Whatever Takes Us Away

So, it’s a new year and I’m planning some new things.  I’m not making resolutions I cannot keep, just making amendments to the life I am already living.  For instance, our 103 year old house will get a slight upgrade and modification when I start finishing the basement in four weeks.  This will add much needed storage room and a place where Tina and I can shove the kids when we want peace and quiet in the majority of the house.  The 42” TV with all game systems will go down there as will my musical instruments (this will make room in our bedroom!), so no more Zelda in the living room!

A further amendment to my life will be the addition of a full marathon.  This past year I ran in two half-marathons (13.1 miles) and two 10k’s (6.2 miles each).  Now, those miles do not include all the training that went into getting myself prepared, and I did not keep track of that last year.  This year I have plans for running the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati the first weekend in May, and, if all goes well, the Chicago Marathon on my birthday, October 10^th.  With this year’s training I have already begun keeping track of the mileage – and the total mileage will be given after I have finished the Pig.  The total mileage will include all time/distances between January 1 and May 2, 2010 and will include stationary bike and elliptical times/distances.  The plan I have set forth adds up to running just over 400 miles in that time, but I am already over 1.35 miles above the plan at this point. 

The third amendment will be based on my forth-coming graduation (second degree) this summer.  While I have not yet talked with a recruiter, I anticipate joining the Ohio National Guard as a chaplain.  I plan on beginning talks next month, possibly in March to find out what I need to do in order to enter back into military service.

So there you have it, my plans for this new year.  And, while this deer season is nearly over, I do plan to hit the woods a few more times to hopefully land that elusive third/fourth/fifth/sixth deer – my freezer still has some room in it!

A blank mind this morning, but I feel it necessary to post something to the blog.

For those (few) loyal readers let me pose a question: If you know someone is seeking after God, but has many misconceptions about Christianity, how would you proceed?

A.    Pound them over the head with John 3:16

B.     Give them all the freedom they want so they can choose whatever god they want

C.     Guide them through (slowly) the general intent of the Bible and salvation

D.    Not say anything about Christianity at all

E.     Answer any questions they may have and then proceed with bringing them “down the aisle” to “receive” Christ at the altar Sunday morning

F.      Parts of some of these (please give short explanation)

I ask this because I may have a guest in the house soon that has a ton of questions and I wonder what may be the best approach to guiding/answering this person.  I know full-well and understand the power of prayer, and it is something I have already been doing, but getting a counsel from others (who may or may not carry much wisdom) is a biblical concept as well.

In advance, thanks.

At some point in an educational career there comes a wall.  This immovable object you press against does not budge, and only feels worse each time you press harder.  I have reached that point I think.  I know, I haven’t been at it for even two years yet, but each semester I am taking 18 credit hours, burning through college faster than most; nearly double the pace.  I think this has brought me to the point of near burn out with my want/desire to finish and continue on towards a graduate degree.  Maybe it is the thought of finishing and then having to put the degree into real-world application (i.e. finding a job that will help pay for the degrees I’ve earned). 

At any rate, I have amassed a large collection of books, DVD’s and knowledge that will hopefully come in handy for the rest of my life.  Until I get to put all this into practice I suppose I will continue burning myself until the flame has been extinguished.

Humanity has an uncommon ability to use language in a way that describes the things around us, what we do, and what we say.  We use letters, numbers, and symbols to communicate meaning and help define our world.  Something has gone very wrong in the past few years that seems to be leading to the demise of human language and understanding.

This morning after I took the kids to school I passed one of the larger churches in our little town.  Usually, the sign out front has interesting little quips, event announcements or special dates on this sign.  Most times I look to see what has been posted; perhaps I’ll attend this or go to that.  This morning however, I was caught off guard by what the sign says.

Some words in the English language sound exactly the same, and unless you use the surrounding context of the words you won’t know what word has been used.  Plane and plain are a good example of this.  Is one talking about walking on a plain in Africa or riding on a plane to get to Africa?  For, fore, and four is another good example.

The sign in front of the church says, “Pray 4 Our Troops” which, if it had been properly laid out with the proper words, might mean something to the effect of, “Our troops are in a violent situation, please pray FOR them.”  But, when we start to render number symbols that have a close relationship with word symbols the language starts to deteriorate.  Does the sentence, “Pray four our troops” have the same meaning as “Pray 4 our troops?”  Maybe it is just me and I’m a stickler for the proper use of the English language, but I think those to phrases have different meanings.

The text messaging, instant messaging, chat lingo that is thrown around today is starting to madden me to no end.  If you have a feeling, thought, or emotion to convey find the correct words and/or phrases that convey those feelings, thoughts and emotions – please don’t butcher the language you speak by taking short cuts that obscure the true meaning of what you are trying to say.  If you don’t know how to spell something, find a dictionary, use the internet.  If you don’t know which word is the proper word, use a dictionary to help you understand the meanings of the word(s) in question. 

If you want the surrounding community to pray for our service members, say what you mean and mean what you say.  If you start using word symbols to represent the actual word you want to use you begin confusing the language you are using, changing the meanings of the words and symbols.  4 does not mean the same things as for or fore.  Praying four our troops does not carry the same meaning as praying for our troops, and likewise, praying fore our troops does not carry the same meaning either. 

I find this particularly infuriating because of where the sign is and who and what is attached to that sign.  If it had been in the front yard of a frat house I might find it slightly amusing, but still incorrect.  However, this sign stands along the most traveled road in the town, in front of one of the largest churches in the town.  As a Christian I am enraged by the fact that other “Christians” cannot use the God given abilities to use language as God had intended.  He did not create us to be unintellectual, idiotic morons that confuse simple words easily.  No, in fact, He created us with superior intellect to that of other animals, separating us from everything else He created.  If we are the “higher” animals we should act as such.

Here’s a quote from someone else that has similar feelings to those of mine.  “Here’s the problem. There is nothing wrong with slang. It is as American as apple pie. But one of the great deceptions is that the words are losing their original meaning. If we change the meaning of words what good is our language? . . . If we lose our common language we lose our culture” (Coach Dave Daubenmire, Words Have Meaning, 2007).

Words do have meaning.  The letters, numbers, and symbols we use each day convey certain things about the world around us.  Unlike the other creatures that roam the earth, we can use language in a way that helps us to create bicycles, cars, houses, cities and nations.  We use language to solve mathematical problems and use it in science.  It teaches us history and tells us the current news events.  But when we toy around with the meanings of the words (as has been handed down to us, written or spoken and documented with definitions) we lose the ability to communicate anything at all.

I correct my children when they use a word improperly or out of context, the same as my family did with me growing up.  I don’t think there is an emphasis on the proper use of language anymore and that may very well lead to the demise of the English language in the near future.

This is what happens when you sit in a tree stand beginning 6:30 am.  Sadly I must report that my friend took a shot at this bruiser and missed, but God felt that one of the two of us put this buck on the ground.  I am thankful I had the opportunity to take a shot, and even more thankful that my arrow hit the mark!

This is the second deer of the season (the other a decent doe back in October) and I still have four more possible tags to fill (all does).  Looking forward to taking Jake out next weekend during the youth gun season, maybe there'll be another monster lurking in the woods for him to shoot. 

As one who served five years in the Marine Corps I am truly thankful I could take this deer on Veterans' Day; a day off work doing something fun with a friend and being well rewarded for a good shot.

To all you who read and are either past, present or soon to be US service members, thanks.  I have my moments where I miss it, but this morning was not one of those times.  Glad to be at home with a bow in my hand.