Modern Day Lepers

I rarely check my "Requests" section on Facebook. But the other day I noticed a request to join a cause entitled "KEEP SEX OFFENDERS OFF OF FACEBOOK"













My initial reaction honestly was a little bit unsettling. That was mainly due to the fact that literally almost everywhere I turn I'm seeing "keep sex offenders off this," and "keep sex offenders off that"... and I realized, if this keeps up I wonder what place they'll have left to go. I believe we'd secretly like to keep "these people" on an island somewhere... exiled.

Now of course I'm all about protecting children. I have very close friends that have been violated when they were children and I have a nephew that I absolutely adore and that I would be devastated if anything like that happened to him.

But...where do we draw the line as a society? I wrestle with this question every time I come across something like this.

One thing that comes to mind is a declaration that Jesus makes in the book of Matthew-usually called the Sermon on the Mount. The first thing he declares is "blessed are the 'poor in spirit' for theirs is the kingdom of God." I've read this so many times but I've always assumed it was for the humble...for the meak...for the...well, for "good" people...

but are those really the poor in spirit?? the poor in Greek is pto-khos meaning begger, someone who lacks severely-- not economically, but in quality of their character--in spirit.

And just who are those people? these people "poor in spirit." I know for a fact I was one of those. I definitely lacked quality in my character. Not only because of dumb decisions I made in life but because of the sinful nature that we're all born into. As David Crowder sings, "I am stained with dirt prone to depravity..."
BUT... I was considered "blessed" because that's who God relentlessly pursues with love and grace and mercy...the poor in spirit--the beggars--the idolaters, the thieves, the fornicators, the murderers, and liars.
Essentially, if you're the person that says "I am a good person," then basically this declaration stated by Jesus is not for you.

I don't think anyone would argue that sex offenders don't have a serious lack of quality of character. And I wouldn't argue that some people never change, but I would argue that some do. And for us to treat that unknown percentage of people who did their time and want a new life, (a new chance), to treat them like lepers--
like social scum--will never see a change in our society.

If the idea of God's grace being available to people like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson, or even the ex-sex offender guy who lives next to you frustrates you or even disgusts you... here's something to chew on, "...but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong..." -1 Corinthians 1:27

Welcome to offensive grace.

for further reading and study read:
-Matthew 20:1-16
- or visit a blog entry entitled "Amazing Grace"

-read this story...hopefully it'll make yr stomach turn like it did mine.

Seat 29E Letter

I was listening to Rob Bell's podcast sermon called Stunned and Spent. He talked about the significance of lamenting (specifically in today's American culture)

So he read about an absurd but yet funny and honest example of an airline passenger who wrote a letter of complaint to the actual airline. It's called Seat 29E Letter and yes this is real.

Many of us, though, don't make formal complaints, because we don't want to seem like trouble-makers, because we recognize that some things are beyond the airlines' control (they can't stop bad weather, for example), or because we just want to get where we're going without enduring the additional fuss and delay that following company procedures to register an official complaint would

But hear an airline passenger's in-flight comments describe disadvantages of being seated directly across from the plane's lavatory (toilet):

Dear Continental Airline,

I am disgusted as I write this note to you about the miserable experience I am having sitting in seat on one of your aircrafts. As you may know, this seat is situated directly across from the lavatory, so close that I can reach out my left am and touch the door.

All my senses are being tortured simultaneously. It's difficult to say what the worst part about sitting in 29E really is? Is it the stench of the sanitation fluid that's blown all over my body every 60 seconds when the door opens? Is it the wooosh of the constant flushing? Or is it the passengers asses that seem to fit into my personal space like a pornographic jig-saw puzzel?

I constructed a stink-shield by shoving one end of a blanket into the overhead compartment while effective in blocking at least some of the smell, and offering a small bit of privacy, the ass-on-my-body factor has increased, as without my evil glare, passengers feel free to lean up against what they think is some kind of blanketed wall. The next ass that touches my shoulder will be the last!

I am picturing a board room full of executives giving props to the young promising engineer that figured out how to squeeze an additional row of seats onto this plane by putting them next to the LAV. I would like to flush his head in the toilet that I am close enough to touch, and taste, from my seat.

Putting a seat here was a very bad idea. I just heard a man groan in there! This sucks!

Worse yet, is I've paid over $400.00 for the honor of sitting in this seat!
Does your company give refunds? I'd like to go back where I came from and start over. Seat 29E could only be worse if it was located inside the bathroom.

I wonder if my clothing will retain the sanitizing odor . . . what about my hair! I feel like I'm bathing in a toilet bowl of blue liquid, and there is no man in a little boat to save me.

I am filled with a deep hatred for your plane designer and a general dis-ease that may last for hours.

We are finally decending, and soon I will be able to tear down the stink-shield, but the scars will remain.

I suggest that you initiate immediate removal of this seat from all of your crafts. Just remove it, and leave the smouldering brown hole empty, a good place for sturdy/non-absorbing luggage maybe, but not human cargo.

waaaa!!---new eyeware

i wish i made more time to blog. i've been trying to upload more commentaries but my connection is so slow.

just found out my friend got laser eye surgery which is cool i guess, i was digging the glasses but as for me...NEVER!! as a matter of fact these might be my next pair:


i realize of course they're absolutely RAD but you will have to rid yourself of the jealousy that will be raging inside of you because you don't own them.

ps yes that is Erlend in case you were wondering.

Welcome to my first attempt

this is my first attempt to blog.
although i've posted a blog or 2 on myspace and had a few good responses the few times i did them, i've never been consistant, consistent, with them.

i have a hard time focusing on completing a task but when i do i'm glad i did.

have fun as i hope to give links to director's commentaries (among some other fun stuff) that you can download for educational purposes.

here's the first commentary.

Life Aquatic_Director Commentary Wes Anderson

i first saw his films thru a friend in college who recommended Rushmore. Been following all and loved most of his films since.