Recovering Baptist

Honestly, does it get much better than riding your bike home in the rain from a friend’s house with a slight pipe tobacco and alcohol buzz?

It’s always good to have friends, but today my friends have been absolutely incredible. I’ve barely been able to work on my resume because I’ve been reading emails and talking on the phone. Word spreads quickly, especially when you’re a part of a small church. And that’s good. I need all the friends I can get right about now. I could especially use some who write paychecks…

I’m coming to grips with the fact that I no longer identify myself as a conservative. While I agree with many conservative principles, the truth is that the gap between so-called conservatives (and worse, their evil cousins the neo-conservatives) and me is widening on a regular basis.

The topic of abortion came up this weekend while I was on a camping trip with a bunch of men. While I am pro-life, I don’t understand the obsession that some on the right have with this topic. One of the men gave an explanation that sheds some light on the subject. In short, he believes that God is going to judge “us” for the fact that “we” allowed this horrible sin to be legal. I’m hesitant to take on this man’s theology since he is an elder in our denomination, but I’m thinking it’s worthwhile.

There’s no doubt that God judges people. The Old Testament is full of genocide at God’s direction because some people group has harmed the Hebrews in some way. And the Hebrews found themselves a part of one empire or another due to them turning away from God. But I can’t find any clear indication of God judging the empire because His people didn’t stop the sin of other people groups within that empire. In fact, I can only think of two documented cases of God’s judgment against a people group for their internal sins (that is, for something other than poor treatment of the Jews) - the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah. In both of those cases, God preserved His people; he didn’t judge them because of everyone else’s sins.

So it seems to me that the problem is that the religious right has decided to claim responsibility for the entire nation. This feeling of responsibility feeds the paternalistic impulse of religious conservatives to support laws which restrict freedom for activities which some people can enjoy without problems but would tempt others beyond their capabilities to enjoy in moderation. And this is the fundamental difference between the religious right and the religious libertarians - we believe that God will judge the Church for its sins of commission and sins of omission, but He will not hold us responsible for failing to control the impulses of those outside the church.

Now, all of this being said, do I wish abortion were illegal? Yes. I’ve told my story before of how as an embryo I came a bit too close to the doctor’s knife. And as a libertarian I don’t see how we can say someone has basic human rights which must be respected only to ignore the most basic one. However, when it comes to choosing the person who sits in the Oval Office, I think the obsession over who a President might choose to fill a potential vacant seat on a court which might face a case on whether a woman has a right make a choice to murder her baby makes sense. Especially not when the same person will directly make a choice to send people to the front lines where certainly some of them will die and others (as a sad but unavoidable fact of war) will kill conscious human beings. If God is going to judge “us,” then we need to consider all of our actions.

I have a facebook page. I don’t know why. It’s the kind of timesuck that doesn’t appeal to me - virtual hugs, attacking zombies, or pretending to race. I just don’t get it. It would be a lot more fun to get together and play scrabble face to face over a real beer rather than spread the game out over days with a virtual opponent over a virtual beer…

I ran into someone at church last night, and I told her I was mad at her. Since we really don’t hang out that much, she was taken aback. But once I understood that my old church friends were suddenly able to find me, including an ex-girlfriend, she understood.

The ex-girlfriend and I left on good terms, and we’ve run into each other in the past without any awkwardness. But when I saw her profile I laughed. Her religious views are classified as “Born Again Christian” and her political views as “Very conservative.” Those phrases used to describe me.

Any orthodox Christian will tell you that Christ talks about being born again. But when someone describes themselves explicitly as a “Born Again Christian,” well, you know a lot about them from the start. It just seems that most of those people claim to cling to God’s grace while rarely exhibiting it themselves. My acquaintance and I laughed that our old friends from the megachurch where I once worked or the church where I grew up would probably say that we now attend one of those “liberal” churches since our pastor is handing out virtual beers and swearing online.

Liberals don’t go to heaven. At least, that’s what I used to think. I’d never say as much out loud, but honestly, the way “they” were demonized in my religious circles, it was a logical conclusion. I was an observer to an online conversation where someone stated that if conservatism were a country then anyone who claimed to be conservative but voted for Obama should be hung for treason. I guess I’m not a conservative.

My acquaintance and I agreed that we’re torn in how to handle our facebook friends from our old lives. On the one hand we really want to do something outrageous to throw our newfound freedom in their faces. On the other hand, we’re a little afraid. It turns out that I don’t want to be rejected by people who belong to the form of Christianity that I rejected. The human mind is a very strange thing indeed.No down payment credit card
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I hate births. The whole process of babies being born makes me very nervous. I come by it naturally. My parents lost their first child due to a bad forceps delivery. If my first child had been born one hundred and five years ago as to five years ago, I would have lost both a child and a wife in the same day. Like I said, everything about the whole process puts me on edge.

Some good friends of ours were convinced they wouldn’t be able to have kids. Then a “Christian” adoption agency turned them down as adoptive parents (which, as an adopted child still makes me see red). But somehow, after years and years of trying, they conceived nine months ago. They decided to give birth at home with the assistance of a midwife and a doula. Great idea; my mom was delivered in her parents’ bedroom with the assistance of my great-grandfather who delivered most of the kids in that part of the state. But, still, it made me even more nervous. So when I read on their blog on Sunday morning that she had been in labor for nearly a day without any action, I was really scared. I spent most of the service at church figuring out how to follow along on their blog just so I would know when they finally went to the hospital.

The end of the story is that I just talked to the proud papa. The baby is fine, but mama’s got to heal up a bit. I fully understood it when he said that up until he saw the baby’s head that yesterday was the worst day of his life. Heck, there are parts of our birth story that are not fit to print or even mention in any circumstance. For some it’s a wonderful process full of endorphins, but for my friend and me it was a hellish experience which reinforced the fragility of life. But I don’t know if a more wanted baby has ever been born then the one who made her appearance yesterday. And for that it’s all worth it.

Thirty three tiles; seventy four and a quarter square feet. That’s how much tile my dad and I managed to lay today. We’ve now laid a total of 59 tiles and covered a total of just over 132 sq ft (for you keeping score at home, my calculations earlier this week were wrong). The wild thing is that for most of this week the tile work didn’t start until just after 9:00; I’m sitting on the couch and feeling like I ought to be laying tile despite having spent all day finishing the uncut tiles in the kitchen and breakfast area.

All in all it’s gone pretty well. I’m pretty proud with how the tile is looking so far. I think there are maybe three tiles that I wish I could redo, but I’m too picky about my work.

So we’ve still got the entryway and all of the cutting (which I actually like), but at least we’re more than half-way through with the floor.

As if reporting on the status of my floors isn’t boring enough, I’m going to write a little bit about tips on tiling. This is for me to refer back to and not really for my three or four readers, but you’re welcome to keep reading if you’d like. Laying tile consists of spreading mortar, placing the tile on the mortar, and then ensuring the tile is properly oriented and level. Spreading the mortar requires the right trowels. Orienting the tiles is best done by first snapping a chalk line so your initial tiles are straight and then using spacers to keep thing square and properly spaced. Leveling the tiles is the difficult part, and that’s where the right tools come in handy. When the mortar is spread too thick the best tool is body weight. You can simply push down on the tile and watch the mortar ooze out, but when you push down on one corner the opposite one will rise up, so proper balance is important. But when you need to raise a corner there are only two tools to do the trick. You can use a pry bar, but there are times you can’t get the bar in there, and that’s when the secret tiling weapon is used - a paint can key. You know, the one they give you for free at Lowe’s when you buy a can of paint. It takes a lot of strength, but you can use the lip of the key to grab the edge of the tile and lift it straight up without pushing the other corner down. If you ever lay tile, especially on an unlevel floor, you will thank me for this tip.

The other banal detail is how I’m spreading the motar. Since we’re using 18″ x 18″ tiles, we’re taking extra steps. To spread the thin set, fist spread a very thin layer over the backerboard. Then back butter the tile by spreading a thin layer on the back of the tile so all of the little squares are filled. Then trowel the thinset in the place where the tile will be placed. If leveling is an issue, then it is better to spread the thinset too thick so you can push the tile down than trying to place additional mortar under the tile once you put it into place.

So, for the one reader who managed to get through all of this, thank you for reading. Maybe it will help you some time in the future. If it does, please let me know. Heck , if you’re a personal friend of mine and you read this whole post, let me know and I’ll buy you a beer. You’re obviously in need of something interesting in your day!

Looks like my crew fell through for the night. It’s hard to want to help a friend when your baby’s sick. And my wife’s under the weather, too, so it looks like I’ll be working alone tonight. Oh well. Some progress is better than none, I guess.

To make the afternoon more fun, our two year old got ahold of a sharpie and started decorating my wife’s laptop. The dry erase trick (draw over the permanent marks with a dry erase marker) worked great on the screen, but it didn’t quite work on the case. That was cleaned with a combination of rubbing alcohol and WD-40. Note to self - hide all the markers once the new floor is installed!

Probability states that at every point in the SouthEast will be hit by a tornado at some point in its history. Tonight that time came for Downtown Atlanta. I’m a bit nervous right now because a friend of mine lives in the Stacks at the old Fulton Cotton Mill. I think the collapse happened in a different building, but I’m praying nonetheless.

If there’s one good thing in all this, it’s the Georgia Dome. I’ve disliked that place from the first time I laid eyes on it. It’s ugly on the outside and an embarrassment on the inside. During the NCAA regionals a few years ago the venue showed its pathetic side when the scoreboard stopped working and time had to be kept on the court. The teflon roof has always scared me. On the one hand, kudos to the engineers who designed that place, as the roof mostly held up through a confirmed tornado. On the other hand, the place has been torn up. It’s due for remodeling anyway. With more storms on the way, maybe this time it will take a direct hit while everyone else is watching basketball at my alma mater and the Dome will meet its doom. Even if the storms headed our way peter out, it looks like that exterior facelift will be accelerated a bit.

As an aside - I’m afraid that this shows that it really is time for the Thriller Dome to go. It’s a place with great memories for all of us Yellow Jackets, but it’s a real shame that the SEC tournament is only getting a minor upgrade due to the weather. If we had a real arena there wouldn’t be too much concern about moving from the Dome to Tenth Street, but as it is, well, let’s just say that I’m glad I’m not holding tickets.

Thanks to ATLmalcontent for this one.

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a blog which better describes my friends, family, and me. It’s funny because it’s true. And now my non-white friend can understand why white people love Apple, indie music, home rennovation, and microbrews thanks to Stuff White People Like.

After pulling nearly a 60 hours week, here are my weekend plans:

• Friday night - sleep
• Saturday - play with the family
• Saturday night - drink massive quantities of good, high gravity beer with friends
• Sunday - stumble into church (it’s good to be Pesbyterian!)
• Sunday night - sleep

Have a great weekend everyone. Here’s hoping your week wasn’t as stressful as mine.