middlemann 3.0

This is a topic that’s been simmering for a while now.  It started several weeks ago when I had an unfortunate seat position behind an amorous couple in a worship service. Let me rephrase, the man was amorous, the woman looked like she was tolerating his behavior.  The arm around her shoulder didn’t bother me. The motion of his hand as he caressed the top of her bare arm started to distract me, but it wasn’t until he started working her ears and sliding his fingers down her neck that I was completely distracted and angry for having to see this. Why should I have to watch this guy try to ”warm up” his wife while I’m listening to a sermon. Are they so short on time that foreplay has to start during the service, or was this simply a man who didn’t understand how to be with his wife without treating her like a sex object?  

Today it happened again, but this guy wasn’t as discreet.  He was shoving his hand down his wife’s back pockets and squeezing and pinching her butt while singing and swaying to the praise song. I was so grossed out that I left the service.  I didn’t want to stick around to see what might happen next. 

I wouldn’t expect to have to justify my position on this, but just in case, let me pause to say that I’m not a prude, nor do I have any issues with passionate marital intimacy.  I just think there’s a time and place for everything, and that efforts to stimulate and sexually arouse one’s partner are inappropriate public acts for a worship service.

It’s sad commentary when you can see more appropiate behavior in a bar on saturday night than you do in sunday morning in church.  Men, treat your wives with respect and exercise self-control, especially during times of worship. Let us teach the next generation of young men, in the spirit of Titus 2:6, how to be men of integrity and dignity.

At the outset of the holiday season, it seems important to take some time to consider what holidays are. Holidays aren’t just a break from the every day grind; that’s a vacation. As the name implies, these are holy days, set apart for remembrance and reflection. A 24/7/365 world tends to blur the seasons and anniversaries that give a year shape. The more hurried we all become, the more we risk losing the significance of our connection to prior generations who celebrated these special days of the year not only as markers of time but as opportunities to gather, feast, and give thanks. If we could take the time to reflect and refocus, we may find that life is bigger than our needs and schedules.

I purchased an ESV Study last night and am pretty excited about it. It’s gotten excellent reviews and I think it will be a great aid for teaching and personal study. It did strike me though how expensive this bible is. Granted, I spent a little extra for the faux leather as opposed to the Dictionary-looking hardback version. The former retails at $74.99 and the latter at $49.99. I might not have taken plunge except that Lifeway was offering a 20% discount. Specific numbers aside though, I wonder about the ethical ramifications of producing and marketing a super-bible with a high price tag. I’m all for not muzzling the ox, but I really hope that these price points were considered in terms of kingdom impact and not just margins. I applaud The Standard Bible Society for making the ESV text freely available and searchable online. In this regard, anyone can read it.

I recently had an hour-long conversation with a friend I’ve been trying to catch up with for at least 7-8 months. So finally after one of the worst games of phone tag in history, we had a chance to not just run each other through the list of updates in our lives but to go deeper and talk about what had effected the changes. As she shared about some of her recent experiences, she talked about the importance of having people in her life who knew her and challenged her to move forward, taking on and overcoming roadblocks that had been in place for years.
I have to question sometimes if I really seek out this kind of friendship in the ways that I invite others into my life. It’s uncomfortable to have my sore spots and roadblocks challenged by others. It’s easy to convince myself that they don’t understand my situation and that somehow my inaction or lack of growth should be protected. I need to be reminded that it’s not. I need my excuses repeated back to me to hear their hollowness. I need friends who are invested in my growth and rely on me for the same.

It seems like there’s a certain hierarchy of digital interpersonal communication. It’s almost innate as new technologies become commonplace. Some events warrant a text message but not a phone call or an IM but not an email. This list is by no means exhaustive, but I am at least trying to limit it to interpersonal communication, excluding modes like blogging, conference calls, etc. where there are multiple recipients. I’d actually be curious on how others perceive the order and even additional interpersonal modes to those below. Here’s my top down list.

Video Teleconference
Phone Call
Push to talk / walkie-talkie
Email
Instant Message
Text message
Private social network message (facebook message)
Public social network message (facebook wall)

According to an article on CNN.com, the slumping economy is impacting the consumption of extravagant luxury treats. No need to feel sorry for the rich, but it hurts the workers who provide the goods and services. So now for the ethical question: should we want rich people to live more indulgent lives so they can support low and middle income wages?

This weekend I paid the final payment on my car which means that for the first time in about 11 years, I’m finally driving a paid off vehicle. This morning on the way to work, I was rear-ended by an enormous truck. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and amazingly, my car didn’t sustain any damage.

I am a little concerned though. The last paid off vehicle I owned was the trusty Ford Tempo which endured a spree of accidents, none my fault. This poor car was backed into at school, hit head on at an intersection, rear-ended on the way home from school, and finally backed into by Mom. I’m really hoping that I haven’t ushered in some new curse of the paid off vehicle

I’ve seen this a couple of times on facebook in the last week. “friend’s name here” is no longer listed as married. What’s troubling is I’m not sure how to interpret that statement when I’m not very up on their marital situation to begin with. Is their marriage really over, or did something just happen on facebook? Seems a little awkward to ask.

Headline on CNN: Gasoline Prices Slip Again
My Reaction: That’s good news
Actual Article Content: “The average price of unleaded gasoline fell to $4.096 a gallon from $4.104 the previous day. The nationwide average is down nearly a penny from the all-time high of 4.108 a gallon.”
Revised Reacation: This is not news.

Nearly a Penny? Thank goodness for this relief at the pump. How is this relevant? Seriously, are gas prices really slipping when they fall by 8/10 of a cent? I know math & business sticklers will say yes, but this is not news.