I want to buy stock in the company that invented this – "Device warns you if you're boring or irritating"!
Think of the other markets this could be used for. People need this device! Think about the uses…
We could start by issuing one to every telemarketer out there. I remember more than a few teachers who could have benefited greatly from this technology. There are preachers I’ve heard that I’d be more than happy to give one to! The market opportunities might be endless!
Oh, yeah. Perhaps I should get one for myself while I’m at it…
Friday, March 31, 2006
Resident Evil
Today’s Friday Free-For-All deserves a special title.
You see its Spring Time, the time of year the Old Testament says when the Kings would traditionally go to war. Here in Savannah it the time of year we have a different battle on our hands – against the sand gnats.
Sand gnats are tiny biting flies that swarm down here in the spring. They are small enough to get through all but the finest screening, hang out especially in the mornings and evenings, and are attracted to CO2 and sweat.
Which means that they own the cooler parts of the day, but just in case, the hotter you get the more likely they will be attracted to you because you are sweating more and breathing more heavily. Oh, and you can’t really get away from them because they will swarm into your car as you open the door. And you better have good screens on your house!
Did I mention they bite?
There's nothing quite like the feeling of getting your scalp gnawed on from a dozen different angles at once. Especially in the morning.
I checked Wikipedia and Wikispecies and neither have entries for our special kind of gnat. The best web entry I could find is here.
I’m convinced these things are beyond nasty. They are pure evil. I think I can back that up Biblically.
They’re bad enough that they are the mascot of our minor league baseball team. I bet folks who come out of season think it is a cute choice for a mascot. But if they come down here now, they’d realize how annoying the gnats can be.
Apparently they breed in the marshes of the Low Country. I’ve lived on Amelia Island, FL (just over the border) and in Charleston, SC and I promise you the gnats were nothing like they are here.
Do you get the feeling that I don’t like gnats? Gorgeous will tell you I’m not so much of an outdoorsy kind of guy anyway. My idea of roughing it is a hotel that doesn’t have room service.
And I don’t need much of an excuse not to do yard work. Of course the time I have available to do it is in the gnat owned evening. So if you happen to drive by and see my yard is knee deep, please be patient. I have to combat Evil before I can even get to the grass.
People here talk about moving above the “gnat line” like it is some mystical far off place. I’m not sure where the line actually is on the map, somewhere between here and Atlanta, for sure. Near Macon, perhaps?
I don’t think the kings of the Old Testament were really so keen on fighting. Maybe they were just trying to get away from the gnats!
You see its Spring Time, the time of year the Old Testament says when the Kings would traditionally go to war. Here in Savannah it the time of year we have a different battle on our hands – against the sand gnats.
Sand gnats are tiny biting flies that swarm down here in the spring. They are small enough to get through all but the finest screening, hang out especially in the mornings and evenings, and are attracted to CO2 and sweat.
Which means that they own the cooler parts of the day, but just in case, the hotter you get the more likely they will be attracted to you because you are sweating more and breathing more heavily. Oh, and you can’t really get away from them because they will swarm into your car as you open the door. And you better have good screens on your house!
Did I mention they bite?
There's nothing quite like the feeling of getting your scalp gnawed on from a dozen different angles at once. Especially in the morning.
I checked Wikipedia and Wikispecies and neither have entries for our special kind of gnat. The best web entry I could find is here.
I’m convinced these things are beyond nasty. They are pure evil. I think I can back that up Biblically.
They’re bad enough that they are the mascot of our minor league baseball team. I bet folks who come out of season think it is a cute choice for a mascot. But if they come down here now, they’d realize how annoying the gnats can be.
Apparently they breed in the marshes of the Low Country. I’ve lived on Amelia Island, FL (just over the border) and in Charleston, SC and I promise you the gnats were nothing like they are here.
Do you get the feeling that I don’t like gnats? Gorgeous will tell you I’m not so much of an outdoorsy kind of guy anyway. My idea of roughing it is a hotel that doesn’t have room service.
And I don’t need much of an excuse not to do yard work. Of course the time I have available to do it is in the gnat owned evening. So if you happen to drive by and see my yard is knee deep, please be patient. I have to combat Evil before I can even get to the grass.
People here talk about moving above the “gnat line” like it is some mystical far off place. I’m not sure where the line actually is on the map, somewhere between here and Atlanta, for sure. Near Macon, perhaps?
I don’t think the kings of the Old Testament were really so keen on fighting. Maybe they were just trying to get away from the gnats!
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Thursday, March 30, 2006
The Peacemakers - Part 3
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."– Matthew 5:9 (NIV)
I’ve taken on a study of the above verse to determine what Jesus really meant. I decided to start by focusing on the Biblical term “peace” to get a firm understanding of how Jesus would have understood that word.
Reading through the hundreds of verses that refer to peace in the Bible, it seems to me that they can be roughly divided into two general categories, Social and Spiritual.
On the Social side of the ledger we are talking about peace between people. It involves a reduction of, or better yet, a complete absence of interpersonal conflict. It is a horizontal thing, man to man.
Some examples of verses that deal with the Social side of peace include:
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)
Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. (Jeremiah 29:7)
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)
People who have focused intensely on addressing the Social side fight to correct injustice, and often do so in particularly non-violent ways. Two examples of great men who were champions of non-violent confrontation of this sort would be Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Their willingness to stand up to governments without violence ultimately helped bring about peace in a social sense to millions of people. People who take a stand here and understand this facet of peace should be honored and can obviously accomplish great good by touching many lives in a positive way. But that’s not all there is.
Unfortunately I’m out of time for this morning. I’ll address the Spiritual side another time.
Enjoy!
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Wednesday, March 29, 2006
A Bad Thing
Yesterday I did a bad thing. Not bad as in evil, certainly. More like bad as in perhaps a little unwise. You see a good friend of mine started working in a bike shop down in Jacksonville recently. I figured that since I was down there for a job anyway, why not stop in and catch up. Seems like a reasonable plan, doesn’t it?
Now I like motorcycles. I’ve owned a few in my day. My two favorites were an early model one of these and the older one of these that I had back in my Navy days. I am definitely more of a cruiser guy than a sport bike guy. I always figured my dream bike would be something along these lines. But I never really let myself look at them because purchasing one would create a cash flow issue in our household. I am not willing to finance that much of a toy. Besides Gorgeous and I have an agreement. I’m not getting a bike until we can afford to get two because she’s even had a bike back in her day and she has no interest in riding on the back of one. (Hers was more like this one she says.)
Now here’s the link for my buddy’s bike shop:
I figured I was safe going in there because, along with not being much into sport bikes, choppers don’t do much for me either.
I may have miscalculated somewhat.
I didn’t realize that a couple of the models were much more cruiser-like than chopper-ish. And boy were they just enough to bring back those memories of being out on the open road. And apparently these guys down at Big Bike Motorcycles are perfectly able to modify nearly anything about a particular bike to make it into exactly the dream machine you envision. And they are eager to do it too.
The whole experience with these guys was very impressive. And more than a little tempting.
Fortunately I remembered that the cost of buying a motorcycle yesterday would have been far more than a monthly payment that we can’t afford right now. Gorgeous would not have been, shall we say, happy if I had done something that foolish. And she would be totally right to feel that way about it. The knowledge of the potential conflict I would have brought on my self for doing something as silly as buying a motorcycle on impulse kept me in check. That knowledge was good accountability.
But did I mention it was tempting?
Now I like motorcycles. I’ve owned a few in my day. My two favorites were an early model one of these and the older one of these that I had back in my Navy days. I am definitely more of a cruiser guy than a sport bike guy. I always figured my dream bike would be something along these lines. But I never really let myself look at them because purchasing one would create a cash flow issue in our household. I am not willing to finance that much of a toy. Besides Gorgeous and I have an agreement. I’m not getting a bike until we can afford to get two because she’s even had a bike back in her day and she has no interest in riding on the back of one. (Hers was more like this one she says.)
Now here’s the link for my buddy’s bike shop:
I figured I was safe going in there because, along with not being much into sport bikes, choppers don’t do much for me either.
I may have miscalculated somewhat.
I didn’t realize that a couple of the models were much more cruiser-like than chopper-ish. And boy were they just enough to bring back those memories of being out on the open road. And apparently these guys down at Big Bike Motorcycles are perfectly able to modify nearly anything about a particular bike to make it into exactly the dream machine you envision. And they are eager to do it too.
The whole experience with these guys was very impressive. And more than a little tempting.
Fortunately I remembered that the cost of buying a motorcycle yesterday would have been far more than a monthly payment that we can’t afford right now. Gorgeous would not have been, shall we say, happy if I had done something that foolish. And she would be totally right to feel that way about it. The knowledge of the potential conflict I would have brought on my self for doing something as silly as buying a motorcycle on impulse kept me in check. That knowledge was good accountability.
But did I mention it was tempting?
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Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Do Not Be Alarmed
I’m on the road quite a bit with my job (hence the company car). There is a good chance one of you might see me on the road if you are out and about along the I-95 corridor here in the Southeast. For example I’m heading down to Jacksonville for a job today. Because there are such good odds that you might see me out there in your journeys at some point I wanted to give you a caution:
Do Not Be Alarmed.
If you happen upon me, say, waiting at an intersection for the light to change color, and you look over to see that I appear to be convulsing uncontrollably, shaking my head, flailing my arms around the car and screaming, maybe even to the point of tiny bit of spittle spraying about – Do Not Be Alarmed. I am neither demon possessed nor suffering from a medical condition. What is going on in my car is a little ritual I refer to as “singing.” Everything is really OK in the lane next to you. Just consider yourself blessed that my windows are rolled up.
If you see me approaching and you happen to notice that I am talking on my cell phone while eating a biscuit, drinking a cup of hot coffee, changing the CD in the dash as I merge into rush hour traffic from the 25 MPH entry ramp without taking my cruise control off of 65 – Do Not Be Alarmed. I know you are there and I promise that I will miss your car by at least 12” as I slide past you to merge directly into the left lane. You see I have undergone extensive training years ago by the US Navy during flight school to hone my skills at multitasking. Basically you could say I’m a trained professional. (Of course this skill doesn’t seem to apply to listening. I can only hear one thing at a time. Sorry Gorgeous. You are either going to have to turn that good song down or wait until it is over if you want me to hear what you are saying.)
If you happen to look in your rearview mirror and notice that you can’t see the hood of my car below your back window because I appear to be attempting to land my car inside your trunk – Do Not Be Alarmed. My eyes are fixated alternately on your brake lights an the traffic up ahead that I can see through your windshield while my brain is computing an improbably complex series of equations that involve such diverse and comprehensive variables as your vehicle’s velocity and acceleration, my foot position in relation to my accelerator/brake pedals, the current road surface moisture content, the proximity to the nearest rest stop, and the quantity of coffee remaining in my travel mug. Keep in mind that you could ease your own frustration significantly by simply sliding over into the right hand lane to let me pass. I assure you I’d get completely by you before you were even firmly established in the right lane. Besides, I’ve only ever rear-ended one person on I-95 and I wasn’t tailgating him.
That about sums it up for this morning. I’ve got to hit the road!
Do Not Be Alarmed.
If you happen upon me, say, waiting at an intersection for the light to change color, and you look over to see that I appear to be convulsing uncontrollably, shaking my head, flailing my arms around the car and screaming, maybe even to the point of tiny bit of spittle spraying about – Do Not Be Alarmed. I am neither demon possessed nor suffering from a medical condition. What is going on in my car is a little ritual I refer to as “singing.” Everything is really OK in the lane next to you. Just consider yourself blessed that my windows are rolled up.
If you see me approaching and you happen to notice that I am talking on my cell phone while eating a biscuit, drinking a cup of hot coffee, changing the CD in the dash as I merge into rush hour traffic from the 25 MPH entry ramp without taking my cruise control off of 65 – Do Not Be Alarmed. I know you are there and I promise that I will miss your car by at least 12” as I slide past you to merge directly into the left lane. You see I have undergone extensive training years ago by the US Navy during flight school to hone my skills at multitasking. Basically you could say I’m a trained professional. (Of course this skill doesn’t seem to apply to listening. I can only hear one thing at a time. Sorry Gorgeous. You are either going to have to turn that good song down or wait until it is over if you want me to hear what you are saying.)
If you happen to look in your rearview mirror and notice that you can’t see the hood of my car below your back window because I appear to be attempting to land my car inside your trunk – Do Not Be Alarmed. My eyes are fixated alternately on your brake lights an the traffic up ahead that I can see through your windshield while my brain is computing an improbably complex series of equations that involve such diverse and comprehensive variables as your vehicle’s velocity and acceleration, my foot position in relation to my accelerator/brake pedals, the current road surface moisture content, the proximity to the nearest rest stop, and the quantity of coffee remaining in my travel mug. Keep in mind that you could ease your own frustration significantly by simply sliding over into the right hand lane to let me pass. I assure you I’d get completely by you before you were even firmly established in the right lane. Besides, I’ve only ever rear-ended one person on I-95 and I wasn’t tailgating him.
That about sums it up for this morning. I’ve got to hit the road!
Monday, March 27, 2006
What is a Christian?
I came across this question this afternoon, “In your own words, what is a Christian?”
Below is how I answered the question. What do you think?
Below is how I answered the question. What do you think?
I see a Christian as a follower of Jesus Christ. He is a person who has given up trying to “get right” with God, realizing that no matter what he does it will never be enough to reach the perfect standard that a holy and perfect God requires. Instead the Christian has brokenly accepted Jesus’ payment for all his wrongs and has submitted his will to the authority of Christ.
As a result the Christian experiences new life through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who is transforming him into the image of Christ. The natural result of this transformation is that the Christian grows in spiritual maturity, has an ever increasing desire to serve people, and to influence the world around him for the cause of Christ.
The Peacemakers - Part 2
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."– Matthew 5:9 (NIV)
If I’m going to figure out what Jesus meant by the term peacemaker (assuming he intended “one who makes peace”), then I guess the place to start here is by trying to figure out what Jesus meant by the term which we translate “peace” in English.
My Scribner-Bantam English Dictionary defines peace this way, “1. freedom from or cessation of war; 2. friendly international relations; 3. any state of calm or tranquility; 4. public order”
Now we’ve got four slightly nuanced understandings for the same word. Did Jesus mean one of these? If so, which one? If not, what did he mean?
I mean did Jesus mean to say, “Blessed are those who make friendly international relations, for they will be called sons of God.”?
That seems a little silly and wide of the mark to me.
Because of the potential to misunderstand the actual intent behind the words, I’m not willing to just assume Jesus meant, “Blessed are those who make freedom from or cessation of war, for they will be called the sons of God” either.
If I’m going to get anywhere, I’ve got to go to the source. What is the Biblical understanding of the word peace? Throughout the Bible does the term peace simply refer to an absence of war, or does it mean something different?
And here’s where it may get interesting. A word search in my Bible software shows that the NIV translation of the Bible uses the word peace 250 times. The King James Version uses the word 429 times.
This is obviously going to take me some time. And then once I finally get an accurate understanding of the Biblical concept of peace, I’ve got another question to answer. Who actually are the sons of God? Because it is in that half of the statement that we see the blessing part of Jesus’ statement (i.e. the good stuff).
But right now I’ve got to go to work.
Enjoy!
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Sunday, March 26, 2006
Cats in the Dog House
The harmony in the Cree household is slightly upset at the moment. Gorgeous is not happy. One of the boys is in big trouble. I think the only thing keeping one of them from some serious unpleasantness is that we have no idea who is responsible.
Low Rider is in trouble enough already. Because of him, the boys are banished to a back bedroom nearly every night. He had sort of a fit when we set the clocks back to standard time last fall. Now every morning at 0330 he decides that its time to get up. And he’s smart about it. He makes quick passes across the bed to make sure everyone’s awake. But he takes special care to run across our legs. You see he has precisely calculated the time-to-reach-radius of the average undercover groggy adult on our end of the block and he never crosses that boundary. Ever.
Then its time for a fun game of chase the black cat in the dark when you are half asleep without your contacts in. That game is sooo much fun that we usually resort to bribing him (and Fat Boy too while we’re at it) with food to get him locked in the back bedroom, which of course only serves to reinforce Low Rider’s annoying behavior. The trouble is Low Rider is smart.
Fat Boy on the other hand is, well, not so bright. Whenever he got up before the alarm, I always found him within arm’s reach and could scruff him and drag him off to a penalty box somewhere. He never quite figured out that he’s much faster than I am and that if he stayed out of reach I’d probably never catch him. I got him trained to never bother us until the alarm went off. And it was a good system.
Low Rider played by that system as well up until we changed the clocks last fall, which brings us back to our current troubles.
Someone has taken to peeing right outside the litter box. Fortunately Gorgeous keeps a little rubber backed throw rug right there to catch the bulk of the litter the boys drag out of the pan, so it hasn’t soaked into the carpeting yet. And it’s only happened three times so far. Even so, “Houston, we have a problem,” if you know what I mean.
I think I’ve pretty much convinced Gorgeous that it isn’t me at this point. I mean I’m a guy. I can see how the boys might miss from time to time. Aiming can be a challenge at times even with thumbs. But I’m keeping my peace on this one because three times in a row is beginning to look less like an accident. Besides, I’m not ready to take that kind of heat.
Anyway, if Gorgeous ever figures out which is the responsible party, things could get pretty ugly for him. She’s got no patience for bad aim.
Here’s a shot of the boys. It might help you pray for them…
Low Rider is in trouble enough already. Because of him, the boys are banished to a back bedroom nearly every night. He had sort of a fit when we set the clocks back to standard time last fall. Now every morning at 0330 he decides that its time to get up. And he’s smart about it. He makes quick passes across the bed to make sure everyone’s awake. But he takes special care to run across our legs. You see he has precisely calculated the time-to-reach-radius of the average undercover groggy adult on our end of the block and he never crosses that boundary. Ever.
Then its time for a fun game of chase the black cat in the dark when you are half asleep without your contacts in. That game is sooo much fun that we usually resort to bribing him (and Fat Boy too while we’re at it) with food to get him locked in the back bedroom, which of course only serves to reinforce Low Rider’s annoying behavior. The trouble is Low Rider is smart.
Fat Boy on the other hand is, well, not so bright. Whenever he got up before the alarm, I always found him within arm’s reach and could scruff him and drag him off to a penalty box somewhere. He never quite figured out that he’s much faster than I am and that if he stayed out of reach I’d probably never catch him. I got him trained to never bother us until the alarm went off. And it was a good system.
Low Rider played by that system as well up until we changed the clocks last fall, which brings us back to our current troubles.
Someone has taken to peeing right outside the litter box. Fortunately Gorgeous keeps a little rubber backed throw rug right there to catch the bulk of the litter the boys drag out of the pan, so it hasn’t soaked into the carpeting yet. And it’s only happened three times so far. Even so, “Houston, we have a problem,” if you know what I mean.
I think I’ve pretty much convinced Gorgeous that it isn’t me at this point. I mean I’m a guy. I can see how the boys might miss from time to time. Aiming can be a challenge at times even with thumbs. But I’m keeping my peace on this one because three times in a row is beginning to look less like an accident. Besides, I’m not ready to take that kind of heat.
Anyway, if Gorgeous ever figures out which is the responsible party, things could get pretty ugly for him. She’s got no patience for bad aim.
Here’s a shot of the boys. It might help you pray for them…
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Saturday, March 25, 2006
The Peacemakers - Part 1
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."– Matthew 5:9 (NIV)
The whole discussion about the Christian Peacemakers Teams has got me thinking about this verse from the Sermon on the Mount. I don’t really agree with how the CPT chooses to do what they do. And I’m not sure I even agree with most of their basic premises, although I can’t bring myself to point my finger at them and say, “You are wrong.”
Perhaps I’m wrong.
I decided I need to spend some time looking at my whole understanding of that verse above and what Jesus really meant when he said it.
Now I’m no theologian. I’m not even especially smart. But I do know how to read. And I think I can ask some decent questions.
Who was Jesus referring to when he spoke this particular beatitude?
What do peacemakers look like? What do they do?
What does it mean to be called a son of God?
The good news is we have a whole ton of resources available. Our church is in the middle of a series on the Be-Attitudes. So I am obviously looking forward to the week we are taught about the peacemakers.
John Piper is one of my favorite current heavy theological thinkers. He has an article on the subject, appropriately titled Blessed Are the Peacemakers, which I think I will read a few more times before I get started.
That should give me enough to get started on in amongst all the other life obligations I have…
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Rummage Sale
Gorgeous is outside this morning having a rummage sale to lighten our load of excess stuff. It is good to get rid of some of your junk every now and then. Besides, she generates some extra cash periodically by doing this, which is always good to go get more junk with!
I’ve learned some interesting life lessons from her rummage sales over the years…
Enjoy!
I’ve learned some interesting life lessons from her rummage sales over the years…
- You really never know beforehand what will be popular. This year all the big ticket items sold within the first hour. This year the big ticket items were:
A pleather chair I’ve been dragging around since my bachelorhood. At one time I had a couch to match, but we ditched it years ago.
My old Kenwood component stereo that I got half price at the Navy Exchange at NAS Cecil field in 1991. It had been in boxes since before we left Florida three years ago. Gorgeous broke the cabinet for it in the move (yes there’s a story there) and we never set it up here because I couldn’t really find a good spot. It has yet to be replaced.
The barely used Gazelle Rider exercise thingy. Just after we got it Gorgeous started going to the Chiropractor for her back and the doc said it was a bad motion for her particular problem.
- There are some strange people in this world. Most of the folks who show up at your typical rummage sale are perfectly normal (whatever that is). But there are some people who obviously have a bit of a problem. They are addicted to buying other people’s junk. There are people out there who get up most every Saturday morning and hit the neighborhoods looking for the “good deal.” They have storage spaces crammed with other peoples junk that they never use. You feel bad selling them stuff because you know you are just feeding their addictions!
- Sometimes you just have to lay out your junk to meet new people. We’ve been in this house for nearly two years now and we just met some of folks on our cul-de-sac this morning. Life can be like that some times.
- It feels good to finish a big project. Gorgeous puts a lot of effort into her sales, especially with sorting and pricing. Oh, and then often there’s the badgering of hubby to sort through his junk to get contributions. Resistance is futile! But she always says how good it feels to purge the old stuff. And I for one am happy for her.
Enjoy!
Christian Peacemaker Teams
I’ve been having a running discussion with Dan Traube about the recent incident involving the rescue of three CPT guys who were rescued from their kidnappers the other day over at Stones Cry Out .
Dan seems like a really great guy and our discussion has helped me get my mind around what was bugging me when I first looked into the whole issue of their initial apparent ingratitude for the rescue of their workers. I appreciate the time he took to go back and forth with me. I summed it up this way:
The CPT supporters are quick to emphasize the bravery of the teams that go into dangerous places. There’s no doubt they place themselves in danger.
But is it bravery when they attempt to disguise their political activism as Christian missionary work knowing full well the people they protest most strongly will take a more kindly view of them as missionaries then as political activists?
And that whole discussion, my friends, quickly spins off into the political realm. And we all know that I am steering away from politics here these days…
Dan seems like a really great guy and our discussion has helped me get my mind around what was bugging me when I first looked into the whole issue of their initial apparent ingratitude for the rescue of their workers. I appreciate the time he took to go back and forth with me. I summed it up this way:
The trouble is the only direct action [the CPT] are willing to take is to “get in the way” of the US and her allies. By routinely interfering with predominately only one political bent, they demonstrate clearly that they are really a political protest organization hiding behind Christian missionary language.
The CPT supporters are quick to emphasize the bravery of the teams that go into dangerous places. There’s no doubt they place themselves in danger.
But is it bravery when they attempt to disguise their political activism as Christian missionary work knowing full well the people they protest most strongly will take a more kindly view of them as missionaries then as political activists?
And that whole discussion, my friends, quickly spins off into the political realm. And we all know that I am steering away from politics here these days…
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Friday, March 24, 2006
Email Icon Generator
Whoah. I was over on Terry Storch's blog and saw that he had found a place to generate a nifty email icon. Trouble is his source didn’t list my email provider, BellSouth. However, with a little Google-Sleuthing, I found this site here with a much more comprehensive listing of providers. Cool beans.
Friday Free-For-All
Ungrateful
I know I promised to steer away from political stuff. But since this deals with fellow Christians, I am going to go there.
Four men from a group called Christian Peacemaker Teams, in Iraq basically protesting what the US & Coalition forces are doing, were taken hostage back on 26 November. It should be pointed out that the people who kidnapped them were the very people these four guys were supporting, not the people they were protesting against. Their self proclaimed goal was “documenting and focusing attention on the issue of detainee abuses… but the current focus of the team has expanded to include efforts to end occupation and militarization of the country.” The CPT motto appropriately is “Getting In the Way.”
Suffice it to say that I fundamentally disagree with their core purpose which “seeks to enlist the response of the whole church in conscientious objection to war.” I do understand the principles behind genuine conscientious objectors, and I respect Christians who hold those beliefs strongly. I happen to disagree with those who claim that war is never the right answer for Christians, though. There are times when evil must be resisted, and in our fallen world that means that there are times when violent force must be used. Now getting into the specifics of the current situation in Iraq gets too close to politics so I’m not going there today.
But that brings us back to the four guys from CPT who got in the way and found themselves kidnapped by the very people they went there to support. One of the four, happened to be the American of the group, was found dead on 10 March 2006. Based on intelligence gathered from a captured enemy combatant, a commando raid went in yesterday and found the other three alive and brought them out of captivity.
CPT posted a press release on their web site initially headlined, “CPT: Celebrates the Peacemakers Release.” In the second paragraph, after claiming that their guys were released, they said, “We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq.” (UPDATE: I found the original wording of the statement again here)
It seems obvious to me that these folks don’t have a firm grasp on the English language. It is readily apparent to most folks that the only way these guys would have been “released” by the kidnappers who held them is in the same manner that the American was “released” a couple of weeks ago, with a bullet in the head. They were rescued by violent warriors who were willing to put their own lives on the line to see that the ingrates were not executed by their captors.
Now, since they received such a backlash from their fundamental misstatement and obvious total ingratitude of what was done for them, they have revised their press release to say that their guys were, get this, “freed.” It seems a weasely choice of wording to me, but I guess if they actually came out and said the truth, that their people were rescued, then they would have to re-think their fundamental beliefs about violence never being the right answer. No point in examining a core belief, is there?
Perhaps part of the answer can be found in the wording of Statement of Conviction which the guys who were kidnapped (one of whom was killed)signed, which says in part
So basically they forgive those who are their enemies. That part makes sense to me. But unfortunately their reaction to this whole chain of events crystallizes what can be seen throughout their web site, namely that they’ve twisted the concept of “forgive your enemies” to the point where part of it for them now includes, “resent your friends.”
I’m sorry, but that doesn’t work for me. It’s simply not what I find when I read the Bible.
But hey, at least they stayed true to their motto. They certainly got in the way.
UPDATE:
I'm having a running debate with Dan over at Stones Cry Out about whether the CPT guys really have a balanced view of things. Interesting for me anyway...
Four men from a group called Christian Peacemaker Teams, in Iraq basically protesting what the US & Coalition forces are doing, were taken hostage back on 26 November. It should be pointed out that the people who kidnapped them were the very people these four guys were supporting, not the people they were protesting against. Their self proclaimed goal was “documenting and focusing attention on the issue of detainee abuses… but the current focus of the team has expanded to include efforts to end occupation and militarization of the country.” The CPT motto appropriately is “Getting In the Way.”
Suffice it to say that I fundamentally disagree with their core purpose which “seeks to enlist the response of the whole church in conscientious objection to war.” I do understand the principles behind genuine conscientious objectors, and I respect Christians who hold those beliefs strongly. I happen to disagree with those who claim that war is never the right answer for Christians, though. There are times when evil must be resisted, and in our fallen world that means that there are times when violent force must be used. Now getting into the specifics of the current situation in Iraq gets too close to politics so I’m not going there today.
But that brings us back to the four guys from CPT who got in the way and found themselves kidnapped by the very people they went there to support. One of the four, happened to be the American of the group, was found dead on 10 March 2006. Based on intelligence gathered from a captured enemy combatant, a commando raid went in yesterday and found the other three alive and brought them out of captivity.
CPT posted a press release on their web site initially headlined, “CPT: Celebrates the Peacemakers Release.” In the second paragraph, after claiming that their guys were released, they said, “We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq.” (UPDATE: I found the original wording of the statement again here)
It seems obvious to me that these folks don’t have a firm grasp on the English language. It is readily apparent to most folks that the only way these guys would have been “released” by the kidnappers who held them is in the same manner that the American was “released” a couple of weeks ago, with a bullet in the head. They were rescued by violent warriors who were willing to put their own lives on the line to see that the ingrates were not executed by their captors.
Now, since they received such a backlash from their fundamental misstatement and obvious total ingratitude of what was done for them, they have revised their press release to say that their guys were, get this, “freed.” It seems a weasely choice of wording to me, but I guess if they actually came out and said the truth, that their people were rescued, then they would have to re-think their fundamental beliefs about violence never being the right answer. No point in examining a core belief, is there?
Perhaps part of the answer can be found in the wording of Statement of Conviction which the guys who were kidnapped (one of whom was killed)signed, which says in part
“We reject the use of violent force to save our lives should we be kidnapped, held hostage, or caught in the middle of a violent conflict situation. We also reject violence to punish anyone who harms us. We ask for equal justice in the arrest and trial of anyone, soldier or civilian, who commits an act of violence, and we ask that there be no retaliation on their relatives or property. We forgive those who consider us their enemies. Therefore, any penalty should be in the spirit of restorative justice, rather than in the form of violent retribution.”
So basically they forgive those who are their enemies. That part makes sense to me. But unfortunately their reaction to this whole chain of events crystallizes what can be seen throughout their web site, namely that they’ve twisted the concept of “forgive your enemies” to the point where part of it for them now includes, “resent your friends.”
I’m sorry, but that doesn’t work for me. It’s simply not what I find when I read the Bible.
But hey, at least they stayed true to their motto. They certainly got in the way.
UPDATE:
I'm having a running debate with Dan over at Stones Cry Out about whether the CPT guys really have a balanced view of things. Interesting for me anyway...
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Driving Lessons
Tuesday I spent over 6 hours on the road. I was sent up to Florence, SC for a job that lasted about an hour and a half, drove three hours each way. Six hours is a fair amount of time to spend in the car by yourself at one clip. I do a bit of driving in the course of my job. That’s why they’ve seen fit to supply me with a company car. But most of my work is within about 2 hours, so a six hour driving day is a bit more than I am accustomed to.
I find there isn’t much to do when I am driving by myself like that other than listen to some tunes and think. I mean what else are you going to do when you are told at noon that you have to leave for Florence? It’s straight up I-95 from Savannah, just point the car north and set the cruise control. Since there was nothing to do but think, I found I actually learned some things out there on the highway.
I find there isn’t much to do when I am driving by myself like that other than listen to some tunes and think. I mean what else are you going to do when you are told at noon that you have to leave for Florence? It’s straight up I-95 from Savannah, just point the car north and set the cruise control. Since there was nothing to do but think, I found I actually learned some things out there on the highway.
- It is good now and then to go someplace different. I’m on I-95 fairly regularly. Our office generally covers the area from Savannah south through Brunswick and down to Jacksonville, FL. I’m back and forth down that stretch of road a couple times a week. I know where all the construction zones are and where they end. I know all the little spots where the cops tend to hang out to nab folks who just want to make it to Florida (or make it home) a little too quickly. And I know which exits the gas stations have cheap gas, clean restrooms and good coffee. But I-95 north is a bit more foreign to me, especially once you get past the Charleston exit. I mean, it’s like South Carolina. Two lane highway all the way, and the view is mostly either swamp or tobacco fields. You see the Palmetto Moon everywhere. But they do have clean rest stops, and lots of them.
- Sometimes it seems everyone is going your way, sometimes it seems no one is. Tuesday was one of those days when most of the traffic was heading northbound. And that meant for some slow going because once you get to the SC state line it closes down to two lanes. It can get a little frustrating for those of us who prefer to set the cruise control and never touch the brake. The good news was that coming home was a breeze because on Tuesday everyone was leaving Florida so it was cruise control all the way, baby.
- That big truck whose bumper is obnoxiously filling your rear window might just back off after you have to jam on your brakes because the traffic in front of you slows unexpectedly. Now I’m not an advocate of intentionally jamming the brakes for no reason other than to get a tailgater to back off. I did that a lot in a past life. (But that was evil Chris. We killed him.) However, I did feel vindicated when the traffic made me do it. And yes, I may have hit the pedal a little harder than I actually needed to. I have to admit that I was actually surprised when the truck backed off to a sane following distance.
- The cops in South Carolina have some really cool unmarked cars. I didn’t see any law enforcement on the road until I got right near Florence. There was your traditional cruiser sitting under a bridge. But I saw three working the north bound side when I was heading home. One was in an older, very plain looking black Suburban. Another was in your traditional dark blue Crown Victoria. But the third was in a bright blue Mustang Cobra, which was cool even if it was the older body style. He had a poor schlep in a Mitsubishi Eclipse pulled over. Oops.
- Finally, even if you are unexpectedly called to head out of town for a job at noon and you don’t get home until 8 PM or so, it is no excuse for not getting your Gorgeous Wife something special on your anniversary. ’Nuff Said.
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Monday, March 20, 2006
A Reminder
Every now and then you meet someone or hear about someone and you think something like, “man, I thought I had problems…” Yesterday was on of those times. I heard a man tell his story and just when I thought it couldn’t get much worse, it did. Repeatedly.
Fortunately for him, God stepped in and steadied out the rapidly descending out of control downward spiral that he had made of his life. It was a story that I can relate to. Fortunately for me, my story has been on a much smaller scale.
It is amazing how often the bad decisions we make usually lead to worse decisions, isn’t it?
The good news is that God knows all about our biggest blunders and still wants to have a relationship with us anyway. He even put together this intricate plan involving His son to give us a way for that to happen.
One of the things that I took away from that guy’s story was something that was said about it afterwards. Really it is unhealthy for us to dwell on the mistakes of our past once they have been properly dealt with.
We were told that if we find ourselves stuck in the past, its like driving your car staring in your rearview mirror – if you do, you are going to crash.
Then at lunch, after we had all heard that same story a bunch of us were talking about how hard it can be to back a boat trailer down a boat ramp. Two of the people said that they can do it pretty easy when they look over their shoulder. But if they try to do it while looking in the mirror, they mess it up every time.
Funny none of us connected that comment to the message at the time…
Fortunately for him, God stepped in and steadied out the rapidly descending out of control downward spiral that he had made of his life. It was a story that I can relate to. Fortunately for me, my story has been on a much smaller scale.
It is amazing how often the bad decisions we make usually lead to worse decisions, isn’t it?
The good news is that God knows all about our biggest blunders and still wants to have a relationship with us anyway. He even put together this intricate plan involving His son to give us a way for that to happen.
One of the things that I took away from that guy’s story was something that was said about it afterwards. Really it is unhealthy for us to dwell on the mistakes of our past once they have been properly dealt with.
We were told that if we find ourselves stuck in the past, its like driving your car staring in your rearview mirror – if you do, you are going to crash.
Then at lunch, after we had all heard that same story a bunch of us were talking about how hard it can be to back a boat trailer down a boat ramp. Two of the people said that they can do it pretty easy when they look over their shoulder. But if they try to do it while looking in the mirror, they mess it up every time.
Funny none of us connected that comment to the message at the time…
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Fresh Start
OK. Spring is in the air and I’m back. It’s been a long time since I rambled on in here.
I took a break to have a go at being a full up partner with Gorgeous in her business. It didn’t work out so well. Between a full time job with goofy, unpredictable hours (I am in the maritime industry after all), volunteer commitments, and general life stuff that naturally just comes up, throwing in the expectations and time requirements of a partner was just too much. Too much… tension… in the Cree household.
So I will fall back from my spot on the line to a more staff oriented role as far as Gorgeous’ business is concerned. It may be a more active staff role than before. We’ll see.
Another change I am going to make is that I am going to be steering away from politics for the most part. I still have my opinions. As most of you know, my political leanings are still slightly right of Attila the Hun. But debating folks about world politics seems incredibly futile to my way of thinking.
Besides, Gorgeous says it makes me cranky.
She’s probably right. I don’t want to end up like so many older retired guys I know who sit around all day watching CNN and complain about how messed up the country is. What does that accomplish?
Instead I am going to focus these posts on my own direct personal observations on life and the people in it. That means there will probably be more about cats.
It also means you better be nice to me – because I will likely write about you here for both my readers to see. (Hi Mom!)
Well, time for me to go to work.
Enjoy!
I took a break to have a go at being a full up partner with Gorgeous in her business. It didn’t work out so well. Between a full time job with goofy, unpredictable hours (I am in the maritime industry after all), volunteer commitments, and general life stuff that naturally just comes up, throwing in the expectations and time requirements of a partner was just too much. Too much… tension… in the Cree household.
So I will fall back from my spot on the line to a more staff oriented role as far as Gorgeous’ business is concerned. It may be a more active staff role than before. We’ll see.
Another change I am going to make is that I am going to be steering away from politics for the most part. I still have my opinions. As most of you know, my political leanings are still slightly right of Attila the Hun. But debating folks about world politics seems incredibly futile to my way of thinking.
Besides, Gorgeous says it makes me cranky.
She’s probably right. I don’t want to end up like so many older retired guys I know who sit around all day watching CNN and complain about how messed up the country is. What does that accomplish?
Instead I am going to focus these posts on my own direct personal observations on life and the people in it. That means there will probably be more about cats.
It also means you better be nice to me – because I will likely write about you here for both my readers to see. (Hi Mom!)
Well, time for me to go to work.
Enjoy!
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