Friday, June 26, 2009

Friday Jumbles

--So, I sat in the Publix parking lot the other day for what seemed like forever and do you know what I was waiting for??? I will tell you. I was waiting for the car that was three cars ahead of me and that car was waiting for a choice parking spot. I would like to just note that the driver of the parked car was taking his sweet time loading his groceries into his car and he was even loading drinks into his cooler. Clearly this was going to be a long process but the prime parking spot hopeful was undaunted and was evidently determined that they MUST have that one parking spot. Now, I know it has been about 12000 degrees outside every day and nobody wants to be in the heat for longer than they have to, but why do people (most of whom are perfectly healthy and able to walk a hundred feet or so across a parking lot) insist on waiting for the closest parking spot, causing a twelve car pile up behind them, rather than just taking any old spot and just walk for the love of all that is good in this world!!???!! Sorry. Tangent.

--If you have the desire to see the movie, "He Is Just Not That Into You", I recommend that you take two aspirin and lie down until the urge passes. It was not worth the four dollars I spent renting it or the gas I burned driving to Blockbuster. You can trust me on this one.

--Apparently there is profit in avoiding pregnancy for teen girls now in the state of North Carolina. I don't want to just be critical because I do see the motivation behind this program, but really now...we are paying human beings to do what used to be a moral minimum. How did we get to this place? I suppose that, since we have reduced human sexuality to an animal urge that is beyond our control so we pass out birth control in place of self-control, it is a natural progression that we would begin offering financial incentives to help regulate moral behaviors. But that is just how I see it.

--Tim Stevens had a great post on his blog yesterday about how we do church in America. Frankly, I hate the phrase "do church" and for the record those were not words he used in this post but they are words that church leaders, myself included, have often used. I totally agree with his assertions about the busyness and programming of most churches and the expectations we place on Joe or Sally Churchgoer. Check it out here.

--I am headed to the ole' home town this weekend to see family and go to Crossway Church. Our very close friends, Rodney and Renee Thrift, planted Crossway Church almost seven years ago and God has been amazing them all ever since. If you ever get to the Southeast corner of Georgia, you have to stop in and experience Crossway Church. Tell them I sent you and you might get asked off the property. Just kidding. Oh, and do check out their website...it is verrry impressive!

Have a loverly weekend!!

3 comments:

People Who Know Me Would Say: June 27, 2009 at 8:12 AM  

Hi Beth, I'm the host of Monday's drawing for the 'e' gift certificate from Amazon and I just wanted to thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a caption. I'm checking out the blogs of the participants. I'll be back!

Erica June 27, 2009 at 7:37 PM  

Beth, I looked at the article about the program that "pays" girls to not get pregnant, and while I most definitely see your point, I think it's actually not a bad idea. I mean, it's not like they're giving the girls cash to spend on frivolous things. They are investing money for these girls' college funds. I think it's especially cool that they only accept girls who have a sister who was pregnant before age 18. They are helping girls who come from low-income, socially disadvantaged families (which often means more than just money) and giving them hope for a future. This program keeps the girls in high school and keeps them from completely ruining their lives. To me, that's not so bad. I am generally against any sort of behaviorist practice that teaches young people to act a certain way for external, rather than intrinsic, rewards, but I think this program might have potential to not only reward girls extrinsically, but to raise their self-esteem and point them in the right direction. While a dollar a day for a few years isn't enough to pay for a girl's college education, it is enough to encourage her to pursue higher education, and thus possibly to escape the situation her older sister found herself in.

Beth Brawley Taylor June 27, 2009 at 10:18 PM  

Erica, I do hear what you are saying. I just have a big issue with the extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation past about Kindergarten. I know I am totally opinionated and this does hit close to home for me as my sister had a teen pregnancy. As always, I totally respect your opinion and I always want to hear them. :)