Hey everyone,
I wanted to give you all a little update on what is going on. First off I just wanted to tell everyone that a couple of weeks ago Hilary and I attended a marriage seminar and it was amazing. It was on conflict management and it was hosted by Greg and Erin Smalley. We got so much out of it and it is really helping our marriage. Also this past weekend Hilary and I went to Erie, PA with Tom, Mary, Megan, and Peter. It was a lot of fun and we had dinner at the Quaker Steak and Lube. That was neat because I'd never been to one before and their wings are almost as good as Anchor bar. Also the atmosphere in there is really interesting. If you don't know what it is, the original restaurant took an old gas station and converted it into a restaurant, really neat.
As for my health, the leg is getting better. The MRI showed absolutely nothing, which is in a way good because it means I don't have cancer or a tumor or anything like that, but it also means I'm still not sure what is wrong. The doctor told me just to keep up with the physical therapy and see how it goes. The therapy is helping so I'm encouraged by that.
I have a presentation in Christian Apologetics tomorrow on women in ministry and marriage. I think it will be really interesting. The last two weeks, and for the remainder of the semester, we have had student led topics. We are trying to develop a Christian apologetic for each of these issues. So far we've done things like homosexuality, abortion, the morality of God/problem of evil, and euthanasia. The discussion in class have been extremely eye opening and my hope is that people will respond with the same fervor to my presentation.
One last thing before I go. I know people were probably not that interested in Hilary's rant, which is why I don't want to rant a bit myself but there is something that has been bothering me that I feel I need to get off my chest. So I'm giving you a fair warning. I'm not going to rant about the same thing as her but I am going to rant a bit.
So I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose my mind if one more Christian tells me that their personal hero is Glenn Beck. The reason has nothing to do with his political beliefs. I admittedly am not a republican. I am certainly not conservative. However, I do have a problem with Christians who are all gaga over this guy. Every time I see him my skin crawls. He says all kinds of nasty, outrageous, and just plain derogatory things about his opponents. Again, I have no qualms that he is conservative and disagrees with liberals, but why does he have to do it in such a flamboyant and distasteful manner. In my past I have done some things like that which I am not proud of, but God has really been working on me and trying to help me love my enemies, and I am tempted to put that in quotation because members of an opposing political party are not my enemy they are trying to solve the same problems I am, only in a different manner.
It really upsets me that Christians are looking up to this guy. I don't know whether or not he is Christian so I don't actually care about the manner in which he says things, but those who are Christian should be very disapproving of that kind of an attitude. I am a liberal but I refuse to watch MSNBC because all they do is bash and hate on conservatives. That kind of behavior is unacceptable. I am really getting sick of politics because all they do is demonize each other.
Back to Glenn Beck specifically, I can't help hearing a casting crowns song in my head when I think about him. You all know "What if His people prayed" I'm sure. Well there is a line in the song that says "What if the life that we pursue, Came from a hunger for the truth, What if the family turned to Jesus, Stop asking Oprah what to do" I can't help but replace Oprah with Glenn Beck. The reason is that I don't think his attitude is very becoming of a follower of the Christ who sat down with his enemies and ate with them. He sat down with them and tried to help them become better. He died so that they might...just might...be reconciled to Him. Glenn Beck would rather see his enemies die than die for them. I mean the man wrote a book in which the sub title is "How to argue with Idiots" So much is wrong just with that. I mean would Jesus Christ ever call a sinner and idiot? Secondly Jesus isn't interested in teaching us how to argue, He wants to teach us how to love and disciple those who reject Him. The difference in how Jesus and Glenn Beck treat their opponents is staggering. I am pretty sure that Christ calls us to emulate those who emulate Him, and I'm not convinced Glenn Beck is worthy of that.
I'm sorry to go on such a rant but I really can't stand hero worship of someone who isn't worthy of it. If you want to look at someone who stands up for what they believe in by all means do so, but pick someone who doesn't demonize and badger their opposition.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Warning: This is a Rant.
I mean it. If you are easily offended, stay away. ~Hilary
Okay, so seriously people... Congress needs to just pass the health care bill already. Health care in this country is RIDICULOUS and I do not know WHAT the hold up is. I mean, I do know what the hold up is, it's people who think that health care is a privilege and not a basic human right, but I don't know how ANYBODY can hold that opinion in the 21st century, so I don't know what the hold up is. This isn't the dark ages people! Everyone should have access to affordable health care. I mean, trust me, I know I'm one of the lucky ones. I have health insurance. It's provided by my job. I don't even have to pay the premiums. I am lucky, lucky, lucky and I CANT AFFORD THE DOCTOR BILLS. And if that is the case, then how the hell can anybody who isn't as lucky as me go to the doctor? Answer: THEY CAN'T!
I mean, my insurance covers a lot. It cuts my prescription prices by 60% or more. If I didn't have it, I would be even more screwed. But for all of that, it still is costing close to $50 a week for Dan to have the physical therapy he needs (which is actually making him feel better PTL, they think he tore a ligament but we will know for sure when we get the MRI results) which is $200 a month which is like 20% of my monthly income. And the insurance won't cover a penny because I haven't paid my deductible yet for the year because the deductible is... oh yeah... FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS. That is very, very close to HALF what I make in a year. NOBODY, NOBODY can afford to pay HALF of their income in doctor's bills. AND MAY I REMIND YOU THAT THIS IS SOMEONE WHO HAS INSURANCE!!!!
Honestly, all the people who vote based on one issue, and one issue only (read: abortion) need to get their heads out of the sand. Making abortion illegal isn't going to do a damn lick of good (even if it was possible to accomplish it) if nobody is going to take care of making sure the babies stay healthy once they are born. Nor would abortion be as attractive of an option if it wasn't like 20 times cheaper than giving birth. Oh sure sure, I don't want this baby, I can pay a few hundred dollars to have it torn out of my womb or a few thousand dollars to give birth to it and give it to someone else. Well, I might be WILLING to give birth to it and give it to someone else if I had the MONEY to do so. Of COURSE I am not in favor of abortion. I think it is a tragedy and a travesty and one of the worst evils in this country. BUT it is not the ONLY thing to worry about and there are more practical ways to reduce and eliminate abortion than wasting all our time and effort and money on making it illegal. STOP calling yourselves pro-life, you are only pro-birth, you don't give a DAMN about what happens to that baby once it's born or you would make sure it had access to the DOCTOR when it needed it.
And all the people who say that Christians should be the ones taking care of the sick and the poor and the hungry not the government... well I have news for you. YES you are right but we are doing a piss poor job of it right now so what makes you think it would work if we were the ONLY option. At least the government can make laws and take TAXES rather than tithes which are a little more reliable. Plus Christians are so self-righteously "debt-free" and "good stewards" and what ever other holy sounding synonyms we can come up with for STINGY that they won't even tip a waitress more than a couple dollars, even though they know damn well that waitresses don't even get minimum wage. But if that waitress got pregnant I bet they'd tell her not to have an abortion. What makes you think Christians are willing to part with their money to the needy? They are too busy making sure that the needy DESERVE their help... there is no such thing as mercy anymore.
Okay, so seriously people... Congress needs to just pass the health care bill already. Health care in this country is RIDICULOUS and I do not know WHAT the hold up is. I mean, I do know what the hold up is, it's people who think that health care is a privilege and not a basic human right, but I don't know how ANYBODY can hold that opinion in the 21st century, so I don't know what the hold up is. This isn't the dark ages people! Everyone should have access to affordable health care. I mean, trust me, I know I'm one of the lucky ones. I have health insurance. It's provided by my job. I don't even have to pay the premiums. I am lucky, lucky, lucky and I CANT AFFORD THE DOCTOR BILLS. And if that is the case, then how the hell can anybody who isn't as lucky as me go to the doctor? Answer: THEY CAN'T!
I mean, my insurance covers a lot. It cuts my prescription prices by 60% or more. If I didn't have it, I would be even more screwed. But for all of that, it still is costing close to $50 a week for Dan to have the physical therapy he needs (which is actually making him feel better PTL, they think he tore a ligament but we will know for sure when we get the MRI results) which is $200 a month which is like 20% of my monthly income. And the insurance won't cover a penny because I haven't paid my deductible yet for the year because the deductible is... oh yeah... FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS. That is very, very close to HALF what I make in a year. NOBODY, NOBODY can afford to pay HALF of their income in doctor's bills. AND MAY I REMIND YOU THAT THIS IS SOMEONE WHO HAS INSURANCE!!!!
Honestly, all the people who vote based on one issue, and one issue only (read: abortion) need to get their heads out of the sand. Making abortion illegal isn't going to do a damn lick of good (even if it was possible to accomplish it) if nobody is going to take care of making sure the babies stay healthy once they are born. Nor would abortion be as attractive of an option if it wasn't like 20 times cheaper than giving birth. Oh sure sure, I don't want this baby, I can pay a few hundred dollars to have it torn out of my womb or a few thousand dollars to give birth to it and give it to someone else. Well, I might be WILLING to give birth to it and give it to someone else if I had the MONEY to do so. Of COURSE I am not in favor of abortion. I think it is a tragedy and a travesty and one of the worst evils in this country. BUT it is not the ONLY thing to worry about and there are more practical ways to reduce and eliminate abortion than wasting all our time and effort and money on making it illegal. STOP calling yourselves pro-life, you are only pro-birth, you don't give a DAMN about what happens to that baby once it's born or you would make sure it had access to the DOCTOR when it needed it.
And all the people who say that Christians should be the ones taking care of the sick and the poor and the hungry not the government... well I have news for you. YES you are right but we are doing a piss poor job of it right now so what makes you think it would work if we were the ONLY option. At least the government can make laws and take TAXES rather than tithes which are a little more reliable. Plus Christians are so self-righteously "debt-free" and "good stewards" and what ever other holy sounding synonyms we can come up with for STINGY that they won't even tip a waitress more than a couple dollars, even though they know damn well that waitresses don't even get minimum wage. But if that waitress got pregnant I bet they'd tell her not to have an abortion. What makes you think Christians are willing to part with their money to the needy? They are too busy making sure that the needy DESERVE their help... there is no such thing as mercy anymore.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
What a weekend!
Sorry guys... I know everyone is really upset that it's been so long since we updated. We're trying but life just gets in the way sometimes, ya know? Anyway, Hilary here to tell you what's going on.
First of all, last weekend was my birthday, of course, and I turned the big two-one. Mom and Aunt Barb and Sandy all came to visit me. They didn't get here until quite late Thursday night so I barely got to see them until Friday at lunch. They came to eat lunch with me at work and meet the people I work with and of course embarrass the crap out of me with balloons. LOL.
Anyway, then after I got home from work I walk into the apartment and it is CRAZY decorated... looking totally awesome... and the best part was... a TABLE!!! A table and chairs was one of Aunt Barb and Uncle Kyle's birthday presents to me and I have to say it was the best because I've been wanting one so badly. Then Dan and I realized that with the exception of our bed, all of the non-college provided furniture in our house comes from Aunt Barb. We've got two chairs which were hand-me-downs from her house and then the table of course. It's kind of funny.
Anyway, we had a magnificent dinner Friday night, with cherry cheesecake cooked by mom, and I got to open presents and I got a lot of wonderful ones. Lots of cute clothes, a blender and a rice cooker, a perfect brownie pan, and lots of books. Oh, and LOTS of really adorable socks, which is great, because I've worn holes in almost every pair I previously owned. I'm thinking of making a quilt out of all the socks I've worn out and or lost the matches to. Because I have so many cute ones and I can't bear to throw them out but they aren't usable anymore. Only I don't know how to make a quilt, so that might be a problem.
Also, a very big thank you to anyone who sent me birthday cards / presents in the mail. I got enough birthday money to buy that sweater dress I'd been wanting so when it comes in the mail I'll have to post pictures.
Saturday was pretty great too. We went to this little town called Angelica and poked around in some antique shops and then had a great lunch at this little tiny family owned restaurant where the family actually lives upstairs... it was way cool... it was in a house that was built in the 1840's. Then we went home and I had my birthday / Halloween costume party with my friends so that was fun. After the party was "officially" over a couple friends stayed and we watched 80's movies: The Goonies and Back to the Future.
Sunday was sad, because everybody had to leave, but not before we had brunch at Friendly's and then were able to go to the Blockbuster going out of business every DVD in our store is $10 or less sale. Dan and I got like... 10 new movies for our shelves including the three mom bought for me. We are WAY overflowing our DVD shelves, lol.
Anyway, that was the weekend and it was very awesome. Some not so awesome news, however, is that Dan has some sort of injury to his leg and we have no idea what it is. It started hurting, seemingly randomly, several weeks ago. He has been to the doctor 3 times now but it is steadily getting worse and the doctor can't seem to figure out WHAT is wrong. He may have to go in for an MRI and he starts physical therapy next week. So please pray.
Thanks,
Hilary
First of all, last weekend was my birthday, of course, and I turned the big two-one. Mom and Aunt Barb and Sandy all came to visit me. They didn't get here until quite late Thursday night so I barely got to see them until Friday at lunch. They came to eat lunch with me at work and meet the people I work with and of course embarrass the crap out of me with balloons. LOL.
Anyway, then after I got home from work I walk into the apartment and it is CRAZY decorated... looking totally awesome... and the best part was... a TABLE!!! A table and chairs was one of Aunt Barb and Uncle Kyle's birthday presents to me and I have to say it was the best because I've been wanting one so badly. Then Dan and I realized that with the exception of our bed, all of the non-college provided furniture in our house comes from Aunt Barb. We've got two chairs which were hand-me-downs from her house and then the table of course. It's kind of funny.
Anyway, we had a magnificent dinner Friday night, with cherry cheesecake cooked by mom, and I got to open presents and I got a lot of wonderful ones. Lots of cute clothes, a blender and a rice cooker, a perfect brownie pan, and lots of books. Oh, and LOTS of really adorable socks, which is great, because I've worn holes in almost every pair I previously owned. I'm thinking of making a quilt out of all the socks I've worn out and or lost the matches to. Because I have so many cute ones and I can't bear to throw them out but they aren't usable anymore. Only I don't know how to make a quilt, so that might be a problem.
Also, a very big thank you to anyone who sent me birthday cards / presents in the mail. I got enough birthday money to buy that sweater dress I'd been wanting so when it comes in the mail I'll have to post pictures.
Saturday was pretty great too. We went to this little town called Angelica and poked around in some antique shops and then had a great lunch at this little tiny family owned restaurant where the family actually lives upstairs... it was way cool... it was in a house that was built in the 1840's. Then we went home and I had my birthday / Halloween costume party with my friends so that was fun. After the party was "officially" over a couple friends stayed and we watched 80's movies: The Goonies and Back to the Future.
Sunday was sad, because everybody had to leave, but not before we had brunch at Friendly's and then were able to go to the Blockbuster going out of business every DVD in our store is $10 or less sale. Dan and I got like... 10 new movies for our shelves including the three mom bought for me. We are WAY overflowing our DVD shelves, lol.
Anyway, that was the weekend and it was very awesome. Some not so awesome news, however, is that Dan has some sort of injury to his leg and we have no idea what it is. It started hurting, seemingly randomly, several weeks ago. He has been to the doctor 3 times now but it is steadily getting worse and the doctor can't seem to figure out WHAT is wrong. He may have to go in for an MRI and he starts physical therapy next week. So please pray.
Thanks,
Hilary
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