This morning, as a follow-up to my post last week, I took a step toward public expression of my views on an important moral and political issue by sharing a Rand Paul press release about a bill he is co-sponsoring that will prohibit the federal funding of Planned Parenthood.
Yesterday Jase and Rachel loaned us their pocket fetal doppler so that we can listen to our unborn child's heartbeat whenever we want. We actually couldn't find it last night in our first attempt, but we'll probably try again tonight. We'll find out whether it's a boy or a girl in a couple of weeks!
I injured my shoulder playing softball last week on a head-first slide (I was safe). We play again today and I'm hoping I'm up to it.
Do you ever find yourself wondering what you're going to do with your life, and then you realize that you're over 30 years old, and you're actually already doing it? I like my job, but I don't know that it's something I will continue to do for the next 30 years, I've been thinking lately about how it'd be really fun to write a series of blog posts about historical events as they relate to movies about those events. So, for example, I could write about the Battle of Thermopylae and highlight what the movie 300 got right and wrong. One of the challenges would be writing with the appropriate tone. I mean, I love movies, and every time some know-it-all hears me say I like the movie Rudy and proceeds to chime in with, "That's not how it really happened, you know..." I just want to punch him in the face. We all know that's not how it really happened. So I wouldn't want to come across as such a know-it-all. But I think I could praise the movies and use them as entry points to discuss the actual historical events -- which, while probably less dramatic and without perfectly happy endings all the time, are pretty entertaining themselves!
Then again, I don't know how that could make me any money. And I do have a growing family to support...
Are you back from your hiatus yet? When can we expect another post from you? Edit: I hadn't seen your post from yesterday yet. Apparently that answers my above question.
I've had a crazy month. One minute it was like, July 3rd and we were getting ready for Emily Lang (now Romero)'s wedding. I closed my eyes for a second and now it's July 29th and we're moving into August. I want to briefly fill you in on some of the things that went down this month, but first I will respond to your last post.
I wrestle with it a lot. The idea of getting noisy. I wrestle for a few different reasons. I agree that it seems like the noisy whiners and complainers are the ones who are taking over the culture and leading us into certain doom. I adamantly disagree with some of the things that our society is falling for hook line and sinker. To anyone that is willing to talk to me, I'll tell them that I disagree and why. I have had many conversations with people who will post pictures, sayings, quotes, articles, and memes on their facebook page that I disagree with. In the 3-4 instances where I've found myself in conversations with those people IRL it turns out that they don't have a clue what they are talking about. They have absolutely no response to logic and common sense. Without a screen to hide behind and a group of like-minded (loose term since often there really isn't a 'mind' to speak of) they can't support a single argument. They are loud online and quiet as a church mouse when confronted on their beliefs and challenged to answer the ever important question, "Why?"
I'm part of a Facebook group called Nerd Fighters. It's the "adult" version of the group. I joined this group awhile ago because I wanted to keep tabs on what way the internet culture is leaning on things and what things are lighting the fires among the GIANT subculture of social media dwellers.
Just a little background on Nerd Fighters: NerdFighteria is an online subculture founded by Hank and John Green who are YouTube and Social Media GIANTS. They are also now giants in other things. John Green is also the author of such books as "The Fault in Our Stars", "Looking for Alaska", and "Paper Towns". Truth be told, I've read his teenage angst filled books and can honestly say, I think his books are popular because of his online fame, not because they are awesome. I like his books, but I also like a lot of things that are not best sellers.
NF slogan is DFTBA or Don't Forget To Be Awesome. The goal of the group is to decrease world suck by being awesome.
This is a noble goal and one that I believe the group strives for. However, if you think about it, the goal is pretty vague. No one ever takes time to determine what is actually world suck and what is awesome. This leads to a lot of problems that I think represent much of what we are wrestling with. This group of people is almost exclusively left leaning. Because of this anyone that leans right isn't someone who disagrees with them...they are certifiably insane. Do you see how that works? They are so convinced that their viewpoint is normal and right that if you disagree, you are an idiot not worthy of speaking or thinking. The following is an example post...which I could pick out about 3 a day that support my claim.
I apologize for the terrible language used, but it works toward my point. This was posted in response to an article about Donald Trump...who btw is like...the worst enemy of this group.
OMFG... I... *seething* ..... Can someone please explain to me how
this incompetent (multiple bankruptcies), myopic, self-important,
arrogant, misogynistic, racist, homophobic, allround bigoted c*nt
(pardon my language, but really.. Can you blame me?) is even ALLOWED a
fucking equal platform???
And
don't start shitting me about free speech. It's not free speech when you
are preaching hate and ignorance or denying basic facts or rights (like
consent). Free speech ends when it starts affecting other people
negatively. Also, free speech does NOT mean your bullshit deserves the taken seriously or that you won't get flack for it.
I want to answer this person's question and point out...as if I have to...about how this is a completely self-righteous and hypocritical post.
Q: How is Donald Trump allowed an equal platform?
A: Since you are a part of "adult" nerd fighters I will assume you've taken American government and understand the qualifications for someone to run for office. You don't have to agree or like him. You are even allowed to hate him. By being an American in America, however, he is allowed an equal platform. Let's not forget that our current president, one which you likely voted for if you were old enough to vote last election, still has many questions regarding his legal qualifications for president. Donald Trump doesn't have these mysteries surrounding his qualifications. The fact that you would even question how he is allowed to have an equal platform tells me that our education system has failed you, you are ignorant, and you are not really being very American.
Also, free speech doesn't end when it starts negatively affecting other people. If that were true Facebook would cease to exist and this post would be flagged. I hate this post because it shows me that our education system has failed, you are ignorant, and you are not really being very American. That makes me sad and angry. Both are negative feelings.
Also, I don't think that Trump is under any notion that he won't get flack for what he says. If you don't think it deserves to be taken seriously, why are you taking it so seriously?
So my conclusion to all of this is that you can't be louder. You could try, but then you are stooping to their level. I could have written the previous paragraphs in the comments, but would it have fixed anything? No. In fact, it may have gotten flagged and taken down for being hateful.
What can you do? I think the answer lies in making sure you know Jesus intimately and start seeing people through his eyes. You are right to be assured that the church is not being threatened by our culture right now. In fact, in all places other than North America and Europe, the church is growing wildly. Gosh, it even looks like we may start seeing growth again in Europe. Especially Eastern Europe.
It's okay to hate the culture, but never start hating the people. On the way to and from Colorado Pam and I read through the first 400 years of Christianity. If I learned anything it's this. God's church will grow exactly how God wants it to. He doesn't need you to grow it and even better, you aren't going to mess it up. He does, however, want you to see it happen and be there to see him establish his seriously upside-down Kingdom. I for one, don't want to miss it.
Speaking of Trump, I can't say I'll vote for him, but isn't it fun that someone, somewhere, has no obligation to anything except their own mind. I mean I personally love the fact that he can say whatever the heck he wants because he funds himself. Cheesy ueker line time: He's got a hand full of Trump and he's going it alone.
So what are the 3 most important beliefs that a candidate holds that can sway your vote in an election?
I didn't write last week. You probably noticed. Both readers of this blog have probably been wondering where you and I have been.
Well, the answer is that you've been in Colorado (I've been enjoying the pictures you and your wife have posted), and I've been here, not writing and stuff.
Today I want to talk about politics, but only sorta, and not really.
For several years now I've avoided political discussion on social media. I don't remember it being a conscious decision, but at some point I just stopped posting links and content about political or controversial things (with the exception of instant replay, or the designated hitter in baseball). Somewhere inside my head I figured out that I had matured to a certain point where I realized that political and social "discussions" on Facebook almost always turned into "arguments," and that no one ever really seemed convinced by any viewpoint that wasn't theirs to begin with anyway.
But I'm starting to wonder if I'm right.
I think our culture is in a bad spot. I think our leaders are incompetent, and our country's citizens are either wildly uninformed or shockingly immoral (or both). The intolerance of the tolerant is amazing. I think one reason for the political and religious shifts in our culture during my lifetime has been that those who promote such shifts are very vocal, Their viewpoint is everywhere. I don't want to cede all ground to those who seek (however unintentionally) to undermine and eventually destroy the freedoms - particularly the religious freedoms - of our nation. So must we be louder? Should I be posting and hashtagging all over the place for the defunding of Planned Parenthood? One of my favorite bloggers, Douglas Wilson, certainly thinks so.
Sincerely,
Jake
P.S. I don't want to sign off without mentioning that I'm not worried about the church. I've studied history and the Bible enough to know a couple of very comforting things. 1. Christianity has a wonderful track record when it comes to thriving under trial and persecution. If that's what we're headed for, the American church will be better for it. 2. God is omnipotent. As irritating as many peoples' beliefs and values are to me, they can't actually do anything to thwart God's purposes.
There once was a bakery whose desire was to see everyone have delicious bread. They knew that the food they offered was sweet to taste and to the soul and that everyone should really eat their bread. They offered all sorts of bread. They offered donuts and cupcakes and coffee cake and friendship bread and every kind of cookie you can think of and every kind of bread you can think of. All of their bread was good and all of it was necessary.
Their bread was so good that people came from far and wide to bake the bread. They wanted to know the recipe. They wanted to taste more of the bread. Once they had tried it, they almost always wanted more.
It wasn't always pleasant to work at the bakery. Just like anywhere the people got crabby sometimes, the work got boring and tedious sometimes, the kitchen got mighty hot at times, and there was often something breaking down. For this reason, only the people who deeply cared about the bread and knew how good it was for them and how tasty the different types of bread really could be would regularly give their time to serve the bread.
The bakery wasn't owned. Someone who had known the recipe and just wanted people to eat the bread had shared it. Then a group of those who ate the bread came together and figured out the best way the knew of to get the bread into peoples stomachs. That group of people decided to hire someone to oversee all of the people giving their time to make the bread. His job was to learn all about the bread and sit with the group of people that was always figuring out how to get the bread to more people and to teach them about it.
When the group of people realized that all the people making the bread weren't having time to eat it themselves they hired someone to take care of the equipment that made the bread and do what he could to make all the baking people's work as simple as he could so that they too could eat the bread. This hired person's name was Lyle.
Lyle worked hard to make sure all of his bakers were able to eat. He kept a close eye on the kitchen and made sure things ran well. He was well liked and the bakers tried always to make sure that he knew that he was appreciated. After years of tending to the ovens, the stoves, the sinks, the counters, the utensils, and the other tools used for baking, Lyle noticed that their mixer was going bad. It was impossible to find parts to fix it and it was so old you couldn't replace it directly. Lyle thought about how to replace the mixer and knew it would be easier for his bakers to bake if they had a larger mixer with a more powerful motor. He wasn't sure whether the board of people watching over bakery would approve but Lyle always advocated for the bakers because they were the real reason more people were coming to taste this amazing and delicious bread.
Lyle spent a lot of time researching mixers. He called other bakeries to see what they used. He talked to the bakers that used the mixer most. He spent so much time researching that people jokingly started calling him the mixer expert. After all this research Lyle finally found something that he thought would both benefit the bakers and lighten their work load and be cost effective for the bakery. Lyle didn't know everything about the bakery's financial situation, but he knew that when you are giving away your product you don't tend to have lots of money to throw around.
The group of people that watched over the bakery did know the financial situation and had the power to make purchases so Lyle decided that he would ask for this new mixer. After all, in Lyle's mind, the worst they could do was say no. At least that was what he thought. Lyle didn't attend their meetings but was good friends with the person they hired to keep them informed and sit in on their meetings with them. So Lyle wrote an eloquent document explaining the current condition of the mixer and what he had found to be a great fit for the bakers.
The group of people got together and talked about all of the things they needed to talk about. They kept tabs on who was regularly eating bread, who was baking bread, were people eating, but never coming in to help bake it, were people loving the bread? Was the recipe being made correctly. A lot of important things. Finally the document that Lyle had written was presented to the group.
The group poured over the document. They asked each other questions about mixers. They were afraid to spend the money on the mixer because what if it didn't mix right? What if it didn't mix enough? What if it got off balance? What if someone wanted to steal the mixer? As the group discussed it the "what ifs" got more and more imaginative. What the mixers color clashes with the rest of the kitchen? What if the president calls and requests to have the mixer delivered to the White House? What if Martha Stewart visits and hates the mixer? What if Buffalo Bill Cody rises from the dead and goes on a personal rampage against all mixers in the county? What if... What if... What if...
No one called Lyle to ask any of these things.
The day after the meeting Lyle asked his friend who looked after the group how things had meant. Lyle's friend said that a few of them were going to research mixers. One of the group was going to call other bakeries to see what they use. One of the group was going to call the bakers that used the mixers most. None of the group was going to call Lyle.
After a few days, one of the group called Lyle. Lyle explained with more detail all the research that he had done. The group member said, "It would have been nice to have you there. You could have probably answered our questions."
After the next meeting Lyle's friend who cared for the group members came to Lyle and said, they want to buy the mixer that you suggested. I don't know when you can buy it, but you should contact one of them and ask.
Lyle contacted a group member and was told he could purchase the mixer that day. So Lyle did.
My favorite fiction book? How about three? But I'll start with a non-book.
There's a movie which I would guess anyone reading this has seen before. It's called The Princess Bride, and it is (and always has been) my favorite movie. It's hilarious. And wonderful. In the movie, a grandfather reads a book to his sick grandson.
What many people might not know is that The Princess Bride is a real book. And it's even more hilarious than the movie. It was written by William Goldman, and it's excellent.
There's another book I've read many times before that was written by a man we used to go to church with. His name is Dennis Van Wey, and his book is called Twice Upon a Time. It's a fascinating premise in which the main character, Mike, has a friend who travels back in time, and while there, disrupts a particular historical event that eventually leads to the Mike's son dying in a childhood tragedy. Mike decides to travel back in time himself in order to make sure that history happens as it "should" have.
Finally, there's a book of historical fiction by Steven Pressfield called Gates of Fire. I believe it's the book that inspired the graphic novel that inspired the film 300 about the Greek Spartans fighting Xerxes's Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae. It's probably the best book I've ever read, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys good literature.
Do you remember when you and I traveled to California together right after you graduated from high school? We visited our relatives all over the state. What fun things do you remember from that trip? What was your favorite part of it?
Do you ever have extremely long weekends? I do. I had a long weekend over 4th of July. It was good and for the most part it was fun, but it was long.
Emily Lang got married and became Emily Romero. Her husband is an extremely nice guy from an extremely nice family. They are nearly all either active military or retired. They are originally from Puerto Rico. Jose comes from a family of four boys. The way they interact made me think of how I interact with all of you. None of them live near each other so they don't get together often. Their dad said they were up until 5am Friday night just laughing and joking and spending time together.
I want to do that. My happiest times are with my brothers. I have a very VERY full life. I have nothing at all to complain about. God is been so gracious to us and I fear that I often take it for granted the things I've been blessed with. I shouldn't complain.
But I miss my brothers. We don't hang out enough. I want to hang out with you all.
Anyway. I love the West Wing. Coming up with a favorite episode can't be done. I like the series. Here are some good moments, but I hold none of them higher than the others. If I was forced to choose, I may choose "In the Shadow of Two Gunman part 2". Maybe.
I'm leaving town for awhile. Going to Colorado and then to South Dakota. I have written one post ahead of time. If I have time, I'll write the others, but if you don't hear from me for awhile you'll know why.
Here's your question for next week. What is your favorite fiction book?
Funny you should ask a political question. As you probably know, I tend toward the conservative side of the spectrum, which means several things. First, it means I'm ignorant, intolerant, and bigoted (although I trust you wouldn't know it from having a conversation with me!). Second, it means that when you ask for a single government program to get rid of, I find myself chuckling, because choosing one program out of the thousands of government programs that probably shouldn't exist is comical to me.
But you also know that I'm a big fan of the tv show The West Wing, which follows the fictional administration of President Bartlet, a liberal democrat.
So even though I'm ignorant and intolerant and bigoted, I believe that humans have the ability to rise above such awfulness and have productive - even positive - interactions about what's important in this world. I only hope some people who don't agree with my political views feel the same way.
I don't want to get stuck talking about The West Wing forever (ok, that's not true), but I'm interested in knowing, do you have a favorite season? A favorite episode? A favorite character?
Also, what are you doing for the holiday weekend (I suppose by the time you answer this, it will be what did you do for the holiday weekend)?
