Diary of a Mad Man

Salvation - Is The Cross a Bridge?

2007-12-31T10:52:00.001-05:00

There's something about illustrating the salvation message using the cross and Jesus' death as a bridge between us & God which is starting to get on my nerves. I can't quite put my finger on the reason why though -- it seems somewhat hackneyed, or maybe it is just that this particular means of presenting the Gospel has become a cliché of sorts.

This approach really is a gross oversimplification, and does not at all get to the heart of how we arrived at this state of separation (i.e. Original Sin, freewill) and why God chose this means (incarnation & self-sacrifice) to bridge the gap. Isn't there a better way to provide more of the meat of the arc of the story of God's relationship to mankind but still put it into a digestible form for the inquiring unbeliever?

Compass Bible Church has a nice departure from the tired old method with its umbrella analogy.

Inability to Post

2007-12-27T00:19:00.000-05:00

It's bizarre... thoughts occur to me on a pretty regular basis that are at least somewhat witty, insightful, or otherwise of some interest and I think to myself "I could really flesh this out into something to post", and yet -- when I actually sit down at the computer I have nothing whatsoever that I can think of that is salient.

Perhaps this is in part an outgrowth of the fact that I don't have a solid sense of what I want this to be, if anything at all. Some possibilities:

If this were a "for everyone I know" blog, it would be filled with cute stuff about the kids, and generally innocuous musings. This would be nice for looking back years hence, but utterly stultifying, and not the least bit indicative of my internal self.
If this were "deep thoughts" or truly was a "Diary of a Mad Man" -- the garbage that's in my head brought to life -- it would definitely also be stultifying in its own way. I would never use my own name, nor the names of my children. I would need to be circumspect regarding any details of my life -- prior places of schooling, employment, and so on, not to mention personal circumstances such as location and interests.

On the one hand, I believe this is indicative of a life that is deeply at conflict with itself. Shouldn't I be able to write freely to anyone and everyone who might read it? Perhaps not. Even the most honorable and upright people may wish to keep a private diary without having any shame of it.

Woohoo Celtics win again! There's clue #1...

Preschool Lexicon

2007-12-19T14:27:00.000-05:00

If you ever drop by my house, you may need a brief primer in order to follow what is being said:

a·li·ence [ey-lee-uhns] pronunciation key
n. A specially equipped vehicle used to transport the sick or injured.

cab·a·dee
n. pl. cab·a·deez A pitted area in a tooth caused by decay.

cham·per·leen
n. A strong, taut sheet, usually of canvas, attached with springs to a metal frame and used for gymnastic springing and tumbling.

chop·stick
n. brand name of a product that protects one's lips from chopping... errrr, make that "chapping".

em·ee·ems
n. candy coated pieces of chocolate with the letter "m" printed on them, produced by Mars, Incorporated.

wibb·ing yoom
n. a room for entertaining guests, reading, watching television or other activities.

There are probably hundreds of these, I'll have to add them on as they strike me (or as I hear them).

Yep, that's it....

2007-06-20T14:14:00.000-04:00

It's not so much about lying per se, as it is that I have no real clue as to how to self-evaluate. Is my understanding of clinical processes... "deep", "broad", "extensive" or is it more "shallow", "narrow", and "limited"? Seems there isn't much in the English language to cover the middle either, at least not without completely flimflamming.

Then again, durn it -- I am a flimflammer. Maybe I should just come right out and revel in my flimflammyness... If one can be "black and proud" why can't I be "a flimflammer and proud"?

No, wait... Once in a while I actually look up the words that I use -- you know, just in case they don't mean what I intend them to mean when I say them. Sure enough, "deceptive nonsense" is the definition of "flimflam". Hrmpf.

What am I doing?

2007-06-20T13:48:00.001-04:00

First post... This blog is intended for me, but I reckon others will see it eventually as well. For now, I will attempt to put that out of mind.

As I write a cover letter for a job application, it occurs to me that I am stymied because of a fundamental tension between how I believe I must project myself in order to be employable ("I have a deep knowledge of...") vs. my rather real internal dialog ("I have very little knowledge about a great many things...")

I think this may be one of the reasons why I so dread the job search process and am willing to procrastinate on it mightily when the costs are so extraordinarily high, both financially and relationally with my wife and family.