There are so many things I must be writing, but so little time to write them. Even now as I sit to post this, my children are screaming, my wife is wiped out after caring for them all day, and I about finished myself. Nevertheless, I must post about the recent confusion I've been having. Perhaps by doing this, a solution may present itself.
We need to move. I need to be closer to my job to do it effectively. We've outgrown our home, too. It is nearly 100 years old and more things fall apart on it every year. If we sell it, I know we'd earn a profit of around 20 - 30 thousand dollars in today's market. The quandry is there is nothing affordable that would be a step up (in space and quality). The housing market has boomed out of our price range. Even with a $30,000 down payment we cannot qualify for financing on the remaining balance.
What's more is we can afford the homes where we really want to live, only there are no jobs available there. Ah, life is cruel with its ironies.
Oh well, off to bed. Hope I can sleep tonight.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Mother's Day
Ah, Mother's Day. A great day set aside to honor mothers everywhere, sell greeting cards, and fill restaraunts to over capacity making the average wait time over an hour. Ah, another great holiday.
So why on this day to honor moms did our pastor choose the opportunity to talk to tired, overworked moms about the topic of undisciplined children? Can't they have one day of guilt-free worship and actually be encouraged that something they're doing is actually right?
Not at our gathering this morning. No, instead they were treated to the idea that an unruly child is not at fault for their behavior - it's that parent's fault. We have to judge the parent for the child's behavior. That mom should be taking control of the situation spanking that kid - or putting him in time out first. And don't talk down the "church", the pastor, or anything such in front of the kids for they might get a wrong impression of the church, the pastor, or such things. Well, I think we are called to love (especially a woman 0r man in the stressful situation of an unruly child). I also think that kids know when things aren't right at "church", with the pastor, or in other situations. Hmmm...perhaps that's the cause of their acting out. Interesting thought to ponder.
Now I am not advocating Sunday afternoon disses on the pastor, fellow Christians, or other such things. Nor am I advocating discipline that doesn't involve corporal punishment. However, I do think that Pastors should make the effort to actually preach God's Word and not just to vent to the congregation about their pet peeves (that's what BLOGS are for!). Our family was left with a feeling of false guilt and hopelessness following the morning worship. During the "sermon" there were no solutions for tired, overworked moms, no hope for relief, just loads of guilt and accusations.
Needless to say, the altars were full - they had to do something with all that guilt, I suppose. Perhaps they were praying for the Pastor. I was.
Perhaps it would have been different if they had a few different perspectives on the subject. It may have been different if they're grown children were actually attending church. It may have even been different if they actually had young children living in their home with them. How soon we forget.
Next time we have an all church event, my children will run wild (they're children after all), my wife and I will no doubt be "judged" because our kids are acting like kids, and another sermon will be preached about this issue (he's gotta preach about something on Father's Day) rather than coming to the parents of "unruly" children and talking about it.
I love you Pastor, but you were wrong on this one, and I love you enough to tell you that.
So why on this day to honor moms did our pastor choose the opportunity to talk to tired, overworked moms about the topic of undisciplined children? Can't they have one day of guilt-free worship and actually be encouraged that something they're doing is actually right?
Not at our gathering this morning. No, instead they were treated to the idea that an unruly child is not at fault for their behavior - it's that parent's fault. We have to judge the parent for the child's behavior. That mom should be taking control of the situation spanking that kid - or putting him in time out first. And don't talk down the "church", the pastor, or anything such in front of the kids for they might get a wrong impression of the church, the pastor, or such things. Well, I think we are called to love (especially a woman 0r man in the stressful situation of an unruly child). I also think that kids know when things aren't right at "church", with the pastor, or in other situations. Hmmm...perhaps that's the cause of their acting out. Interesting thought to ponder.
Now I am not advocating Sunday afternoon disses on the pastor, fellow Christians, or other such things. Nor am I advocating discipline that doesn't involve corporal punishment. However, I do think that Pastors should make the effort to actually preach God's Word and not just to vent to the congregation about their pet peeves (that's what BLOGS are for!). Our family was left with a feeling of false guilt and hopelessness following the morning worship. During the "sermon" there were no solutions for tired, overworked moms, no hope for relief, just loads of guilt and accusations.
Needless to say, the altars were full - they had to do something with all that guilt, I suppose. Perhaps they were praying for the Pastor. I was.
Perhaps it would have been different if they had a few different perspectives on the subject. It may have been different if they're grown children were actually attending church. It may have even been different if they actually had young children living in their home with them. How soon we forget.
Next time we have an all church event, my children will run wild (they're children after all), my wife and I will no doubt be "judged" because our kids are acting like kids, and another sermon will be preached about this issue (he's gotta preach about something on Father's Day) rather than coming to the parents of "unruly" children and talking about it.
I love you Pastor, but you were wrong on this one, and I love you enough to tell you that.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Stuck in the Middle of a Paradigm Shift
Here I am - stuck! The great societal paradigm of modernity is slowly and unwillingly giving way to postmodernity and all the uncertainties it holds - and I'm stuck in the middle. All the absolutes I was taught are now just several "truths" on the great smorgasbord of ideas. All the things that were certain for me are no longer certain for my family. The familiar world is now alien. I don't like being stuck! I don't consider myself modern by any means - and I'm definitely not Post-modern - I'm just stuck! Stuck in the middle of this huge Paradigm shift in some "catch-22" sort of way.
I'm confident that I'll get out of this sticky situation - I mean, I have to. I've got a family to take care of, children to raise, work to do. It will just take time to figure all this out - and unfortunately I don't have that much time. Perhaps in all this rambling something will click - something will snap my mind out of this fog and make things make sense again. Perhaps this is all I have to look forward to (all this fog) until the next major Paradigm shift. I hope it happens soon - I hate fog.
I'm confident that I'll get out of this sticky situation - I mean, I have to. I've got a family to take care of, children to raise, work to do. It will just take time to figure all this out - and unfortunately I don't have that much time. Perhaps in all this rambling something will click - something will snap my mind out of this fog and make things make sense again. Perhaps this is all I have to look forward to (all this fog) until the next major Paradigm shift. I hope it happens soon - I hate fog.
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