CharlieHolder.com

While getting on my Twitter account a few minutes ago to think of some clever phrase of 140 characters or less that would adequately describe my day, I noticed one of the most popular topics. It wasn’t just one of the most popular topics, it was the most popular topic at the time.

#yourlame

SERIOUSLY? I don’t claim to know really anything about proper grammar and sentence structure, but I was pretty sure that America knew the difference between “your” and “you’re.” I guess I gave the general public more credit than they deserve.

The inability for people to recognize the difference between those words leads me to believe that we soon may be mixing up other words as well. This could have DISASTROUS effects across the board. Take the word “he’ll” for example. If the general public stopped using the apostrophe in this basic contraction, people might think you are just walking around telling people they are going to Hell. Awkwaaaaaaaaaard.

Or how about the word “won’t?” Devolving that word turns it into the past participle of a word that means “to be in the habit of doing something.” Now you have the exact opposite connotation that you were going for. Instead of saying that you will not do it, you are now talking about how you would like to be in the habit of doing it.

Texting and the Internet have caused people to forget how to spell and how to form words. Let me put it in a different way. The Wikipedia article for SMS language is longer than the article for Transcendentalism. It has 150+ words/phrases and their abbreviations. It kind of reminds me of Swift making fun of Sprat’s notion of “naked speech.”

They have exacted from all their members a close, naked, natural way of speaking; positive expressions, clear senses, a native easiness bringing all things as near the mathematical plainness as they can; and preferring the language of artisans, countrymen, and merchants before that of wits or scholars. —Thomas Sprat, from The History of the Royal Society (1667), Part Two, Section xx, Their Manner of Discourse

Basically he’s talking about how people need to quit using a paragraph to describe something that can be described in one sentence. (I wish I had a cite for what’s next, but I don’t.) So Jonathan Swift comes along and says, “Really? If we go with that logic, eventually people will just be walking around carrying sacks of stuff to point at when they want to talk.” We may not be devolving that low, but I think that his point is definitely valid. Look at how people talk now?

I MEAN SERIOUSLY. YOUR AN IDIOT.

I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT.

When you were dead in your sins… God made you alive with Christ. —Colossians 2:13

Sorry about the audio. Buddy Mike took it on his iPhone.

If you can’t tell from the video, today Amanda and I were baptized. We’ve been thinking about it for quite a while now. Today’s message was really great. The pastor connects the Passover passage in Luke 22:7-20 to current day, that He is the passover lamb who gave His body for us.

My friend Molly has a great blog about connecting her personal life to Christ. In one of her posts, she talks a little bit about doing some people watching and finding a man that is utterly enthralled by his steaming cup of Starbucks coffee, that he probably paid way too much for.

I took a look at my life. I love Molly’s quote and I want to steal it.

Sometimes I feel like maybe he paid way too much for it, but today, well, I would like to make it worth his while.

It was time that I took a bigger step of obedience and gave my body for him.

Last night while Amanda and I were at our small group meeting, I had the opportunity to  pray for the group and didn’t. I got so upset afterward that it almost ruined the rest of my night.  I was so upset at myself for not having the confidence to speak up.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. The last time was at church for a prayer meeting. I came last because of class and it had already started. I got super scared to walk in late and make noise while everyone was sitting around in silence.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. —Romans 8:26

I wish I could put into better words the feeling that I have. It doesn’t feel like doubt or like I’m scared. I can’t explain it. And I know that I don’t need to be able to express the feeling. That God will hear and understand.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. —1 John 4:18

LORD, I pray that I would learn to love you more. Your word tells me that I should not be afraid, for there is no fear in love.

Charlie and I were driving downtown for dinner last night. I was telling him about an epsiode of road rage I had earlier that day and how ashamed I was for the way I reacted. As I was finishing the story, we pulled behind a car that was going really slow in the far left lane of 75. I’m sure you can imagine what happened next. Charlie flashed his lights, but the car refused to get over. So deceiding to teach the driver a lesson, he pulls around him and then proceeds to drive slowing in front of his vehicle.

The driver didn’t react, but a car driving in the HOV lane to our left pulled passed us, and the passenger craned her neck to look at us. She was trying to make it very clear that she saw what we did and didn’t approve. So, I waved at her. I mean she obviously thought she knew us, right? Why else would she be trying so hard to look at us?

She did not appreciate this at all. In fact, she disliked it so much that she thought she’d show me how much she disliked my waving by waving a middle finger of her own. Now I know what you’re thinking; this is Atlanta, having someone flick you off is part of the charm of this city. Oh but it gets better.

Now I’m ashamed to say this, but instead of being the bigger person and letting it go, I decided to egg her on and continued to wave. At this point, I’m pretty sure she lost it. Either that or she was already nuts to begin with because they pulled up next to our car, and she rolled down her window. I thought she was going to yell at us but instead she attempts to spit on our car.

I don’t know if you ever tried to spit out of a car going 70 mph, but it’s not an easy task. Most of the time you end up spitting on your own car or back in your face. What an idiot?!? Who tries to spit on someone’s car? Now that’s classy!

ZOMG HAHAHAHAHAHAHA