Luke 4
14:19
So, this weekend the Steelers took #6 and set an NFL record. I didn’t get to see the game (alas, life and priorities called) but I’m still proud to be a Steel City Native!
Tonight is the first night of the Married Couples Small Group. Weather and time permitting we’ll actually make it on time and still manage to get atleast a few hours of sleep before Jess has to wake up for work. Which, btw, I still contend, any job that requires you to get up before the sun rises is technically “night shift.” Just sayin’.
Over the weekend Jess and I looked at various graduate programs. We keep coming back to Marriage and Family Counseling. It would seem the the desire within us to help means that the Lord’s plans didn’t include ministry via teaching in a classroom. We’ll see, working a f ull time schedule and going to school –particulalry in my case where neither the employer nor school are UGA– makes some options limited. Although, it’s not out of the realm of possibility and if it is truly what the Lord has designed for us to do then I have no worries that we’ll find most limits removed, surmountable or simply self-imposed.
I also was stirring things up a bit on Facebook with “Brother” Richard from the Atheist Nexus. I know Richard well and once we were comrades in unbelief. However, my journey into atheism drove me back to the Lord and his time as a pastor resulted in his “de-conversion.” Things have been congenial between us, although, suffice to say that he does not agree with –or approve of(??)– my conversion. He didn’t take too kindly to my accusing Richard Dawkins and Fred Phelps (of “GodHatesFags.com” fame) of being cut from the same arrogant cloth. Which, in fact, they are. Each employs aggressive, confrontational and hateful messages to attack groups with whom they don’t agree. Each is absolutely dedicated to their dogma. Furthermore, each man seemingly believes the other is guilty of being dogmatic. All I can say is that South Park got it right. “Brother” Richard disagreed with me, as expected, and claimed that my argument was “apples and oranges.” However, I’ll contend that it’s more likely that he just happens to prefer the bushel of apples that Dawkins is selling compared to that of Phelps. Personally, I’m not interested in either.
Oh, and I also took a shot at Reggie “The Infidel Guy” –that was arguably probably a bit of a low blow– by stating he was a bath from a pastor away from being a Baptist. Primarily to his reaction to the aforementioned South Park episode, which can be best summarized as “fundamentalist.”
In the interest of full disclosure I didn’t consider myself a fan of either Dawkins’ or Reggie’s brand of Evangelical Atheism even before I was born-again. I was vocally outspoken about my strong dislike of Reggie’s approach and thinking that Dawkins’ was arrogant, particularly compared to the likes of folks like Michael Shermer (whom I still respect, even though I don’t agree with his religious views). So likening Dawkins to Phelps is not something predicated by my conversion to Christianity. Rather, it’s my AVERSION to arrogance. Although, I will admit, since being born again I am much less inclined to hate either man than I am to just pity and pray for them, “Brother” Richard included.
I’m working on another series, but with Valentine’s Day, college browsing and wedding planning it could take a while to put together. So it might just be a continuation of odds and sods for the next few posts…until then, God Bless!
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