This Makes My Blood Boil

Have you heard the story about the firefighters suing the city of San Diego?

Evidently, they were ordered to march in a gay pride parade, against their will. They were ordered to go to the parade, and were made to believe that if they did not comply, they would be fired or suspended.

While at the parade, some of the spectators taunted the firemen with vile sexual comments. This article goes more into that. Also there were anti-homosexual demonstrators, thinking that the firefighters were going along willingly, who were making negative comments towards them as well.

This whole situation makes me so angry, I just want to spit. Not at the firefighters, but at the people that thought that they had the right to force someone else's morality like this. And not only that, but putting them into a situation where it was likely that people would make comments like the ones they heard. I hope they win big time. If I was on the jury, this is one case where I'd feel like awarding the big bucks. Normally I think that juries award way too much.

I don't think that I could have marched in that parade, no matter what my boss said. I would have probably disobeyed the order, allowed them to fire me, and then I'd sue their pants off for religious discrimination. But I really can't blame these firefighters for wanting to keep their jobs and doing what they were told. I feel so bad for them. I really hope that they win in court.

Don't know what the world is coming to these days. Some days you just want to pray for the rapture.

Talking To Kids About Tragedy

Today Way Of The Master Radio was talking a little bit about responses to the bridge collapse. I guess some psychologists were talking on the radio, saying that you need to shield your kids from this sort of thing so that they don't get scared.

I've never really had that mentality with my daughter. She is now 5. During Hurricane Katrina, I didn't try to hide what was going on from her. I turned the television to Fox News, told her that some people might be hurt, and that we needed to pray for them.

I've always considered bad things happening to be a springboard for further discussion. Not to scare her, but to let her know how to behave. We were watching television once and they had a report about a guy looking at little girls in an inappropriate manner while they were at Toys R Us. It was an opportunity to remind her that nobody should ever touch her where her bathing suit goes, unless they are a doctor and they're supposed to be looking there (or someone is changing a baby's diaper).

So when the bridge collapsed, I didn't turn the channel when she was in the room. For the most part she is disinterested, and that's fine. As much as she's aware, I'm not going to hide it from her. Yesterday I asked her about who made the bridge collapse... "God" was her answer. It didn't seem scary to her, and if she asked me "why would God kill those people" I would have an answer for her... that everybody has a choice of whether they want Jesus to be their savior or not, and those that believe will go to Heaven.

If we don't let our children know that bad things happen sometimes, how are they supposed to know how to deal with them when they do happen? How are they supposed to learn not to put their hand on the stove if we don't let them know that it is hot and scary, or that walking out in the middle of the road is dangerous? When scary things happen, why not use it as a springboard to teach them? Children are not stupid. If we as adults are acting like something is amiss they will pick up on it.

My daughter looks forward to Heaven. She knows that one day Jesus is coming back, and that he might come back any day. She knows that the worst that can happen is if she died she would go to Heaven, which is better than Disneyland.

Hansel and Gretel, on the other hand, scares her. So I don't read it to her. Evidently imaginary witches living in candy houses in the middle of the forest = scary, collapsing bridges... not so scary.

Bridge Collapse In Minneapolis

If you keep up with the news, you might have already heard of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis over the Mississippi river. At least six people died... ABC has some pictures and information here.

There was no earthquake. It just happened. Bridges usually don't just collapse for no reason, but apparently, it did today. Now engineers may find a reason as they investigate, but there is no reason that jumps right out to the casual observer.

It just shows you how fragile life is. One day, you can wake up, go to work, and on the way home something like this happens. Perfectly healthy people, even professional athletes, sometimes have heart attacks right out of the blue. Your home can be robbed and during the robbery you can lose your life, or you could be hit by a drunk driver coming home from dinner some night.

Our lives are so fragile. Earlier this week, we lost four people in a helicopter collision in Arizona. Nobody could have predicted that. And nobody could have predicted this bridge collapse.

One day, it could be any day... it could be before I finish writing this... Jesus will be coming back for his people. He will come back for those of us who have repented of our sins and trusted him as our savior. Which doesn't mean that we don't still sin... we don't want to sin, and when we do, we feel bad about it.

Those that do not trust Jesus as their savior will be left behind to face God's judgement and wrath. Similarly, if we live our lives as we wish, and never repent of our sins and trust in Jesus, sudden destruction and wrath will come upon us eventually. It could come in the form of a heart attack, a freak stingray accident, or a bridge collapse. We just don't know. None of us know how many breaths we have left. Every second we get upon this Earth is a gift from God, and none of us are guaranteed another.

I pray for the families of those who were left behind in this bridge accident. I pray for the emergency workers who may still be out there trying to help. I pray for the entire community in Minneapolis, as I'm sure that this will effect them greatly. I hope that those who lost their lives had trusted Jesus as their savior, but whatever the outcome, it is too late for them to change it now.

As an aside note, I know that the Way of the Master Radio is based in Minnesota. I pray especially for all those that work at WOTM, and hope that none of them were hurt in the accident.