Time, Mark Gungor and More

My apologies to my regular readers for my lack of posts over the last few weeks. It is not that there has been a dearth of things about which to post, quite the opposite in fact. I would like to be able to say that it was simply too overwhelming to address the many interesting tidbits of the last few weeks.

The truth, however, is that I was seeing entirely too many health professionals. From the doctors to schedule and go through a medical test to look into the issues I have been having with my voice over the past several months, to the dentist for a sudden and unexpected root canal. I have been overwhelmed, but by my own frailties rather than the news of the day.

My week wasn't all challenges and no rewards though. On Tuesday, I was also granted the extraordinary opportunity to sit in on the taping and broadcast of one of my favorite Internet radio shows, The Mark Gungor Show. (Basically, I was listening and heard Pastor Gungor invite fans to send them an e-mail if they would like to sit in on the show and, shrinking violet that I am, I was sending an e-mail within a few minutes of the end of the show.)

Now this is a show that I have found to be both informative and amusing. It also gives me a greater appreciation for my husband and my son. I have often recommended it to listeners of my own program, family and friends alike. It is amusing and honest in dealing with relationships. Some people find it a bit too honest, too funny and much too brutal to fall within their limited understanding and/or prejudiced preconceptions of Christianity.

Let me tell you, it is much funnier when you can watch the co-hosts throwing things at each other and making faces and gestures. I haven't laughed so much in a very long time. My face still hurts.

In addition, Mr. Gungor was gracious enough to treat us to lunch. The demonstration of good manners on display during lunch was reassuring to me, as a mother who has insisted that my son open doors and allow ladies to go first. I don't know why, but seeing men with good manners makes me appreciate the role of men in society so much more than when I see men without them. There is something inherently masculine about men behaving with respect for women. (Also one of the qualities I found most attractive in my own husband while we were dating.)

It says " Here is a confident, stable and trustworthy person." (Which may or may not be true, but that's the impression I have always gleaned from good manners in anyone.) I always enjoy the opportunity to observe couples who love and respect each other in ordinary everyday situations and Mr. and Mrs. Gungor are such a couple, so sitting down to lunch with them was a treat.

It is also always, always a treat to see competent, people working as a closely knit team. I felt very privileged to be allowed to not only observe, but participate a tiny bit in their teamwork for this series of broadcasts.

It was also my honor to be the very first listener/fan to take them up on the offer to sit in on the show. I hope that my behavior and demeanor was such as to provide a positive experience for them as well. While I am sure that over time, they will develop a process for integrating their guest listeners into their routine that is as smooth as is their process for the show, it was fascinating to be the first. In addition to observing the dynamics of a close -knit and professional team, it gave me a glimpse into yet another facet of the scintillatingly beautiful jewel that is God's creation.

I know that I may seem overly positive in my review, and perhaps having such a treat after a week and a half of health challenges will result in a naturally positive view of an experience so filled with laughter(even though there was a reasonable degree of hesitation as there always will be with new people). However, one of God's greatest gifts to us is each other.

Having had many discussions over the past months, especially here, in WI, where there have been such displays of animosity over what is, essentially a difference of basic worldviews, I cannot help but note, once again that we are all infinitely precious to God. Intrinsically valuable for who we are. Every new person is a new opportunity to examine your life through their eyes and gain a new appreciation for it. An opportunity to ask yourself, how would this person see my life? And what might I have done differently if I looked at the world as they do?

I'm not just referring to the Laugh Your Way crew here, but the waitstaff at the restaurant and the other customers as well. The police officer monitoring I-43 as I traveled up to Green Bay, the friendly service station attendant at the gas station where I stopped to stretch my legs. (I'm not as young as I used to be-car rides of an hour or more leave me stiff and sore these days. Stretching is good.)

Maybe it's just that I need to get out more. I don't resent the fact that my car is most often with my son, but I do miss being around people. It's a relatively short term sacrifice to make as he goes through college and gets started on his own life. And really, when I think about how much more I appreciate the opportunities, to meet new people when the opportunity arises, it's a blessing too. No one is perfect but that's no reason that we cant, in the words of Pastor Gungor and the Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage team, "just be nice to each other."

"And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." ~ Mark 12:29-31

The Land of Nuts and Flakes strikes again

The state of California is getting ready to vote on this change to their state constitution:
"Amends the California Constitution to provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California"

First a suit was filed to prevent this amendment from coming to the ballot. It failed. Now the Attorney General has changed the wording of this amendment to read:
"Changes California Constitution to eliminate right of same-sex couples to marry. Provides that only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Fiscal Impact: Over the next few years, potential revenue loss, mainly sales taxes, totaling in the several tens of millions of dollars, to state and local governments. In the long run, likely little fiscal impact to state and local governments."

It seems to me that the AG is just setting the state up so that the amendment can be challenged in court and thrown out, but I notice that he doesn't include the fiscal impact of that. He is playing with the people of California and wasting their money to boot. He obviously believes their morals are for sale to the highest bidder. How much more insulting does he have to be before the people of the state wake up and oust him?

Aside from the AG's shenanigans though, I have a problem with the whole idea of indicating that a marriage could occur between two people who are anything but a man and a woman.

Now, I know that some people will find this confusing, but please bear with me. I think that same sex couples cannot be married, because they cannot, by definition, perform the contract of marriage. One cannot make a legal contract to perform an action which one is physically unable to perform and neither can one make a contract not to perform that which one is unable to perform. As I understand it, it must be possible for the terms of a contract to be performed for the contract to be valid. Therefore, same sex couples cannot be married because marriage is a contract which in essence states that both partners will only perform those acts necessary for the creation of children with the other partner in the marriage. That any children they produce will be the children of themselves and the other party to the contract. It does not require the production of children, nor does it prohibit adoption. It simply states that all children produced within the marriage will be the children of the parties to the contract. Since same sex couples cannot produce children with their partner, they do not need, nor can they legally make, a contract that says they will only do so with said partner.

(Before Mr. Morris says so, yes I believe that a marriage is much more than that on a spiritual, mental, emotional and physical level-but those things are hard to define and show evidence of in a courtroom, so for the sake of this post, I restrict myself.)

I think it is also questionable to encourage people to enter into agreements which prevent them from reproducing as a contract of marriage would for same sex couples.

While I recognize that there are moral benefits to being able to say one is married, those benefits are available to anyone who wants to get married. I would love to be able to say I'm a brain surgeon, but it wouldn't be the truth. If I wanted to, I could certainly do that which is necessary to earn that title. Changing the definition of brain surgeon so that it includes me would not give me the skills and knowledge of a brain surgeon. It would simply make it more difficult for people to know who is qualified to operate on brains. I can whine all I want about how brain surgeons have people's respect and that makes their lives better and why shouldn't I be able to do that too?, but that isn't a good enough reason to change the definition. And it's not a good enough reason to change the definition of marriage either.
Some may argue that there are legislative benefits to being married. Yes there are. Married people went through the legislative process to get them. If same sex couples want those benefits, they too are free to avail themselves of the legislative process.

It is a dangerous practice to legislate by redefinition. While I applaud the people of those states who have made the effort to legally define marriage in their states, I am appalled by the very idea that it should be necessary. Do we need to put the dictionary into legislation as well so that this sort of thing can be avoided in the future? Aren't we, as a people, better than that?

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."
~Gen 2:24