Mournful Sight
To look at the frontpage of the paper and see the pictures of the young men who lost their lives this week stretched in a row across the entire width. A row of strong and brave faces. Hearts go out to their families and friends. It is a loss for the whole community. Hundreds Attend Vigil for Marine Families in Ohio
Little Too Much Starch
You find all kinds in every area of life. That includes Christian fellowships and blogs. Sometimes the stiffness and the way we like to so quickly sum up things makes us less careful than we ought to be in relating. In forums and on blogs the temptation is for us to so identify with our ideas that we feel attacked when the idea is questioned.
I think that is something that we all tend to do in our lives, just in relating on matters in general. Maybe that is why we get so easily offended. I never thought of this quite this way before, but maybe that is why Jesus didn’t just give us “ideas” about Who He was. He put forth the whole thing, and it was then necessary to forego our allegiance to the bits and pieces. Like the woman at the well -who tried to get Him into a theological discussion on whether her father’s ideas or the Jews ideas held merit. Or when He told His disciples: I am the way, the truth, and the life. That sums it up, and you have to discard the bits and pieces that don’t hold up to that summary.
The trouble with too much stiffness is that it is easily breakable, and it isn’t conducive to living things. You want backbone, but you don’t want a fused spine. As Christians, sometimes we mistake the fused spine for a good thing… when really it is crippled in comparison with a well articulated set of disks.
On Being A Woman, On Having A Blog
I came across this:
“For many women, especially ones who are working hard to gain notoriety (or a more pure fame) in fields with low numbers of women such as high tech, self-control and dignity can become critical tools in terms of gaining respect. This is particularly true in highly conservative environments, so it’s quite understandable that any woman acting out emotionally in public is going to make people uncomfortable. Curiously, I find it makes women far more uncomfortable than men.”
Molly.com
I agree and I am so there with her on the idea that sometimes we express ourselves publicly in ways that make others uncomfortable…but it is not bad; some people, some women are more emotive than others, their expressions more on the surface, their hot and cold more pronounced. That is part of the great variety that is to be found in people.
Maybe this sort of goes along with that sideblog blurb from an article which points out that women who express themselves as women ( flirt) don’t get promotions and raises as often as women who don’t. It’s like they are being punished or something. I know this all says something, but I don’t have it wrapped up and presentable.
But it definitely is saying something.
Such a great point about being offended. It makes it hard to even disagree with someone because they think that if you disagree with their idea, you don’t like them as people. Sadly, for many people that is the case. Many have lost the ability to disagree with an agreeable person.
It is really hard sometimes to carry on discussions, but maybe because we run into one another’s blindspots and then get frustrated.
And then, too, not all men are reasonable.
-but I do find that we get offended a bit too easily, not that I am immune to the adrenaline rush. Some of the key is in our expectations.