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Capital Punishment

I have been discussing recently the popular topic of the death penalty. In order to not lead the conversation in any certain direction, I am simply going to provide a source of information. In the source are Pro's and Con's. Please take the time to read a little bit of the article linked here. I want to make sure that you catch the story that they tell at the bottom of the page. I think that stories like this one are the reasons why this is such a hot topic. Please feel free to comment, but be kind to each other.

"The case of Stanley "Tookie" Williams illustrates the moral complexities of the death penalty.

Mr. Williams, an author and Nobel Peace and Literature Prizes nominee who was put to death on December 13, 2005 by lethal injection by the state of California, brought capital punishment back into prominent public debate.

Mr. Williams was convicted of four murders committed in 1979, and sentenced to death. Williams professed innocence of these crimes. He was also co-founder of the Crips, a deadly and powerful Los Angeles-based street gang responsible for hundreds of murders.

About five years after incarceration, Mr. Williams underwent a religious conversion and, as a result, authored many books and programs to promote peace and to fight gangs and gang violence. He was nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize and four times for the Nobel Literature Prize.

Mr. Williams' was a self-admitted life of crime and violence, followed by genuine redemption and a life of uniquely and unusually good works.

The circumstantial evidence against Williams left little doubt that he committed the four murders, despite last-minute claims by supporters. There also existed no doubt that Mr. Williams posed no further threat to society, and would contribute considerable good.

The case of Stanley "Tookie" Williams forced public reflection on the purpose of the death penalty:

• Is the purpose of the death penalty to remove from society someone who would cause more harm?
• Is the purpose to remove from society someone who is incapable of rehabilitation?
• Is the purpose of the death penalty to deter others from committing murder?
• Is the purpose of the death penalty to punish the criminal?
• Is the purpose of the death penalty to take retribution on behalf of the victim?"

The questions above were part of the article. I did not ask them, but you are free to use them as conversation starters if you like.

My Mind is Blown

So the Jr. High are getting ready to go on a retreat this afternoon. And, in typical fashion, the license plates are expired on the church bus. This is my experience of trying to get my license plates. Exciting, huh?

So I go to the BMV, they were pretty empty and that was awesome. I walked right in and sat down and the lady starts helping me. I let her know that I was there from my church and I was trying to renew the plates. She gives me my total I pay her with cash. She uses her little marker to make sure the money I gave her wasn't fake. I have no problem with that. I joked with her and said that would be bad if I were paying with counter fit money. She laughs and says yeah, "you come to renew the churches plates and pay with fake money, that would be bad."

She was trying to figure out if I needed stickers or new plates. It was taking some time and she had to wait on some one to help her. So she tried to strike up a conversation. She decided that we knew each other well enough and presumably because I went to a church that I would agree with her, but here is what she says.

"I think that Obama is the anti-christ."

I must admit that I am very rarely speechless. It happened.

I am not here to discuss politics, but rather religion.

She thought that because I went to church, that it was ok to label people as being the single most evil person to ever walk the earth. When did the Church become a body that was so accepting of criticizing people that you could start a conversation with "Obama is the anti-christ."

I was blown away. I hope that I do not put off the vibe of "Lets find someone to criticize."

God, help you church to be a church of love not of hate.

Observations of Parenthood

These are just a few things that I have noticed since becoming a father 10 days ago.

1. Taking off for 1 week after your child is born is not long enough.

2. When your child is asleep in the car, there seem to be a lot more potholes.

3. Changing diapers isn't that bad....yet.

4. Playing music too loud can wake a child up.

5. Playing music loud enough drowns out crying.:)

6. The pacifier was not going to get used. We made it 3 days at home and I consider that a success. Pacifiers are lifesavers.

7. Hospitals talk way too much about SIDS. (Or maybe I worry about things too much)

8. There are times when it is going to feel like there is nothing I can do to help. I think I have to use those times to catch up on sleep.:)

9. Being at work is hard. It has been 1 1/2 hrs, and I feel like I am missing stuff already.

10. There is such a thing as love at first sight.

Youth Workers

I know that I do not have a huge following on my blog, but there are a few. I have been thinking about something recently that I would like some of your opinions on.

I have been here in Lafayette about 3 years. I have been doing youth ministry for about 2 years (in March.) We as churches always claim that we are all "on the same team" just trying to help people form a closer relationship with Christ. If this is true, and we are truly all pulling for the same thing, then why do I not know any other youth workers in the area? Why can I not name the youth workers at the 2 churches that are within 2 miles of our church. I want to be sure that it is known that I am not blaming others for this lack of connection. I am just thinking through this. Here are the questions that I have.

How would a local partnership between area youth workers benefit them?

In what ways could this be used to bring area youth workers closer together?

Recently

So the question was posed to me:

How have you changed recently?

I think that it's good every so often to re-evaluate where you are in your life. Lets start with my home life. Things are crazy at home. It feels like we are in a whirlwind of excitement. After we lost the first pregnancy, I wasn't sure how long it was going to be before we "tried" again. I am glad that we didn't wait long. This is exciting. Along with the excitement comes a concern for every 'little' thing that happens with the baby. "Pain is normal" out of one side of the doctors mouth, while "If you are hurting give us a call" comes out the other side. I think this might be the hardest part of dealing with a miscarriage. Through this entire process, Kimber and I have grown much closer. It's awesome. Throughout this past year I have grown to love Kimber more and more each day.

At work things are awesome. I am still a secretary, but that is my full-time job that pays for the bills so I can do what God has called me to do. I am happy to be working with the people that I work with. I am in a huge learning process. It's cool to be in a place where the people around you are understanding and patient. I am learning, and that makes be feel more competent. As cheesy and old as the saying is, I am reminded that God doesn't call the the equipped, he equips the called. I pray that God will continue to show me what he wants in my life and the lives of those I impact at church. I have become more comfortable with my position at church and am thankful for God's peace in those areas.

As most of you know, I have a lot of trouble focusing on one thing. I hope that this makes sense. I am writing it while watching Monday Night Football.

Like, really?!?!?!?!?!?

Recently I have become annoyed. When something "rubs me wrong" I usually make a big deal out of it. Here we go...

We are a culture that likes the "trendy" and "fashionable." Yet, I think that we are selling ourselves short in one area, our language. We tend to use the same phrases for years. It actually makes me tired to try and think of all the phrases that I use on a daily basis. I think it would be a lot more modern if, instead of using overused words, we came up with our own words to exclaim at certain points in conversation.

I am going to show a few lists that people have come up of words that are overused....

Askmen.com

10. "Love/Hate" - Totally agree with this one. I love and hate everything.

9. "Literally" - I use this word all the time....literally.

8. "Ridiculous" - The onlytime this word is acceptable is when radio announcer for the Bears says it. "Devin Hester, you are ri-diculous."

7. "Awesome" - Kind of like "love/hate" for me... I use it A LOT.

6. "Whatever" - I don't use this one. So, whatever.

5. "_ _ _ _ _" - Female Dog. And now you all looked back and counted the letters just to make sure it was the right word...

4. "Seriously" -

3. "Gay" - Gay use to be "jovial or in good spirits." Now it doesn't mean that. It's way overused, seriously.

2. "Nice" - Not a big user of "nice," so it's ranked a little too high for me...

1. "Like" - I, like, say this word, like, alot. Like, you know what I, like, mean?

Here are some words that I would like to add to this list of annoying words. If you see a word you use a lot, chances are it wasn't you that annoyed me with it. But then again, maybe it, like, was.

"Sweet" - That is sooooooooo sweet, man.

"haha/lol/hehe" - I am so tired of laughing like this, but I don't know how to express my feelings in another way.

"shenanigans" - David Hatten is a walking shenanigan. <--- I wanted to use it in singular form.

"dude" - Everybody is a dude. I called my landlords secretary "dude" the other day. I immediately apologized. :)

"hot" - Everything is "hot." "Those sunglasses look so hot on you!" What?

Ok, I am so tired of thinking about this. What are some words that you hear that are way overused?