This story from Rationalist International is fulla EPIC WIN and PWNAGE.
When you are a Confessional Lutheran, you get to play “dodging Scylla and Charybdis”. You reject the “no supernatural intervention” tenet of rationalism and at the same time reject the mystical headiness of Pentecostalism. As a result, I get to sit back and see both sides duke things out on forums like on FARK.
Despite that today is the first day of spring, it will snow tomorrow. 
When I was in the Valley, one Spring tradition observed would be KROQ playing Slow Children’s Spring in Fialta. (This year, they will also play President Am I on Election Day.)
What did these guys ever done to you, citizens of the Purple Palace?!
Spring Break came and went…and I spent it on Dreamweaver and Notepad.
Let’s see…Within the last 30 days, I’ve made changes TWICE, added and edited blog categories, and I still have more work ahead. I goofed around the Alice Project for Java class, and prelim sketches may include a Benny Hill-style sequence sans bikini chicks but plenty of Yakety Sax.
When I heard Pr Jeremiah Wright’s sermon, I thought: Another guy confounding the Two Kingdoms. When I heard the backlash, I thought: I have heard that sentiment before: God has damned America because of something wrong. If you substitute Rev. Falwell and Rev Robertson’s reasons for divine judgment with what Rev Wright mentioned…it’s uncanny. Either way, these pastors have a poor understanding of the spheres of the Church and of the State.
What nature of God were these guys describing? It is a God of all Law and Divine Justice. There is no room for mercy– that God is seeking collateral damage. Pastor Eckardt of Gottesdienst has described that portrayal accurately in one article (PDF reader required):
Here is a god positively brimming with wrath not merely against
abortionists and the like, but against all sinners. Here is a
god in whose memory is no recollection of the blood of
Christ. Such a god is in this respect more terrifying even
than the one imagined in the minds of suicide bombers,
for they must console themselves with the thought that at
least he isn’t mad at them for their self-sacrifice against
the “godless.” In the revealing light of his apology,
Falwell’s faux pas now appears to be more than a mere
blunder—it discloses a dreadful misunderstanding about
the nature of God. Crises will bring out the worst in some
people.
When I go to church, I know what my pastor would preach. He will NOT endorse any candidate, but he will point to a King whose kingdom is not of this world. He will point out the sins of individuals and corporate entities, but he will NOT present a God of collateral damage, but a God Who has cried out on the Cross: “It is finished”. And most of all, my pastor will NOT give me pointers and tips on how to be a better person (social justice, crusades, family values, etc), but he WILL give me the Sacrament! Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. We will join Jesus in his passion. We will remember the One Who died for the sins Wright, Falwell, and Robertson has described. Jesus invites us to His Supper and will give us the cure for the sins we tried and fail to shake off: His own Body and Blood.
I’d dress like a teenage bubblehead, and go out on a date. If he asked me what the heck I am doing with that get up, I’d reply:
“You did NOT object when SHE dressed up that way, Client 9.”
The Nerds series should have stopped at that point when Ogre drank the grog. The straight to TV versions are lackluster. Any fan-fiction material within the Nerd universe would have much better plots and scenarios– even more today with the Internet and all its geekery. Here are some things I’d like to see with fan-fiction:
The Tri-Lambs returned back to Adams College. Ogre realizes that he was woefully deficient in education and wants to learn. He also knew that he will have to deal with the football team– who would make him persona non grata. He worked hard at the books and entered the realm of sports medicine. You remember that arm-wrestling chick? That should have been Ogre’s sweetheart that kept him sane during the transition.
After graduation, the Nerds entered the workforce… but the blankety blank Alpha-Betas attempted to sabotage their advancement. In retaliation, they decided to start a business. (Think Microsoft-style innovation.)
Stan Gable apologized to Ms Childs for his mistreatment towards her and to Lewis. But not before he attempted to win her back when Lewis proposed to her! Along the way, he met his sweetheart…an Omega Nu! He accepted his loss and moved on.
That assumes that the fourth movie is not canon. But if one must use that, imagine this scene:
The Dobsons raised their adopted daughter in the Nerd tradition…but she is torn between style and substance. (Teenage Angst!!!) Booger and her unofficial uncles reminds her that true acceptance is found where one is loved for who she is.
Gary Gygax, the man behind Dungeons and Dragons, died yesterday from conditions related to an abdominal aortic aneurysm. He left behind a huge legacy: the RPG subculture. You may have laughed at the freaks and geeks with graphing paper, dice and plenty of snacks to fuel the campaign– but today’s multi-billion game industry with guilds and gold is the result of that pursuit.
While geekdom will never be the same without Mr Gygax and his creativity, we are assured that we will see him again. He has died with Christ and has relied upon Him for strength. He is now in eternity taking part in the ultimate adventure.
Prayers ascend to his family and his friends.