Some quick notes since it's very early in the morning.
- This is my 101st post. Go me.
- There is not a single Bon Jovi song that doesn't sound like it should be played as the training montage music in a Van Damme movie. Double negative. Total truth.
- I think I liked Icewind Dale 2 better than Baldur's Gate 2, although some of the dialogue in BG2 is pretty good. Some of it isn't.
- My feet hurt.
- I came home and ate a bunch of tuna salad. I feel good about myself, and the people I encounter. Yes, I do believe the two are related.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
where is everybody?
- I haven't seen Joe or Mike and Em in forever. I'm sure they will throw the "busy" card out there, but I think we all know that's a sham. Sham, I say! And with the subtle addition of the letter "e," I might also say Shame! As in, shame on them. Because it's not my fault. Obviously.
- Dave is coming home and bringing his girlfriend's family with him. Well done. I am very excited, personally. There is a comfort in knowing that you can have very little if any effect on something, and therefore can behave outrageously. Yes, the "outrageous" in the previous sentence was intended to be read with ze French accent. So was "ze."
- The last Harry Potter book came out. I'm sure my favorite auntie has already read the thing. I, understanding that it is important to be kept up to date on everything in order to appear more knowledgeable, read the spoiler. So if you want to know how Potter dies, just give me a call. I'm kidding. He doesn't really die. Or does he? *Do do do do do dooooooooo*
- Dave is coming home and bringing his girlfriend's family with him. Well done. I am very excited, personally. There is a comfort in knowing that you can have very little if any effect on something, and therefore can behave outrageously. Yes, the "outrageous" in the previous sentence was intended to be read with ze French accent. So was "ze."
- The last Harry Potter book came out. I'm sure my favorite auntie has already read the thing. I, understanding that it is important to be kept up to date on everything in order to appear more knowledgeable, read the spoiler. So if you want to know how Potter dies, just give me a call. I'm kidding. He doesn't really die. Or does he? *Do do do do do dooooooooo*
Monday, July 23, 2007
- I ordered Baldur's Gate 2 (with expansion) like 5 days ago and it's still not here. What's up with that?
- There is really very little to blog about in the summer. I suppose I could talk about little rubber ducks, or old pick up trucks. Or slow moving trains. And rain.
- My boss keeps asking me who the bands are that play these rock songs on the radio. Last time I thought for a second, then said "the Righteous Brothers." He laughed. Btw, it wasn't the Righteous Brothers. It wasn't even the Morally Challenged Brothers.
- So, I think a few of us need to start practicing are harmony for when we sing "Goodness Gracious! Great Balls of Fire!" at Jessica's wedding. (Jessica Foutch. That sounds weird.) Unless Joe gets all moral on us and makes us sing something less offensive. Like "Hound Dog."
- If I were the kind who gave free drinks of wine to people, I'd give one to my brother right now.
- I wonder if Devil Went Down to Georgia would be inappropriate... I think it has a good spiritual message behind it, and a catchy tune, personally. And Charlie Daniels is a "Christian." And Republican.
- There is really very little to blog about in the summer. I suppose I could talk about little rubber ducks, or old pick up trucks. Or slow moving trains. And rain.
- My boss keeps asking me who the bands are that play these rock songs on the radio. Last time I thought for a second, then said "the Righteous Brothers." He laughed. Btw, it wasn't the Righteous Brothers. It wasn't even the Morally Challenged Brothers.
- So, I think a few of us need to start practicing are harmony for when we sing "Goodness Gracious! Great Balls of Fire!" at Jessica's wedding. (Jessica Foutch. That sounds weird.) Unless Joe gets all moral on us and makes us sing something less offensive. Like "Hound Dog."
- If I were the kind who gave free drinks of wine to people, I'd give one to my brother right now.
- I wonder if Devil Went Down to Georgia would be inappropriate... I think it has a good spiritual message behind it, and a catchy tune, personally. And Charlie Daniels is a "Christian." And Republican.
Monday, July 16, 2007
All sovereign
- I've heard it said (from Calvinists) that God "does not micromanage." So even though none of you want to hear this, here is yet another rant. I hope it will be my last for awhile.
Yes, God does micromanage. All sovereign means he controls everything, including where each drop of rain falls. Read the passages in Job where God speaks, and it becomes clear how God "micromanages." Nothing that happens is out of His plan; everything that happens is in His plan.
God turns the hearts of kings as a man washing dishes. We all know that. We also know that with God, there is no respecting of persons. So what makes us think God controls the decisions of kings but not farmers, or teachers, or McDonald's employees? What makes us think His sovereignty has limits? If He is truly all sovereign, then that means everything (excluding not even the tiniest action) is by His pre-ordained decree. If God does not control where the rain falls, who does? Is it chance? No, no Christian would seriously lay anything at Chance's feet. Does the devil control the elements? No; to say so would be blasphemous, as we know the wind and waves obey Jesus.
What I don't get it why anyone would make the claim, then, that God does not micromanage, unless to give man some sort of control over his own destiny. It seems a wholly Armenian line of thought. Why say "God allows you to choose over the little things?" Little things? As if there are different degrees of difficulty with God? As if "all sovereign" only extends over things human beings perceive as "big deals?"
See, that wasn't that long. No one that reads this blog has said that God doesn't micromanage, as far as I know. So I'm talking to the choir, but I wanted to say it anyway. Okay, enough rants out of me.
Yes, God does micromanage. All sovereign means he controls everything, including where each drop of rain falls. Read the passages in Job where God speaks, and it becomes clear how God "micromanages." Nothing that happens is out of His plan; everything that happens is in His plan.
God turns the hearts of kings as a man washing dishes. We all know that. We also know that with God, there is no respecting of persons. So what makes us think God controls the decisions of kings but not farmers, or teachers, or McDonald's employees? What makes us think His sovereignty has limits? If He is truly all sovereign, then that means everything (excluding not even the tiniest action) is by His pre-ordained decree. If God does not control where the rain falls, who does? Is it chance? No, no Christian would seriously lay anything at Chance's feet. Does the devil control the elements? No; to say so would be blasphemous, as we know the wind and waves obey Jesus.
What I don't get it why anyone would make the claim, then, that God does not micromanage, unless to give man some sort of control over his own destiny. It seems a wholly Armenian line of thought. Why say "God allows you to choose over the little things?" Little things? As if there are different degrees of difficulty with God? As if "all sovereign" only extends over things human beings perceive as "big deals?"
See, that wasn't that long. No one that reads this blog has said that God doesn't micromanage, as far as I know. So I'm talking to the choir, but I wanted to say it anyway. Okay, enough rants out of me.
Friday, July 13, 2007
pants, cards, and cigarettes
- I was thinking on the way home from work tonight, so here it is. It probably won't be as coherent as it should be, but it's after 4am.
The church has lost its focus. We preach against things the Bible is silent on, and we ignore the fact that people blatantly avoid coming to church are still called "brothers." We condemn things we have no business condemning, and we don't mind that no one thinks the Bible is infallible.
We've lost our focus. Somewhere along the way, we decided as Baptists to lop of the dandelion's head rather than pluck it up by the root. Women wearing pants!!!??? That is really the cause of the church's current state of apathy and weakness? Playing cards? Cigarettes? Really???
The next time someone says cigarettes are sin, ask them about cheeseburgers. They will inevitably say the word "excess" if they have been taught anything. Then ask them where in the Bible I am given authority to judge excess for any other person. Where am I given reign to say "No!!! You've had one too many cheeseburgers already, Brother Munson. No more for you!" What is wrong with the church today, that we think that has anything to do with Christianity?
People don't know who God is. They don't know what is in His Word. They don't know what living separate really means, and for decades now, they've been hearing that Christianity is a list of rules. Don't drink. Don't smoke. And if you're a girl, don't wear pants. Don't play cards.
WHAT?
People don't respect the church anymore. They don't. They don't care what the church says. Do you think maybe that started when preachers stopped talking about sinners in the hands of a Mighty God and started talking about cigarettes?? I have a feeling it was.
Some will argue that the two messages are not exclusive. Okay, but one is Biblical, and the other isn't. One can be verified by verses and the other is cautioned flagged with "we think, because it's bad for you." Like cheeseburgers. And breathing without a mask. Honestly, we should all be mimicking Michael Jackson's phobia if we want to avoid "what's bad for us." What's wrong with us!? Cards, pants and cigarettes? Really.
We love rules, as Baptists. We like the "don't" list, because then we can say "hey, I'm doing pretty good." It's a sense of security, of accomplishment, of pride. But it's not Biblical!
House rules are different. You want to have a rule that says "no cards in my house" or "No cigarettes," then more power to you. Cigarettes are idiotic (costly, unattractive, costly), so I will never have them in my house. (But if someone asks you why you don't smoke, and you come back with "because I'm a Christian," you're not going to be able to back that up. You're not. Unless you're a vegetarian who uses gloves to open doors.) The problem comes when your kid asks "why don't we play cards?" and you say "Because the Bible says so" instead of "because I don't like them and don't want them in my house."
It's good to appear as lunatics to the world. We're supposed to be weird. The problem comes when we're weird for reasons that aren't Scriptural, and then we say they are. It's not in the Bible that women can't wear pants. Or tennis shoes. Oddly, Baptists don't usually have problems with the latter.
Anyway, that's my rant.
The church has lost its focus. We preach against things the Bible is silent on, and we ignore the fact that people blatantly avoid coming to church are still called "brothers." We condemn things we have no business condemning, and we don't mind that no one thinks the Bible is infallible.
We've lost our focus. Somewhere along the way, we decided as Baptists to lop of the dandelion's head rather than pluck it up by the root. Women wearing pants!!!??? That is really the cause of the church's current state of apathy and weakness? Playing cards? Cigarettes? Really???
The next time someone says cigarettes are sin, ask them about cheeseburgers. They will inevitably say the word "excess" if they have been taught anything. Then ask them where in the Bible I am given authority to judge excess for any other person. Where am I given reign to say "No!!! You've had one too many cheeseburgers already, Brother Munson. No more for you!" What is wrong with the church today, that we think that has anything to do with Christianity?
People don't know who God is. They don't know what is in His Word. They don't know what living separate really means, and for decades now, they've been hearing that Christianity is a list of rules. Don't drink. Don't smoke. And if you're a girl, don't wear pants. Don't play cards.
WHAT?
People don't respect the church anymore. They don't. They don't care what the church says. Do you think maybe that started when preachers stopped talking about sinners in the hands of a Mighty God and started talking about cigarettes?? I have a feeling it was.
Some will argue that the two messages are not exclusive. Okay, but one is Biblical, and the other isn't. One can be verified by verses and the other is cautioned flagged with "we think, because it's bad for you." Like cheeseburgers. And breathing without a mask. Honestly, we should all be mimicking Michael Jackson's phobia if we want to avoid "what's bad for us." What's wrong with us!? Cards, pants and cigarettes? Really.
We love rules, as Baptists. We like the "don't" list, because then we can say "hey, I'm doing pretty good." It's a sense of security, of accomplishment, of pride. But it's not Biblical!
House rules are different. You want to have a rule that says "no cards in my house" or "No cigarettes," then more power to you. Cigarettes are idiotic (costly, unattractive, costly), so I will never have them in my house. (But if someone asks you why you don't smoke, and you come back with "because I'm a Christian," you're not going to be able to back that up. You're not. Unless you're a vegetarian who uses gloves to open doors.) The problem comes when your kid asks "why don't we play cards?" and you say "Because the Bible says so" instead of "because I don't like them and don't want them in my house."
It's good to appear as lunatics to the world. We're supposed to be weird. The problem comes when we're weird for reasons that aren't Scriptural, and then we say they are. It's not in the Bible that women can't wear pants. Or tennis shoes. Oddly, Baptists don't usually have problems with the latter.
Anyway, that's my rant.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Psych!
- Not sure if any of you ever watch the show Psych (it's on USA, which I don't get), but I finally made an iTunes account and downloaded it. It's a good show; very funny. Season 2 starts in a few days, but, like I said, I don't get the USA channel.
- I need to check, at some point, when my classes start this fall. I am so sick of CMU. Last week, I even bought a cauldron so I could put a curse on the place, but I got gypped ("gypped"= gypsies = gypsy curses? Bizarre!). The thing didn't come with instructions, and I ended up transposing the application of the eye of newt with the tongue of frog. I think I'm growing an unusually large, sickle-shaped talon on the second toe of each foot, not unlike the Dein0nychus (which was the model of the Velociraptor in the Jurassic Park films).
- I feel like I have money right now. I really don't, but I feel like I do. Some combination of uncashed checks and a credit card.
- I need to check, at some point, when my classes start this fall. I am so sick of CMU. Last week, I even bought a cauldron so I could put a curse on the place, but I got gypped ("gypped"= gypsies = gypsy curses? Bizarre!). The thing didn't come with instructions, and I ended up transposing the application of the eye of newt with the tongue of frog. I think I'm growing an unusually large, sickle-shaped talon on the second toe of each foot, not unlike the Dein0nychus (which was the model of the Velociraptor in the Jurassic Park films).
- I feel like I have money right now. I really don't, but I feel like I do. Some combination of uncashed checks and a credit card.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
life as now
- The week o' festivities is over. I still have all my teeth. Whenever I make it through festivities with all my teeth, I give myself points. Here, have some points. Thank you.
- Bunch of newbsauces neglected to participate in the water sports, but I refrain from shunning them. Because that's the way I roll.
- I have to take my G-ma to Flint today. I'm not good at finding places I've never been (although I was there once a while back). Chances are it will result in me discovering a land bridge between Alaska and Japan. I don't think I can handle Sushi.
- So the hotel where we all stayed had a pool, a full-size basketball court, some tennis courts, a batting cage, and a fully-equipped workout room. I watched the Weather Channel in my room. Kidding. It was a pretty cool place. That is, until my aunt got us all lost when we were trying to find the ice cream place. "Go past the Dirty Cow!" she said. But we weren't supposed to go past the Dirty Cow. And then there was the drive-in that wasn't. Crazy times. And my cousin got married.
- Speaking of married, there are still multiple weddings coming up this year. None of them mine, btw, because I know you were all thinking, "About time that wild buck settle down and raise hisself a family... Yee-HAW!" Okay, so maybe you weren't thinking the "Yee-HAW" part, but you should have been. Weddings are fun. For most of us anyway. For some, they are a grim reminder of how much having daughters costs you.
- Apparently, I'm a night shift guy, now. 7:30pm to 3:30am is my schedule. So no more late night expeditions to go Dirty Cow tipping. Auntie Yuisa.
- Bunch of newbsauces neglected to participate in the water sports, but I refrain from shunning them. Because that's the way I roll.
- I have to take my G-ma to Flint today. I'm not good at finding places I've never been (although I was there once a while back). Chances are it will result in me discovering a land bridge between Alaska and Japan. I don't think I can handle Sushi.
- So the hotel where we all stayed had a pool, a full-size basketball court, some tennis courts, a batting cage, and a fully-equipped workout room. I watched the Weather Channel in my room. Kidding. It was a pretty cool place. That is, until my aunt got us all lost when we were trying to find the ice cream place. "Go past the Dirty Cow!" she said. But we weren't supposed to go past the Dirty Cow. And then there was the drive-in that wasn't. Crazy times. And my cousin got married.
- Speaking of married, there are still multiple weddings coming up this year. None of them mine, btw, because I know you were all thinking, "About time that wild buck settle down and raise hisself a family... Yee-HAW!" Okay, so maybe you weren't thinking the "Yee-HAW" part, but you should have been. Weddings are fun. For most of us anyway. For some, they are a grim reminder of how much having daughters costs you.
- Apparently, I'm a night shift guy, now. 7:30pm to 3:30am is my schedule. So no more late night expeditions to go Dirty Cow tipping. Auntie Yuisa.
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