The Company We Keep

Voice recognition software.  It’s a common enough experience today.  I remember when it wasn’t.  Let me give you a couple of examples.

Johnny Carson (maybe you’re too young) was the “king of late night television” for more years than I know.  One night, he was discussing a new car that would tell you when your door was open.  Should you start your car when one of the doors was not closed all the way, a voice would replace the ‘old ding-ding warning sound’ with the words, “Your door is ajar!”

Although he was thoroughly impressed, he said he'd never buy the car.  It seems that this primitive assistant spoke only in it's native language, that being Japanese!  A video search was not successful but this line still makes me laugh.

Invisible Walls

“It was the way of things.  Gage had seen it lots of times.  People lost interest quickly.  They lost interest even faster when there was no story to keep them hooked.  She was just a dead girl on a beach.  She could have been anybody, and if she wasn’t anybody, then she was a nobody.  It was hard to care about a nobody.  It was like trying to hang a picture on an invisible wall.’  The Grey and The Guilty Sea by Scott William Carter

It happens once in a while that something just sinks its teeth into me and says, “Pay attention”.  Then I’m faced with a choice.  Pay attention or don’t, try on the thoughts presenting themselves, or don’t.

Today, I’m paying attention.  A small paragraph in a book of fiction strikes again.

• “It’s the way of things.”
• “It was hard to care about a nobody.”
• “It was like trying to hang a picture on an invisible wall.”

Many Rooms

At a number of Sunday mornings over the many years I've been around, I've heard about Ancient Near East wedding customs.  I've heard that Jesus compared bridegroom/bride relationships to God/Church relationships.  But perhaps I wasn't paying attention as much as I should have been.

I know about the patriarchal society in biblical times.  I know that marriage was arranged and that consideration was given.  I've heard the stories.  I did not know everything, though.

I did not know that at a betrothal, the potential bride was given a cup of wine.  Drinking the wine was her acceptance of the arrangement.  She could, however, refuse the cup!

And Then Comes the Turn

SoulPancake - "We make stuff that matters."

You've might have heard of this company.  The videos published are, more often than not, extremely creative.  Some are hysterical and some are quite deep.  Some - well, nobody manages to make a splash every time!

But on a number of occasions, they make you stop in your tracks and think. These thought provoking videos delve into cultural questions, psychological experiments and even discussions of death.

This particular 2014 SoulPancake video is based on a movement to encourage government sponsored preschool.  Of course, like absolutely everything in our culture today, voices are loud and angry on both sides of the issue.

I'm not advocating any political position.  This is a personal blog about living in Christ and as such, no political opinions are offered. I'm including it here because this one cut deep for some reason.

The kids are all excited.  They're smiling and bubbly and are more than happy to discuss their favorite activities.  And then comes the turn. It shows up at one minute ten seconds into this 2 minute video called, The View From 3 Feet Up.