always wore overalls. They lived by a store which I think they ran.
Mr and Mrs Jorden who had fraternal twin boys. They didn't even look like brothers. One was tall and skinny, the other was shorter and not-so-skinny. For many years, I remembered their names, but can't recall them now.
Elderly Mrs. Smith who still came to church. She was a typical, sweet little-ole-lady, bun and all. Her husband who was in his upper 90's was unable to come anymore. (I want to say he was also blind, but I'm not sure). Mom and Dad visited with them frequently. They lived in a white clapboard house, right along the edge of the road about a mile or so 'from town.' We would sit in the quaint, homey living room while Dad read scripture to the gentleman and have prayer before we left, on every visit. (Religious pictures and crocheted art hung on the walls.)
On Sunday afternoons, we would go to Wooley Creek. A group of people met there in the school house for Sunday School whether they had any preachin' or not. So we would go out and Dad would do the preachin' for the folks. The Fosters and the Jones attended Wooley Creek.
The Jones were a fairly large but poor family. Their father was like Pa in Little House on the Prairie. Their Pa played the fiddle. The kids would sing, especially three of their girls. They would lean back in the dining room chairs around the pot bellied stove, swinging their bare feet while balancing on those back chair legs, singing their lungs out! Ah, those were the days.
These days folks have an annual singing at Wooley Creek, I learned last year. I need to go.
************
(*Independant Fundamental Church of America)
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