Posted by dewde in Marriage on 17. Jun, 2009 | Comments
I reach up and write with large, friendly letters the words “Stupid American” into the fog, followed by an arrow that points down and ends where my face begins. The words are written backwards inside the bus so that spectators outside the bus can read them in the right direction.
And there it was. The moment. The kind of moment that, as a parent, you both long for and fear at the same time. But as an Uncle, you get utterly blindsided by its very existence. One second I’m sucking down a hot dog twice as long as my large intestine, the next I’m staring down a once in a lifetime opportunity to validate this boy’s very existence.
The kind of compassion I’m talking about does not tug at your heart and captivate your attention. It is not the soft compassion reserved for poverty stricken orphans or leukemia patients or quadriplegics. This compassion smells like beer and hasn’t shaved in weeks. It is hard and calloused and abrasive to your sensibilities. If you don’t look for it, you will not find it.
Eventually this turmoil, and the pushy people, wore me down. So I did it. I guess you could call it a prayer. I was alone in my room and I had a conversation with “God”. I told Him that I did not believe He existed and that this was His chance to prove to me, once and for all, that He did.
The nurse says, “You don’t mind if I show the other nurses, do you?” to which I reply, “Not at all, I’m a social butterfly and love the attention.” But of course it comes out, “Nob ab ahh, Ib ah thoboo buhwuhfwuh an wub the athenthuhn.” Drool, drool, grin. Realizing my impairment, I nod my head no-problem style and give a smile.
Posted by dewde in General on 28. Jun, 2009 | Comments
Lately I’ve been wondering what the big, hairy deal is with Christians and profanity. I was reading Church Marketing Sucks and I was taken aback by a recent post. Pastor Ed from Texas is discouraged by modern day cussing pastors. He used examples of the offending vulgarities and they were words like “pissed off” and [...]
Posted by dewde in General on 25. Jun, 2009 | Comments
We tried to warn her. She thought it was funny at first. You’ll notice her hamming it up, until the candy bit her back!
Experience is the best teacher, right?
Posted by dewde in General on 18. Jun, 2009 | Comments
You may have spotted me making my rounds on the Internet this week.
First, one of my posts was picked up as an article for Transparent Christian Magazine, a site run by Jason Elkins. Quite an honor.
Then this morning I discovered that a comment of mine won a contest over at Stuff Christians Like. The [...]
Posted by dewde in Parenting on 13. Jun, 2009 | Comments
Sometimes advice stands on its own. You read it. You poke it. You lift its flaps and test its zippers. You give it an apprehensive sniff. You compare it to your experiences, and then move on. Maybe you add it to your mental bag of tricks, maybe you don’t.
Other times, you hear advice and [...]
Posted by dewde in General on 12. Jun, 2009 | Comments
Exactly how messed up do you have to be to allow me to guest-post on your blog? As messed up as the kids over at ChurchCrunch, apparently. I was accepted into a group blogging project. The idea is that 16 different people read the same book and report on one chapter each.
My guess is that [...]
