Budget Woes

Being on the road to marriage introduces one to a number of things; wedding planning, cake testing, furniture searching as a couple (and all that registry stuff too,) to name only a few. When you have two individuals coming together, you are bound to have a difference of opinion over some issues at least, and marriage and marriage planning tends to show at least a few of those. So when only two people create potential for conflict and differing tastes, it would seem logical that an entire body of political figureheads attempting to work together (they say) would have a bit more conflict than two people in love and actively trying to put the other first.

One more thing that gets brought up both in marriage planning and congress; a budget. Money is here to stay, and a potential source of great conflict. In order for a finances to be healthy, you need to spend as much or less (preferable less) than you take in. At least, thats how it works for most of us. A budget can help immeasurably; they tell you what you do with the money you expect to take in. Once you know what your money in is, you can use that for money out; ie, food, rent, gas, and entertainment. If you are careful and forward thinking, save a little for a rainy day (and a lot for when you retire and social security a ghost of Christmas past) in case that rainy day happens to be a poor economy that kills off your job and you’re unemployed for a few months or years. This is sound advice in any marriage and works just as well for singles/unmarried, and even businesses and any organization that uses money.

For a budget to work though, it requires work. There needs to be a budget in the first place to work off of. If you only guess that you need X and that it’ll cost you Y this week, you’re going to end up forgetting a lot, unless you have eidetic memory something most of use are not blessed/cursed with. Once a budget is formulated and tested to work well (you’ve accounted for most unusuals and all the normal expenses of living) you’ll have in effect spend all the money you make for that period of time you budgeted. This is ok, because knowing where your money goes means you can move bits of it elsewhere as you wish to eliminate unnecessary spending.

In addition to work, a budget required patience and self-control. Even if you have a wonderful budget that is workable, lets you save a healthy amount and spend on what you’d like for entertainment, if can still fail if you cannot control your spending. Impulse buyers especially have difficulty reigning in their wants to what they have afforded themselves. Sometimes, on the other hand, an unforeseen expense will crop up that needs to be payed for, and the savings tank is running on empty. One the one hand, charging is an easy and immediately fairly painless way of covering it, but leaves you with dept that needs to be payed for later on. Or you can cut out discretionary spending, tighten up your belt a notch or two and try to cover it by your own financial power. This latter option means a bit of hardship in the immediate, but no longer consequences.

The government, which is a very real kind of marriage, missed the budget session in marriage counseling. The government gains access to funds to spend primarily via taxes and fee’s, and then decides to label those funds as “income” in a manner I personally find distasteful. But the term fits for a budget, which it has. The lesson it missed, however, is that concerning self control and moderating its spending when a shortfall (that time when your income is exceeded by expenses) occurs. See, the government is blessed with the ability to both make money, and increase its income almost arbitrarily; it can decide to increase taxes. And so, when a shortfall occurs, congress will increase taxes and charge the remainder.

Congress, ironically, while being the branch of government to formulate and first vote for a budget, rarely manages to do so on time. The process is that of a squabbling husband and wife, played by the fiscal conservatives and fiscal liberals in it fighting back and forth over what they want in the budget, each threatening to delay the process until the country goes bankrupt, as nearly happened in the last year. For those making the budget, or rather, not making and passing a budget that will ultimately not be held too, there is no penalty for failing to do so, meaning it is governed by people who aren’t being forced to live by their choices and decisions, as everyone else is.

The result of this irresponsible circle is twofold. The national debt, which defaults to each citizen of America (not any illegal immigrants or legal visitors/residents) leaving a huge strain on the nation’s economy. And taxes go up, meaning that strain felt by the citizens from the debt is made heavier by a diminishing of their take home pay. And yet the government feels that this is alright, as long as only a select group of those there pay. Not themselves who actually make the laws, and not their staunchest supporters, those who benefit the most for the myriad of social programs for the poor, but the rich and middle class.

Without the self control to limit its own spending, the government will be long in ending or limiting its debt, if it ever chooses to do so. I have, in my moments of daydreaming of an America without debt, formulated a plan to solve this problem of government overspending and failure to create a budget on time. I also realize that this will never happen, so bear with me. A constitutional amendment to

Congress shall, at least a full month before the fiscal year ends, create and pass a budget that shall cut 5% of the national debt during the upcoming year. That is, the budget shall be balanced and not add to the national debt in any way, and include 5% of the national debt (at least) as a line item to be applied to the removal of the national debt. The first year this legislature goes into effect shall set the low point for this line item for the next 20 years or until the debt is eliminated. Any tax increases shall permanently be applied doubly to each current member of congress until they are revoked, this increase applies to all forms of income; salary, capital gains, or otherwise, all as applicable.

In addition, should congress fail to pass the budget on time, the personal assets of each member of congress shall be held in balance of any deficit that occurs over this time. Any shortfalls that occur during the year shall likewise be paid for by congress out of their own pockets.

Over the next months, I may expand on this idea, but it will be an idle work. The likelihood of any appreciable change being effected by this is microscopic at best. But one can still dream. For now any way.

50 Under $5

In just under 6 weeks (40 days today to be exact) I’ll be getting married, and shortly thereafter, we’ll be headed off to school as a newly wed couple. I do not expect the economy to take a flying leap out of the water during or before that time and right itself, so it’ll be fairly likely that my then wife and I will be surviving on what might be called a limited income. This means Anna and I will both have some incentive to be a bit thrifty and creative. I am therefore starting a themed series of posts, though this may be as long (read: short) lived as some of my previous series. Nonetheless, I shall try, and as ESPN says, you loose 100% of the leagues you don’t sign up for (which means I’ve already lost thousands of leagues this year, despite the 10 I’m in…)
The Mission: Over the next year or so to make 50 dinners or weekend lunches, averaging $5 or less per person fed. Challenge Mode: $5 for the total dinner (assuming two diners).

My mother used to play a game with herself and the grocery bill; figure out how much she spent, per person, on the meal she was preparing, typically dinner. Then, at dinner, she’d ask us all what we thought. For the record, I have three younger brothers, all growing up to be giants among men (apparently I missed that gene) and so my mother had herself and five male stomachs to feed, no mean feat to be sure. And she would amaze us, time and again that this delicious meal (my mother is an amazing cook, and I thank God she passed some of that to me) was made for less than a fast food meal.

Now certainly, the more people you cook for, the easier it is to the get average down, because buying in bulk is a good thing. And yes, prices have risen dramatically over the past X number of years, making some of her feats truly difficult to match. But I’m going to try.  Or do, as Yoda would prefer, as there is no try not. The next year will show me highlighting here about one meal a week where I try especially hard to make it at under 10$ for a full meal, with parts of the food pyramid not composed entirely of fat and sugar, two of my favorites. I’ll try to have 3 colors at the least, and use as fresh foods as I can. I’ll recount my efforts, note the recipes I used (or scribe them down when I make them up myself) and break down the costs I encountered here.

And I’ll kick this recession and eat my cake too.

Responsibility

Responsibility. A single word drenched in meaning, and evocative of all that a generation stood for, and all that one seeks to shirk. People are judged, rightly, on their actions, both in the judicial system, and in the public’s eye. But should people be judged on what they do not do? Perhaps most notably, certainly one of the most visible situations of the last few decades, was in the death of Princess Dianna, when numerous paparazzi stood in the aftermath and collected pictures rather than attempt to help. That she was later found to have had little to no chance of surviving the crash (her seatbelt wasn’t engaged) was generally lost and the paparazzi villainized.

Throughout history events have unfurled where a population or person stood by in place and watched or allowed some event happen later considered evil by many. The Holocaust left many in horror, not just at the atrocity itself, but that it happened. In the americas, and much of the rest of the world, human slavery has been or once was allowed and even promoted. Witch hunts and other similar inquisitions swept through europe with nary a word spoken against them.

Fear, apathy and malice are but a few of the reasons behind such sweeping “evils.” Apathy is the most insidious, perhaps, and allows the host to feel vindicated for not participating, but to benefit from continuing in a kind of status quo, not risking harm to themselves. But inaction allows for more action, and the fallacy of apathy is that by removing even their voice, that freedom Americans especially claim to hold so dear, they are in fact complying with the scheme of those moving forward with their plans.

A lie of omission is a more deliberate example of this problem, and in American courts punishable. Both sides of a trial have the opportunity to omit information to the other side, evidence that legally must be shared. If it is not, then the evidence frequently is withdrawn from consideration. This precedent, I believe, is just. Inaction is a form of action. Reasonable effort should be given when called for. In today’s world of politics especially, those who do not vote, should have no voice to raise when things don’t go their way. By refusing to vote, they have said they do not care to influence the world around them and by extension are fine with how things turn out, however they do.

Old People and Things That Go Vroom!

They say, whoever “they” are, that you get wiser as you get older. You’re eyes also start to go, along with the rest of you, proving, perhaps that balance does exist in the universe on some level. But a curious statistic exists, and stereotypes are drawn from it, as stereotypes are wont to do; unless you are middle aged and have been driving a while, you’re rather likely to get in an accident of some sort, and it will likely be your fault. While young drivers are given most of the blame and certainly penalized the most, the elderly as well merit some attention, as well as those in between.

A bell curve of sorts exists; those young drivers, so reckless and unpracticed, in their bright red cars and raging hormones, will get into crashes almost regularly, and older folk will sometimes forget their first days driving and point to immaturity when mishap happens. Ironically perhaps, young drivers grow up to matured middle-aged drivers, cruising around in cars their younger selves thought wasted on those too old to have any fun with.

And they drive generally well, according to that almighty god Statistics. But then Irony lends her hand and Chaos takes it to create the more than mature driver. Many do not fully notice this transition, and certainly many or maybe most older drivers continue to get better with age, as some things are like to do. And they just keep on getting better, that ticket they used to get every year or so for speeding now comes only on every third year, when they forget to use the turn signal, or it plain malfunctions and you’re handed a write up for maintenance.

And life goes on perfectly fine until grandpa drives through farmers’ market. Or grandma doesn’t realize that that speedbump a few moments ago was actually someones stroller, thankfully devoid of its human cargo now crying in mother’s arms. Senses begin to fail and so will memory. Glasses, once needed only for reading, now are all that keep them going on the road, and focusing from near to farther distance is hazardous at best. Hearing may have gone a bit so that growling Harley you once loved to ride, isn’t even noticeable next to you and may become the victim of an accidental sideswipe during the changing of lanes.

Time is a cruel mistress, prone to handing maturity and frailty in the same basket, but not always. Occasionally, she smiles on a favored friend and grants the former without the latter. Just as some young drivers may put their elders to shame with road etiquette and good skills, so may some senior drivers continue driving along with not a mishap, perfectly aware of the road and all they need to be fine drivers.

The most important means of keeping the roads safe is the training of good driving skills, the encouragement of maintaining those skills, and honesty. All relationships at some level need honesty to be maintained and survive, and flourish. The road is no different; it is a common ground to all walks of life, even to those incapable of driving themselves, either to young, or old enough to have surrendered the reigns. Honesty of when that time has come to give them up is important, and should be the first judge of when someone stops, not a law.

On Abortion

Today, the case of the unborn fertilized human embryo is under hot debate. To one side of the argument, called the anti-abortion or “pro-life” camp, the embryo is an unborn baby, brimming full of life and practically pleading to be brought to term and then birth. The other side, the abortion right’s or “pro-choice” camp, labels this embryo as a fetus, frequently in an unfavorable light. The past forty years in America has seen a see sawing of public interest and involvement intros issue. Briefly, I will establish a case for the unborn fetus as a person to whom constitutional rights ought to be extended.

Most important to this argument, perhaps, is the question of when exactly a “person” ceases to be a fetus and becomes a baby, or more simply, when a fetus becomes a person. Pro-choice advocates will claim that until the mother’s body has been evacuated, the unborn fetus is not a person, and so afforded none of the rights they would extend to a truly living, breathing human. Pro-life advocates point to the unique DNA of the baby, created or blended from mother and father at the point of inception months or weeks previously. Considering that this same DNA is used by law enforcement to track down both criminals and missing persons, this is a fairly strong claim to life, eventual life at the very least. Later on, fingerprints and a heartbeat begin to show up in this unborn person.

Less important than the realization of life and individuality, but nonetheless of great importance to this debate, is the classification of person in a constitutional sense. While the constitution itself does not specify what exactly a person is, and indeed, the matter of that question has been in a state of flux since the constitution’s inception, there does exist some precedence to aid the answering of this question. With the exception of corporations, all persons influenced by the constitution are human. A seemingly trivial point this is, but important nonetheless; voting persons were only landowning white men once upon a time. This bottlenecking of voters has gradually been expanded upon, first to those not land owning, then to men of all ethnicity, then finally to women. With the vote, comes an inevitable expansion of rights to the new group.

But the right to vote is not the mark by which a human is granted the benefits of the constitution, rather it is a benefit to some of those who are affected, a subgroup of the true body of persons. Without doubt, once a baby has been born (and at the very least at this moment the word is the appropriate term to use) it receives constitutional protection. Abortion itself is illegal in America after this moment, and termed murder and infanticide. This reversal is disingenuous; for more than a month before “term” a baby that is born has a fairly decent chance to live given even a relatively normal level of care. Even significantly before term can a baby survive if given the attention and medical aid.

Because there is no doubt as to the eventual form of a fetus, that is a fertilized human embryo, is in fact a human being that will generally become a functioning member of society at some level given the opportunity to life, I feel that a fetus/baby/fertilized embryo ought to have the very same constitutional rights afforded a born baby, at the very least.

(This was a short paper for critical thinking, written at night with no proofreading, so yeah…)

Path of the Gods

So, one of the game’s I’m running on Myth-Weavers just started, and as a sideshow to the actual game I’m writing a narrative to show the progress of the trio of gods who just managed to save a few of their people from a fallen planet. In a move somewhat reminiscent of the Biblical Account of the Tower of Babel, a number of the survivors were shunted across space and time into a new world, where they were dropped into groups of about sixty by race. Sadly, the halflings didn’t make it. This act should have burned out entirely the two gods taking part in it, and did kill all the mortals involved, but something happened….

Stuff I learned in China…

As some who check in here on a monthly/weekly/biweekly basis know, I recently spent three weekend in China on a business trip with Wasco, the place I work. I learned a number of esoteric, trivial, and helpful tips along the way, along with a mix of all of those things (because those people who need to know those esoterically trivial yet also helpful tips I learned are either in possession of said knowledge or won’t ever read this). Fun fact, the period goes *outside* the parenthesis at the end of a sentence most of the time. Go figure, only took me 23 years to figure that out. Without further ado, here are a few tips and trivia.

The Word of God

A week late (to say nothing of A Day Late,) and I am back here again with a completed review. This chapter is titles “The Word of God” and deals with defining a key term that will likely be used frequently in the rest of the book. Ironically, as I missed my review from last week, the chapter is a rather spartan six pages long, something I was rather surprised to see and which brought a bit of chagrin to my face. Reading through took me only a quarter hour or so as there are no over complicated ideas or terms to grapple with, which brings me to the first of several definitions of the “Word of God” brought up in the  chapter.

The first example used for the Word of God is as a person, Person rather. As an aside, whenever I write, I will differentiate my use of god(s) and God, including the other forms and pronouns used to describe the Judeo-Christian God of whom I hold a belief in as a personal savior, with capitalism. In this instance, Word of God is used a few times in the NT (New Testament) as a name or title for Jesus Christ, see John 1:1 and Revelation 19 to piece together that pairing (as well as citing that Christ was indeed there from the beginning, and not a later manifestation/inception of God.) In this usage, Christ is a communicator, since words are typically used to communicate and rarely of use otherwise.

Another meaning is of the literal words of God, ie. He spoke to Moses from the burning bush, a familiar story to many. There are several times in the Bible where God speaks to man and the words are recorded, either directly, or in summary. Genesis shows God walking in the Garden of Eden with Adan and Eve, literally talking with them daily. Later, Moses talks with God, and is occasionally so affected even physically by the event that the rest of the Israelites can hardly see around him for a time afterwards. One powerful example of God speaking to Moses is when God tells Moses “I Am that I Am” and goes on to tell the Israelites that “I Am” sent him. This is a claim to be self-existing, not having a beginning nor an end, as Nietzsche has said. During Christ’s incarnation (a period when He was fully God and man, a deep paradox in and of itself) He spoke to many, and those words are called out in many Bibles with red letters, giving rise to the term “Red Letter Day” for a time of unusual import. These “red letters” of the Gosples are also the words of God.

As above I mostly touched on the literal speaking of God; the red letters and “I Am” statements where the actual words have been recorded and are able to go through. Closely tied into this are those words that God and Jesus (separated here for ease of mentally picturing, though they are both “God”) spoke, but where the idea was of the message is all we have, not always the direct words. This is viewable in many of the prophets, where occasionally you get the whole dialogue (Jonah and Job, some may recall, actually had verbal slugfests and questionings with God.)

The next facet is a kind of Will of God, visible in the beginning parts of Genesis as well as in other parts of the Bible. Gen 1:3 (NIV) states,

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

His word, in this case, was a sort of extension of His will. Word -> Action. The Psalms are full of times detailing when God’s word acts in this manner.

The form of God’s Word pertaining to the main focus of Sys Theo is the Bible, the conglomerate of all of the other forms. As the primary remaining means of revelation to man by God, this study is appropriate. The Bible itself is a remarkable book, having been written across millennia (roughly 1500 years,) in three major languages, and by a number of human authors. Containing history, poetry, teaching and prophesy of future times, the Bible has a wide range of content from a purely human perspective.
From the assumption that the Bible is sole source of Truth, the Bible gains a second, more important, purpose than a mundane book. Because we hold to the belief that the Bible is the Word of God, meaning here the divinely inspired words written through a human medium, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16) In what could almost be the thesis statement of the Bible, though it comes near the end, Paul, who is speaking to a younger believer in a role of leadership, relays the truth that being Inspired, the Bible is useful for a great many things. As Systematic Theology is the study of what the Bible tells us on any given topic, this passage dovetails neatly with a study of systematic theology and reminds what purpose the Bible holds; that of teaching and correcting.
A question of what is the Bible, meaning why is the Bible 66 books, and why those particular 66 books, is natural at this point, to both the studies believer and also to everyone else. Many other books, or sections have been put forth through history as Canon or on the same level as the Bible, and some believe that parts of the Bible out to be omitted for various reasons. Wisely, the very next chapter deals with this issue, and if it does not do so to the extent I would like it to, I’ll take a break and write up my own separate section for this issue.

An Introduction to Systematic Theology

Recently, and by recently I mean a good two months or more ago, I purchased a copy of Wayne Grudem’s “Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine” and more recently (about a week ago,) I decided I should get around to reading it. Now, this book has long been a familiar sight in my father’s study (remember, he is a pastor) and while it may not be his favorite consolidated systematic theology, it is the one I am most familiar with, having seen many copies at Master’s.  I finished about 3pm Sunday afternoon, after sporadic reading through the week, and as I’d decided upon my start, I am writing a review on the chapter.

But first, an introduction to this great tome of a book. Weighing in at several pounds, almost 1,300 pages, and approximately 0.2 font size, I knew from the get go that this book would quite possibly the most ambitious undertaking I’ve had in a long time. Further, this is a systematic theology, which is ” any study that answers the question, ‘What does the Bible teach us today?’ about any given topic.” The reason this book is so large and dense (trust me here; I can read Shakespeare without too much difficulty, I have a feeling I’ll be working this book like a tough bit of steak) is because of that definition, given in this first chapter. A book such as this is a sort of Christian Wikipedia; information on a great many topics, occasionally flawed and therefore most worth studying with a careful, “Borean” eye and through the lens of the Bible itself.

It would seem appropriate that the first chapter of Sys Theo (which I shall frequently abbreviate for ease of typing) is an introduction of this topic of “systematic theology.” Grudem begins the first paragraph of the official chapter with the above definition of what a systematic theology is, quoted from his mentor John Frame. Shortly thereafter he continues with a definition of “doctrine” which is “what the thole Bible teaches us today about some particular topic.” In non-Biblical terms, roughly speaking, doctrine is to systematic theology what physics is to science as a whole; a more focused part of a whole.

Wayne moves on to a short outline of the major doctrines and outline of his book; the doctrines of the Word of God, of God, of Man, of Christ and the Holy Spirit, of the Application of Redemption, of the Church, and finally, of the Future, for a total of seven major parts. The entire book is fifty seven chapters long, so at a chapter a week, I should be done about by my birthday next year, when I turn the ripe, venerable age of twenty four. This distinction of seven major doctrines brings up the need to mention the difference between major and minor doctrines, important because there are a great deal of differences in beliefs concerning both in Christianity today, and can frequently become the focus of aggression.

Major doctrine, in my words, are the real meat and potatoes, those points that I would say all true believers would agree on, or that are foundational tenants of Christianity. Among these, but not limited to, are the fallen nature of man, man’s need to be saved from this fallen nature and their inadequacy to do so themselves, and Christ’s sacrifice enabling the salvation (saving) of man. There is much more, and all of which merit much more expanding, but the general idea is presented, and all of which I will either cover in review, or expand upon myself at some point.

Minor doctrine, therefor, are the things that are less structural in a saving faith sort of way. Not quite foundational, but important in the way that they give a fuller, more perfect understanding in what the Bible teaches on said topic. Christians frequently disagree on these points, have for millennia, and likely will until the world ends. Spiritual gifts, the Millennial Kingdom, and TULIP (actually an inter-connected group of five doctrinal issues) are a few of these. Saving grace isn’t affected by these for the most part, but they do affect daily living. Minor doctrine is to major doctrine as Chemistry is to Physics in the above analogy; more specific and involved.

Back to the actual book, Grudem moves on to explain what his focus of Sys Theo is not; namely a Biblical Theology, Christian Apologia, Historical Theology, or even a study on Christian Ethics. While all of those have a finger in the pie of systematic theology, which in turn has a finger in each of theirs. I’ll cover each a bit more in depth sometime in the future, as each deserve much more than I could dedicate in this post. Systematic theology, further boiled down is what God wants us to believe and know, and a stumbling point becomes when the “total weight of the teaching of the scriptures” is applied, rather than cherry picking certain passages to fit your view of things.

Integral to any study of the Bible from a truly Christian point of view are two initial assumptions, and I’ve quoted the stated versions of them here.

1. “That the Bible is true and that it is, in fact, our only absolute source for truth”
2. “That the God who is spoken of in the Bible exists, and that He is who the Bible says He is: the Creator of Heaven and Earth and all things in them.”

Those are powerful statements, and the entire Christian faith hangs on them, the apostle Paul himself said,

“12Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” 1 Corinthians 15 : 12-19

As the purpose of these reviews is to study a systematic theology, and I personally believe in those assumptions, this blog will continue on holding to both of them, unashamedly.

The chapter ends with a subsection titled “How Should Christians Study Systematic Theology?” which I will outline. We, that is Christians studying sys theo, should study with Prayer, that meditation and communion with God that has been given to all Christians. Which honestly looks rather silly just reading it plain, but as the wisdom of Christ is foolishness to the world, we get to run with it, after all, basket ball players and baseball pitchers get those silly arm warmers, and we’ve been praying for over two thousand years. With Humility, there are issues here that have been under discussion, both gentle and violent, for hundreds of years, and are not likely to be “solved” pre-kingdom come. Inevitably everyone has some “baggage” (to steal a picture from my dad) that is simply wrong, and a careful, honest study of scripture will eventually point us in the correct direction if we are willing to admit we might be wrong when presented with the entirety of the facts. I struggle here personally as an extremely opinionated person; being wrong is loosing, and I hate loosing.

Reason is another part of how to study. Much of the New Testament was written in Greek-influenced areas of the world in a time when logic was the ultimate virtue, and Paul especially was a logical reasoner. Feelings are frequently a tainter of thought and can get in the way of our foundational assumptions here. If we accept those assumptions, then there will be truth only in the Bible, and while we may encounter seeming paradoxes (the Trinity being one) we must do our best to understand them and accept that there are some things that human thought simply cannot comprehend.

Aiding the reasoning process is Help from others. I have personally been blessed with an abundance of wise and godly men in my life, my father and grandfather among them, and both of whom I do not hesitate to call upon when I need the help. Along with Help is looking at All the evidence available. Properly understanding the entire context of passage, as well as all passages on any given topic is necessary to come to the most perfect conclusion possible.

Finally, Wayne Grudem gives up a final way to study; that with Rejoicing and Praising. This is only logical, anyone making a positive discovery will cheer, shout happily, fist pump, break out the champagne, or some combination thereof. While our discovery will not be anything truly previously unknown to humanity, it is rather a progression along on that journey to become closer to Christ, as we are commanded.

The chapter ends with a small slew of extra goodies, as all chapters in the book do. Questions for personal application, always beneficial to help one “dig deeper” on their own, a list of special terms to search back for, and a bibliography for further reading are the first few. A Scripture memory passage relating to the content of the previous chapter, (here Matt 28 : 18-20) and a closing Hymn, usually relating to the chapter as well, though a general hymn of praise here “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” close out the book.

As I said earlier, a chapter a week (which is doable for me) will take me just over a year and I will truly do my best to not only stick to that reading, but also to this weekly review. There may be times I flat out disagree and am totally wrong, there may be times I agree and am totally wrong, and I know there will be times I agree and am right, and times I disagree and will be right. It is my hope that going through this study I become better able to present a logical and correct systematic theology in the future and grow from this study. My hope would also be that whoever reads this blog is edified as well, and point out where I might be wrong myself in my conclusions or stated beliefs.

In closing, I do plan on having a few posts each week, and this series only one those. Even if you totally don’t care about systematic theology, either because you find it a waste of time, or just don’t believe as me, I would urge you to read along with me, and ask me some questions when you have them. I bet it won’t hurt, and you might learn a thing or two. Until next time, Adieu!

Wonder Diapers!

A curious thing happened last night at the dinner table. My grandparents and Anna were talking and somehow the conversation got turned to Wonder Woman and I mentioned how they’re changing her costume (along with practically every other Superhero/villain in either major multiverse) to something other than patriotic diapers. Now, this Superheroin is one of the few my grandparents are actually familiar with. Somehow, having raised two boys through the Bronze age of comic books, they managed to fumble their Knowledge: Comics rolls almost every time, so this familiarity is something to be amazed at. For the record, here is the Classic Wonder Woman, and the reboot version.

The curious thing, however, is not that my grandparents recognized who is probably the most iconic comic female superhero of all time, but rather that they prefer the old costume to the new one. And by the way, that older version I picked was a bit more modest than most; the corset usually shows a bit more cleavage, though this one is less diaper than modern swimsuit bottom. Here’s the Lynda Carter TV series rendition, featuring that horrid bottom.

See what I mean? So compared to the corset of truth, and diapers of patriotism, this new, far more mosdestly (and dare I say comfortably?) dressed Wonder Woman is “tacky.” For those of you at home, Tacky is “showing poor taste and quality.” I won’t comment on the quality, though I’m definitely not a fan of most people running around in spandex, but the taste bit was rather ironic to me. Yes, I will admit she now looks a bit more grungy, though maybe I’m biased in actually liking that look a wee tad. But at the very least, she’s much more covered up than before.

I know the comic world is going through a huge group of changes right now, with more reboots occurring than in  recent memory. The X-Men series of films have hit their fifth movie in the last few weeks, Green Lantern is out, and the Avengers movie should be out next year. The world’s first black Batman has been released, Barbara Gordon, the Batgirl turned wheelchair-ridden Oracle, is now able to walk again after 23 odd years.   Even Star Trek is getting some new love. So big changes happening all the time. I’m a big webcomic guy, and one of these day’s I’ll do a review of the ones I read and why, but particularly germane to today’s post is The Gutters a webcomic making fun of the comic industry at large, drawn by a multitude of artists from other webcomics and written by a Red Bull addict of great talent.

All that to say is maybe I’m a little crazy (which I am, no doubt, either you know this or you don’t know me yet.) I may be the only person I know who likes the change, but I admit I do like it. Remember folks, unless you’re older than 55 or younger than 3, just say no to diapers.