Terri Schiavo

The saga-city Plumb LineEnterred a discussion on this issue today. Wish I hadn't. But then, maybe that's the problem. Too few people getting involved. I don't know. Sometimes, I just don't think I know much at all. But one thing I do know -- all life is worthwhile. We should never embrace death; for there will come a day when death will embrace all of us.

what's on my mind?

Okay. Here at 7:30 in the evening. Time on my hands. A moment or two to explore the possibilities. What is on my mind tonight? Well, I tried to copy a song from one of my favorite CDs to a standard 1.44 computer disc. I thought it would be as simple as copying one file to the next. But it wasn't. The thing didn't work. And I couldn't figure it out until a friend of mine explained it to me I needed some type of music program to record it as music, rather than just a file -- as it apparently was doing. You learn something new every day.

I learned it is a good thing to trust your friends -- even those friends you haven't been around for nearly 15 years. And really, I don't know if you can classify this man as a 'friend' per se. He is. There is no doubt about that. The man is a friend. But, he's more like a mentor. Being some 35-40 years older than myself, I have always looked up to him as someone to respect and admire. Well, when he rolled back into town a week ago, I almost dismissed that belief. Here's what happened.

The man was the pastor of my church back in the late 1980s. I knew what the Bible said; and I believe it as truth; but I can't say I really knew what that meant for me personally. Well, this man - pastor of one of the biggest churches in town - and a celebrity of sorts (he ran commercials for the church on TV promoting not the church, per se, but the message the church espoused -- I saw them even before I met him one on one -- this same man, when I found out he was going to be coming to town on one of his evangelistic crusades, I wanted to see him. My problem was the church. The church he pastored, and which I attended until two years ago this coming Easter, I did not want to step my foot through the door into. They abandoned me; I, frankly, wanted nothing to do with them.

So, what am I going to do. Since I managed to acquire his cellphone number from his wife -- on a different matter -- I decided I would call him while he was in town, and I would ask if we could meet and talk. Naturally, he said sure. Call him back the following week, and we would set something up.

When he comes to town, everyone wants a piece of his time.

Well, I did what he said. I caught him on a Wednesday night. He took my phone number down, and he said he would call me back the following day. Well, the following day came and went with no call. My immediate thoughts were he was buffaloing me. He had no intention of calling me. Who was I to him? I had no fancy job. I made little no money. The church cared nothing for me. Why should he? He wanted to hang around all the church's 'important' people.

These were my immediate reactionary thoughts. But then, I decided, 'no'. I chose to trust in this man's character. I decided to believe in his integrity. Though I had no proof to tell me otherwise; I said in my heart I would believe he was a Godly Christian man, the same man I knew and loved 15 years ago.

The next day came -- it was last Friday -- I am at the hair salon getting my first haircut since November, and my phone goes off with a message. My caller ID reads his name. The message told me he couldn't find my number, and he was taking the chance the number on the caller ID from two days ago was mine.

We met that same afternoon. He gave me two hours of his time. I was inspired. I was motivated. I was thrilled. If I had benefited from his wisdom, kindness, compassion and concern when he was a pastor of the local church here, history repeated itself. I am now going to try and pursue my writing as he suggested. 'As a man thinks in his heart, so is he'. No more defeat. Overcoming and victory all the way. Thank you Pastor McCamey. You are a Godsend. A true believer and follower of Jesus Christ. The church abandoned me; but you did not.

women's clothing

I found myself, yesterday, in a rather introspective position. However, this was not a musing over myself -- though, in a way, it was. This was, on the contrary, pondering women's clothing. What I am referring to is this: a friend of mine crossed paths with me. She's an attractive young woman who always seems to wear low-cut tops. This may not be so unusual, as she is a girl who has been well-endowed up top; but my main thought, as we talked yesterday, was the why of this choice of clothing.

I guess I always presumed women who show themselves off in such a manner - and I must say I don't think my friend is a 'show-off' - always did so due to low self-esteem. They know guys are going to look - if they offer them something to see - and thereby they do so to bolster their esteem, which is low. However, with my friend, she is anything but insecure and suffering from low self-esteem. And her parents, they are as rock solid as there can be. So I am left in a quandry. Why do women wear revealing clothes? Why do girls get up on a stage and flaunt themselves in a gratuitous manner? I don't get it.

A few weeks ago I heard of this woman on TV who was an attorney and carried a degree in psychology. Clearly no one you would view as suffering from insecurities. But her big claim to fame was posing nude and venturing into porn. I don't get it. It doesn't make any sense.

gas prices

I don't know what other areas of this great country are experiencing, but here where I am gas is up to $2.09 a gallon.

?????

What is going on? Why the monopoly on something all of need on a daily basis? There is nothing I would prefer more than to shut the car in the garage, forget about it until forever, and be able to travel where I need to go by other means. But there are no other means. Anywhere one needs to travel beyond half a dozen miles (now with the weather improving, I will be riding my bike more) is impossible absent a gas-guzzling vehicle. How is that our fair system of capitalism? Where is the spirit of competition all other products and services must maintain? Why does no one provide an alternative to gasoline? Is the American entrepreneurial spirit dead? I firmly believe - as foolish as many will believe this to sound - if I knew all the inner working of the internal combusion engine (the process utilized to make it do what it is intended for) I could create something far superior to this nonsense we have today.

Anything is possible to him who believes.

I hold fast to that credo because I hold fast to the God in heaven who created everything we know and see in our world today. It is possible; it's just not probable with our current crop of non-visionary capitalistic fools who only look at the immediacy of the next dollar in their pocket, rather than the potential for something great to the world. How very, very sad.

Jellybeans

Here's an thought-provoking bit of prose -- at least, to me, it was. See what you think.

Last evening, I attended a theatrical productional of the local high school drama department. A friend who supports the arts had an additional ticket, and she offered it to me -- having seen the opening night already.

I went -- was a bit late, but saw all the pertinent parts of the production -- and came away with a question on my mind I can ask nowhere else except within the aninimity of this forum. The question is this: are those people who suffer from physical afflictions not of their own causing (the play was about Down's Syndrome) celebrated for their afflication, or for the importance that lies within society to not exclude them?

To state this a little more clearly, let me say... has the standards of human behavior been lowered due to their diminished capacity? We expect nothing from them, and thereby they are applauded when they accomplish even the most mundane, ordinary things. Is this right? Is this the way ANYONE should be handled? Now I agree one should not expect them to function with the same capacity as anyone absent the affliction; but to expect NOTHING from them at all? I will never forget that amazing scene from the original "Miracle Worker". Anne Bancroft is struggling with Patty Duke, physically struggling with this obstinate child who would NOT do what was expected of her. Patty Duke's family was shocked by the ardour with which Anne Bancroft fought against their child, arguing instead for compassion. They question Anne Bancroft why they must treat their child as a normal child -- she clearly is anything but.

Anne Bancroft growls back the answer, with Patty Duke violently wrapped in her arms, contesting EVERYTHING Anne Bancroft did, "I treat her as a normal child because that is what I expect her to be!"

That is my horrid paraphrase of what she said -- I'm not entirely sure those are the words verbatim -- but the context, the meaning implied is the same. If you want people to improve, ANY PEOPLE, acquiescing yourself to their condition accomplished nothing.

Back to this play - it was called 'The Jellybean Conspiracy' - while I applaud the efforts of the one who wrote it, I question whether or not emphathy with people who have Down's Syndrome, or any malady that prevents normal human interation, is profitable to the person. The character Patty Duke played, Helen Keller, she still had her physical limitations throughout her life (to the best of my knowledge); but she did not acquiesciese to those limitations. She lived a rich life. Why must we deprive others of the same simply for the basis of human empathy? EVERY human life is precious, as every human life has been created in the image of God. However, to settle for mediocrity is a pitiful excuse.

Archaelogical Discoveries: the Red Sea crossing

What else should I entitle this blog but 'Archaelogical Discoveries'? Oftentimes, I think trying to title these random thoughts is useless -- many times, I haven't a clue what it is I am to write -- then other times I see the value. Everyone, even a piece of blogging blather like this here, deserves a name.

Anyway, onto the subject at hand. Last evening, I received from my Wednesday night Bible study group a printout one of the people there had found on the Internet. The bit about finding 'wheels' in the Red Sea, I heard that before; however, the part of the pillars, that was news. If I read this information correct, it sounds like they discovered the place where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea to escape Pharaoh (refer to the book of Exodus, if none of this strikes a bell). So, check out the link, and see what you think.

users.netconnect.com.au/%7Eleedas/redsea.html

It doesn't carry the 'www' in front of it. I have never figured that element of Internet traffic. Why? Maybe someday someone will explain it to me.