Another Thought on Reading

More from Modern Reformation magazine:

Recently, a young girl on National Public Radio was asked at a "Read to Grow" rally why she loved reading books even over the summer break. The interviewer asked, "What would you tell someone who says it's boring and they just can't get into reading?" She replied, "You've just got to start. The more you read, the more you want to keep on doing it. Then it becomes a habit and it's what you want to do whenever you can."

Famine in the Land

A trend I see in our society is very disturbing to me. Actually it's been happening during my entire lifetime, thus it is a trend that will probably not be reversed. It is the direction the civilization is going. I am speaking of the "dumbing down" of the masses. People are reading less and less. The electronic media has unfortunately played a major role in this situation. It grieves me that none of my three adult children are "readers", whereas I most definitely am.

I would like to share an excerpt from an article entitled, "Why Johnny Can't Preach" by T. David Gordon from the September/October issue of Modern Reformation magazine:

"Poetry [also] trains the sensibility of the significant.
When not addled by narcissism or narcotics, poets
do not write about the trivial. Poets do not write
about hula-hoops or 'The Biggest Loser'. Why expend
the laborious effort at craftsmanship that poetry
requires merely to observe what is trite?
Television, by contrast, is essentially trivial.
It either has triviality as its overt content or,
on the rare occasion it attempts to address
what is consequential, it does so in a trivial
manner. Imagine, for instance, 'The News Hour'
on PBS doing a ten-minute television spot
and calling it 'in-depth coverage.' Most of
us know perfectly well that a significant
matter of public policy can hardly be defined
or introduced in ten minutes. Only by
television's preposterously silly habit
of 'covering' news items in fifteen or
twenty seconds can a ten-minute discussion be
considered 'in-depth.'
People who watch large amounts of television,
therefore, tend to become tone-deaf toward
significance. They rarely see it and therefore
do not notice it when it does appear".

I pray that, as my generation slowly leaves this planet, God will raise up a new generation of true "readers."

Conspiracy?

I know I'm stretching for this one, but hear me out.

I really do not have as much interest in the "entertainment industry" as I once did, but this recent "event" caught my attention. Anyone who is familiar with Kanye West is aware of his history of outbursts and ridiculous behavior. Think through this with me. He shows his ass at the MTV awards show Sunday night and it so happens he is scheduled to appear on the debut of Jay Leno's new prime time show on NBC the following night. It is EXTREMELY important to NBC that Mr. Leno's new nightly program be successful. Is it totally out of the realm of possibility that NBC would hire West to pull this stunt intentionally, knowing this would cause more viewers to tune in Jay's show on Monday?

Just wondering.

A Somber Day

Today, September 13, 2009 would have been my mom and dad's 62nd wedding anniversary, but we lost mom to cancer in 2005. I talked to my dad today. He is so lonely. We all miss my mom very much.

I Do Not Understand

I earlier today received the devastating news that a dear friend of mine has contracted a terminal disease. Her name is Cindy. I had not communicated with her for five months and she moved from this town four years ago, but that does not lessen the shock. It is a lung condition that may have been triggered by a bout with pneumonia. She does not even smoke! She tells me she has been given 6 months to a year. This brings up the age-old question....why do bad things happen to good people? I don't pretend to have all the answers, but the Bible says the rain falls on both the just and the unjust. From our finite point of view as human beings on this planet we cannot see the big picture that God does, but one day I believe we will know as we are known. For now I am praying God will spare Cindy. She told me she is not planning on becoming a statistic and I stand with her on that. I ask anyone who reads this would stand with us and pray for a miracle for Cindy, my dear friend.

Ephiphany!

I finally get it! It just hit me!

Keith Olbermann is like a liberal version of Steven Colbert. He is actually a comedian spoofing a liberal news commentator. Right guys?.....guys?......guys?

Oh crap. He really is serious...isn't he?

Thoughts on 09/09/09

The remastered cds of the Beatles catalog is being released today. Wish I had $250 of disposable income.

Just recently returned from my second trip in three weeks to Wilmington. I believe I really want to live the rest of my days in the coastal area, but getting there and generating income are the two big obstacles I face. It can be done, but some sacrifices may have to be made. It depends on how badly someone wants something, does it not? I believe I can trade red clay hills for sandy, flat land.