Chamblee54

One of the blogs PG reads almost everyday is Twenty Two Words.The idea is to say what needs to be said in 22 words or less. It is a good goal, even if it is frequently ignored. As a general rule, people talk too much, and could say a great deal with fewer words. In the telegram days, Western Union charged by the word, and short messages were prized. Much the same thing is going on today with text messaging, albeit with the added punch of abbreviations. RU Gr8 2day?
The plan for this weekend is to encourage his readers to put up a post of 50 words or less. On Saturday, PG began to peruse the list of posts<50 words. The problem was, most of them were Jesus Worship oriented, and those railroad tracks are a different gauge from PG’s rolling stock. His engine simply won’t go anywhere on that line. The tunnels don’t have enough headroom.
There were a few that caught his eye. There was the lady working in Columbia. The title was If I hear another story about a dismembered body, I’ll scream! “Forming close friendships in Colombia is harder than you might think, given that Colombians are such a friendly people. When people start to share their lives with me, instead of helping us find shared interests or points of contact, their stories of utter horror and anguish often leave me reeling.”
Another one…with links to a series of lectures, and a two hour youtube video…said “Our greatest problem is that we esteem self more than we esteem God.”
Some would say that G-d lives in man, and is in fact indivisible from Man. If this were true, then esteeming self is the same as esteeming G-d. The division of G-d and man is a problem with Jesus Worship.The answer is to see G-d and man as one, thou art that. PG leans toward this unified view of the world. He does not have all the details worked out.
G-d (or the Devil) is in the details. This saying is credited to Frank Lloyd Wright, among others. It is a cliché that PG sees as being more true the more he thinks about it. There is, for instance, the Moonie view of G-d. They teach that there is personality and body to anything, or body personality, or peanut butter. The moonies teach that G-d is the personality of the cosmos. The difference between a box with seven dollars worth of chemicals and a human being. Yes, you can gather the needed chemicals, but how can you assemble them into human form? You need G-d, and when you add G-d to these chemicals, you get a human being. Is it too much of a leap to say that G-d lives in the heart of all babies, young and old.? That G-d is the heart.
Which brings PG to the last post that he will quote tonight. The Daily Scroll calls itself “news and more from the Christian blogosphere”. The post is an invitation to answer some questions for publication. Here, the questions will be in gray, and the answer in blue.
What compelled you to start blogging? I had been thinking about having a blog, and had even collected material. It was more or less inevitable. Then, I saw something at a place called Fide-o. They were discussing something or another, and I had a comment to make. To make a comment, you needed to sign up for a blogspot account. In effect, that is when my blog, Chamblee 54, got started.
The comment was about the notion that the bible is “the word of G-d”. I am of the opinion that G-d does not write books. This concept (that the bible is “the word of G-d) elevates a book written by man into the position of being like G-d, to being “the word of G-d”. This is wrong on a number of levels. The first commandment says to have no other G-d before you, and you violate this common sense rule when you take a book written by man and proclaim it as the Word of G-d. Needless to say, the Fidomites did not agree.
After a few days of fun filled debate, I went in the back yard to take some auto timer self portraits. Noting that the neighbors were not looking, I dropped my pants before one of the shots. I posted a picture of my “Better side”. The Fidomites were outraged, and I was banned from commenting.
How would you describe the purpose of your blog(s)? To feel good after I have posted. Hopefully, I can do this by bringing some enjoyment to those who visit. My current motto is ” pretty pictures and ugly opinions” . Image manipulation is one of my hobbies, and the pictures are an essential part of the blog. Often, the text is just words to put between the pictures. The words are in colors. I use a medium sized font, which is easier to read. Black fonts are obsolete.
What unique responsibilities do you think Christian bloggers have? They don’t have any. A bit of humility is appropriate, and the realization that not everyone thinks they are so wonderful. Christians use a lot of arguments that sound good to each other, but do not appeal to those who disagree with them. You should remember that the blogosphere is not a church. If you go to a church, it is rude to argue with the message. If you have open comments, you should not be shocked to find that not everyone buys what you say.
What are your own favorite blogs or news sites? Twentytwowords, JoemyGod, Puntabulous, APWBWGTTD ( Atlanta people with blogs who get together to drink), Centurion, and whoever else has caught my eye that week. There are literally millions of blogs right now, and I can only really appreciate a handful. There are probably a lot that I might enjoy, that I don’t get around to. Oh, and there are those with mp3 downloads. I enjoy collecting free music.
How would you be spending your extra time, if you didn’t blog? Reading, photo taking and editing, making faux stained glass pictures, cleaning the house, riding my bike, walking, enjoying the privilege of being alive in 21st century America.