November 1, 2011 in
GODSTUFF, REFLECTIONS with
If you have not watched either Showtime’s Dexter, or AMC’s Breaking Bad, chances are pretty good you have been living in a hole, but I’ll begin with a quick summary. Dexter tells the story of Dexter Morgan, a handsome, charismatic blood spatter analyst who moonlights as a serial killer, killing only the guilty who were for various reasons never imprisoned. Breaking Bad is about a man named Walter White, diagnosed with terminal cancer, who begins cooking methamphetamine in order to be able to leave a small fortune behind for his family when he dies.
The objection many raise to these shows is that they, in some way, glorify evil by sympathetically portraying those who do evil things. Indeed one of the strange things about Dexter, at least, is that as a viewer you do quickly find yourself rooting for him. But is there anything wrong with that? What exactly are people afraid of?
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October 30, 2011 in
Uncategorized with
October 27, 2011 in
REFLECTIONS with
[I am currently blogging, along with my daughter, all the way through the alphabet. Check out how the idea started, and get the rules here.]
A list of things I would never miss if they disappeared from planet Earth overnight:
1. That whole “doggone it/carnsarnit/dagnabbit HonkeyTonk thing
2. Men who refer to themselves as “cowboys” and aren’t embarrassed to wear cowboy hats in non-rural areas. I would be just as confused by a woman who refused to wear anything but pumps on the farm.
3. Nearly all R & B music. Most country music, but not all. Of course my reasons for liking certain country artists/songs are totally arbitrary and just as indefensible as it is to like (or dislike) the entire genre to begin with. My point? We can argue our likes and dislikes, but ultimately there’s no real reason for them. That’s as true for my love of rock and roll as it is for my disdain for country and R & B.
4. Bible-thumpers. I’m trying to stick to objects and not get personal, so maybe I should say it’s not the people themselves, it’s self-righteous attitudes and “everyone’s going to hell but me and my friends” theologies.
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October 25, 2011 in
COUNSELING with
WARNING: CONTENTS HAZARDOUS! READ CAREFULLY!
If your marriage is in bad shape, I want to encourage you to divorce your spouse. Immediately. Don’t wait until you get home. Just divorce. It’s too hard carrying around the frustration and resentment you feel. It’s too exhausting dealing with your spouse’s insecurities and worries. It’s too constraining having someone else’s problems to carry around. So do the divorce thing. Just do it.
But whatever you do, do not leave your marriage (unless you are being physically abused, constantly deceived, or cheated on). Divorce your spouse, but do not leave your marriage. You might wonder how this is possible. Continue Reading…
October 16, 2011 in
Uncategorized with
