In the last few weeks I have traveled by car in Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The beauty of these states is indescribable! The tall corn in the fields, the hay freshly cut and baled, the livestock, and the numerous varieties of blooming flowers, crepe myrtles, and tall southern pine trees, all give one a greater appreciation of the beauties of nature.
One may feel the heat from the blazing southern summer sun and see thunder clouds forming on the horizon. One may feel a cool breeze blow as the storm clouds gather and smell the ozone as the rain draws near and large drops of rain begin falling. Steam rises from the hot pavement when the rain falls. The beautiful lakes and rivers provide boating fun and recreation.
To be able to eat "new" potatoes, fresh buttered corn, red ripe tomatoes, yellow squash, onions, okra, green beans, and cucumbers (accompanied by cornbread) is a great culinary experience. There is nothing quite as tasty as fresh vegetables and fruits from the garden. The ponds teeming with grain-fed catfish give promise of a delicious dinner of fried catfish, hushpuppies and coleslaw (usually served with either green onions or a big slice of sweet onions). Barbeque pork (pulled or chopped), pork ribs, and barbeque slaw dogs, or barbeque chicken with white sauce, slaw, baked beans, homemade pickles, and potato salad accompanied by a tall glass of sweet southern iced tea are part of southern culture. Homemade pecan pie and ice cream are a great way to finish off such a meal.
Lightning bugs, the baying of hounds, the lowing of cattle, and the croaking of frogs and crickets are great sights and sounds to southerners. There is something unique about being out in the country on the farm in the late evening, sitting in a swing as the sun sets and the calm and quiet shades of night begin to creep in. The sweet scent of honeysuckle vines fill the air. There is nothing quite so peaceful or relaxing.
I know why those who live in the south love the south.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Insults against southern folks
As mentioned in an earlier post, I enjoy the south and the way people express themselves in southern English. There are many native southerners who are very highly educated and many who have contributed so much to the greatness and success of America. Most southerners I know are highly intelligent, industrious, entrepreneurial, and patriotic. They are good, down-to-earth people. They are mostly very deeply religious people with strong convictions.
It is for all the above reasons that I deeply resent the often expressed arrogant attitude of some from outside the south who refer to all southerners in condescending ways. Some joke about "red-necks." And, as they say the phrase, they do it with an attitude and tone of disgust and disdain. They do it as though they are so far above a southerner in all aspects of life that the southerner is less than a piece of garbage. Many of us who live or have lived in the south can take a joke, even a "red-neck" joke. Some of them are very funny! We can laugh at ourselves and our "ways." But, do not try to belittle us and act as though we are stupid!
I am here to testify that most southerners can hold their own with almost anyone! I find it very interesting that many from outside the south who hold southerners in such disdain are the very ones who would claim to be educated, compassionate, accepting, open-minded, and liberal in thought toward all other groups of people. The trouble is that some folks really believe that all southerners are stupid, ignorant, illiterate, backwoodsy slobs who drive pick-up trucks with gun racks, chew tobacco and spit, and cuss. Actually (with apologies to Jeff Foxworthy whose humor I enjoy), there are some "rednecks" in the south. I must admit that there are a few folks like that whom I have known. But, there is another meaning to the term "red-neck" of which many are not aware. Many do not understand that the "red" neck is actually "red" from hard working in the sun from "sun-up" to "sun-down." Further, many "red" necks are the result of native American Indian heritage. The dark skin turns deep red and dark brown when one is in the sun for long periods of time. Many southerners derive their ancestry (in part) from the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek Indian tribes.
A few years ago a young woman of my acquaintance from the midwest traveled in the south for the very first time. She traveled through Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama all the way to the Gulf coast. When she returned to the midwest she said, "It was so beautiful in Alabama! I did not know it was so pretty." Of course it is. Many have known the beauty of the southern states for years. And, many have known the beauty and genteelness of southern hospitality and the wonderful smells and delicious flavors of down-home southern cooking!
Another midwesterner who traveled in the south for the very first time a few years ago, spoke with disgust about the wood-frame houses with washing machines on the front porches in the rural areas. He bemoaned the poverty in the south, and how backward it was. I guess he did not stop to think about the slums and ghettos in the north and midwest where people live on top of one another in poverty-stricken, drug-infested, high-crime, high-rises!
Some of those who speak so disparagingly of their fine fellow American brethren from the south should remember that were it not for farming in the south and midwest, one might not be able to go to a grocery store in his neighborhood and pick up a can of peas, beans, corn, tomatoes, or other fruits or vegetables (peaches, pecans, or peanuts from Alabama, Mississippi, or Georgia), or a bag of rice (from South Carolina or Arkansas). One might not be able to go to the department store and buy that nice cotton shirt or blouse! After all, the cotton in that shirt was probably grown and picked somewhere in the south (from Texas to the southern Atlantic coastal states). And, that beautiful, fine furniture in the furniture store may have been manufactured in North Carolina.
Many Americans outside the south are unaware of just how modern and highly industrialized much of the south is. And, many of the nation's highest rated colleges and universities (both public and private) are in the southern states. Some of the most highly educated and highly paid people in the USA live in Huntsville, Alabama where technology reigns.
All Americans need to appreciate the contributions of one another to our total society. Grouping together people of one race, ethnicity, region, gender, or religion, and condemning or low-rating them is just about as narrow-minded and prejudiced as one can be. It is also very stupid!
In Matthew 7:1-4, Jesus said,
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
It is for all the above reasons that I deeply resent the often expressed arrogant attitude of some from outside the south who refer to all southerners in condescending ways. Some joke about "red-necks." And, as they say the phrase, they do it with an attitude and tone of disgust and disdain. They do it as though they are so far above a southerner in all aspects of life that the southerner is less than a piece of garbage. Many of us who live or have lived in the south can take a joke, even a "red-neck" joke. Some of them are very funny! We can laugh at ourselves and our "ways." But, do not try to belittle us and act as though we are stupid!
I am here to testify that most southerners can hold their own with almost anyone! I find it very interesting that many from outside the south who hold southerners in such disdain are the very ones who would claim to be educated, compassionate, accepting, open-minded, and liberal in thought toward all other groups of people. The trouble is that some folks really believe that all southerners are stupid, ignorant, illiterate, backwoodsy slobs who drive pick-up trucks with gun racks, chew tobacco and spit, and cuss. Actually (with apologies to Jeff Foxworthy whose humor I enjoy), there are some "rednecks" in the south. I must admit that there are a few folks like that whom I have known. But, there is another meaning to the term "red-neck" of which many are not aware. Many do not understand that the "red" neck is actually "red" from hard working in the sun from "sun-up" to "sun-down." Further, many "red" necks are the result of native American Indian heritage. The dark skin turns deep red and dark brown when one is in the sun for long periods of time. Many southerners derive their ancestry (in part) from the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek Indian tribes.
A few years ago a young woman of my acquaintance from the midwest traveled in the south for the very first time. She traveled through Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama all the way to the Gulf coast. When she returned to the midwest she said, "It was so beautiful in Alabama! I did not know it was so pretty." Of course it is. Many have known the beauty of the southern states for years. And, many have known the beauty and genteelness of southern hospitality and the wonderful smells and delicious flavors of down-home southern cooking!
Another midwesterner who traveled in the south for the very first time a few years ago, spoke with disgust about the wood-frame houses with washing machines on the front porches in the rural areas. He bemoaned the poverty in the south, and how backward it was. I guess he did not stop to think about the slums and ghettos in the north and midwest where people live on top of one another in poverty-stricken, drug-infested, high-crime, high-rises!
Some of those who speak so disparagingly of their fine fellow American brethren from the south should remember that were it not for farming in the south and midwest, one might not be able to go to a grocery store in his neighborhood and pick up a can of peas, beans, corn, tomatoes, or other fruits or vegetables (peaches, pecans, or peanuts from Alabama, Mississippi, or Georgia), or a bag of rice (from South Carolina or Arkansas). One might not be able to go to the department store and buy that nice cotton shirt or blouse! After all, the cotton in that shirt was probably grown and picked somewhere in the south (from Texas to the southern Atlantic coastal states). And, that beautiful, fine furniture in the furniture store may have been manufactured in North Carolina.
Many Americans outside the south are unaware of just how modern and highly industrialized much of the south is. And, many of the nation's highest rated colleges and universities (both public and private) are in the southern states. Some of the most highly educated and highly paid people in the USA live in Huntsville, Alabama where technology reigns.
All Americans need to appreciate the contributions of one another to our total society. Grouping together people of one race, ethnicity, region, gender, or religion, and condemning or low-rating them is just about as narrow-minded and prejudiced as one can be. It is also very stupid!
In Matthew 7:1-4, Jesus said,
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Ruined by bitterness
“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).
He was a man nobody liked--hard, sullen, taciturn, and sour. If you met him on the street and wished him good-day, he would keep his eyes straight in front of him, grunt sulkily and pass on. He lived in a tumbled-down old hut away back in the bush. He spoke to nobody, and he made it perfectly plain that he wished nobody to speak to him. Even the children shunned him. Some said he was a hermit; some that he was a miser; some that he was a woman-hater; some that he was a fugitive from justice, a man with a guilty secret. But they were all wrong. The simple truth was that in his youth a companion had done him a grievous injury. "I'll remember it to my dying day,'' he hissed, in a gust of passionate resentment.
And he did. But when his dying day actually came, he realized that the rankling memory of that youthful wrong had soured and darkened his whole life. "I've gone over it by myself every morning,'' he moaned, as he lay gasping in his comfortless shanty, "and I've thought of it every night. I've cursed him a hundred times each day. I see now,'' he added brokenly, a suspicion of moisture glistening in his eye, "that my curses have eaten out my soul; they've been like gall on my tongue and gravel in my teeth. My hate has hurt nobody but myself. But it's turned my life into gloom and misery!'' It was true.
The man at whom he had spat out his venomous maledictions, having done all a man could do to atone for the suffering that he had thoughtless caused, had dismissed the matter from his mind a generation back. Upon him the gnarled old man's bitterness had produced little or no effect. It was the man who cherished the sinister memory who suffered most. It shadowed his life; it lent a new terror to death; it expelled every trace of brightness and excluded every ray of hope; and at last, a grim and ghostly companion, it lay down with him in his cold and cheerless grave.
He was a man nobody liked--hard, sullen, taciturn, and sour. If you met him on the street and wished him good-day, he would keep his eyes straight in front of him, grunt sulkily and pass on. He lived in a tumbled-down old hut away back in the bush. He spoke to nobody, and he made it perfectly plain that he wished nobody to speak to him. Even the children shunned him. Some said he was a hermit; some that he was a miser; some that he was a woman-hater; some that he was a fugitive from justice, a man with a guilty secret. But they were all wrong. The simple truth was that in his youth a companion had done him a grievous injury. "I'll remember it to my dying day,'' he hissed, in a gust of passionate resentment.
And he did. But when his dying day actually came, he realized that the rankling memory of that youthful wrong had soured and darkened his whole life. "I've gone over it by myself every morning,'' he moaned, as he lay gasping in his comfortless shanty, "and I've thought of it every night. I've cursed him a hundred times each day. I see now,'' he added brokenly, a suspicion of moisture glistening in his eye, "that my curses have eaten out my soul; they've been like gall on my tongue and gravel in my teeth. My hate has hurt nobody but myself. But it's turned my life into gloom and misery!'' It was true.
The man at whom he had spat out his venomous maledictions, having done all a man could do to atone for the suffering that he had thoughtless caused, had dismissed the matter from his mind a generation back. Upon him the gnarled old man's bitterness had produced little or no effect. It was the man who cherished the sinister memory who suffered most. It shadowed his life; it lent a new terror to death; it expelled every trace of brightness and excluded every ray of hope; and at last, a grim and ghostly companion, it lay down with him in his cold and cheerless grave.
--author unknown.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Sound admonition to Christians
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this;
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
But if ye bite and devour one another,
take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
--Divinely inspired words by Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
to brethren in Christ, Galatians 5:14-15.
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
But if ye bite and devour one another,
take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
--Divinely inspired words by Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
to brethren in Christ, Galatians 5:14-15.
A "simple" question for evolutionists
The "theory of evolution" is still just that--a mere theory. Even though many seem to want to overlook or forget that part of evolution, the fact is that the "theory" of evolution is still only a theory--and a false one. Thus, it is still an unproved hypothesis; it is not a fact.
Here is a "simple" question which evolutionists cannot answer:
Which was first on Earth--A Woman or a Human Baby?
Mull on that for awhile, please.
This question, though seemingly simple, is devastating to the evolutionist's view. The creationist has no problem with the question. The problem of the origin of man is not a scientific question, but is rather a philosophical and/or revelational problem.
Here is a "simple" question which evolutionists cannot answer:
Which was first on Earth--A Woman or a Human Baby?
Mull on that for awhile, please.
This question, though seemingly simple, is devastating to the evolutionist's view. The creationist has no problem with the question. The problem of the origin of man is not a scientific question, but is rather a philosophical and/or revelational problem.
--credit to the late Dr. Thomas B. Warren, Ph.D.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
On learning other languages
I love the English language. It is my native tongue. I especially like the colorful adjectives and phrases we use to describe so many things in American English. We have many words that are so different, but often have a same or similar meaning—fantastic, wonderful, superb, stupendous, fabulous, terrific, et. al. Some languages are not as expressive. Some languages may have only one word to describe or refer to something. In fact, some languages do not even have words to describe or refer to things with which we who use the English language are so familiar. Some may have words to describe or refer to something, but many of those who speak the language do not know the words. For example, one day I pointed to a doorknob and asked a couple of Indonesian girls what is the name of the “this thing” (the doorknob). They had no idea. We asked an Indonesian man and he did not know the Indonesian word for “doorknob” either. I walked into a shoe store in Jakarta and pointed to my lace-up shoes, specifically pointing to the laces. In Bahasa Indonesia, I asked a young lady who worked there what is the name of these things. She said, "Saya tidak tahu, Mister" (“I don’t know, Mister”). I was rather taken aback as one might suppose. She worked in a shoe store, but did not even know the Indonesian word for “shoe laces”! There are Indonesian words for shoe laces and door knobs, but they just did not know them. I was perplexed. So, I was reduced to pointing to my shoe laces and asking if they sold “these things.” They did not.
I did a lot of my growing up in the Deep South, Midwest, and among "hillbillies" who moved north after World War II to work in factories. I love the colorful expressions, words and phrases that come from the south and Midwest. Sometimes there is no better way to say something than the way southerners say it! Some folks look upon the expressions of the South and Midwest as hokey, back-woodsy, redneck, ignorant, and uneducated. But, I can assure you that when a southerner speaks you know just what he means! You get the real “flavor” of the meaning.
I was almost 50 years old when I began to try to learn to speak and write the Indonesian language. That is rather late in life to try something as challenging as learning a language that was completely foreign! I already knew a few Spanish words due to the American connection with Mexico and through hearing Spanish words in movies and television, (gracias, hasta mañana, señor, hasta la vista, frijoles, perro, hombre, etc). And, I knew a few Greek words. But, to learn a language that was totally foreign was, at times, a frustrating and seemingly insurmountable task. I am still learning it--it is an unending process.
The best way to learn a foreign language is to go to the nation of the language you wish to learn and study it everyday, and be with the indigenous people everyday so that you are forced to use the language. Many American students study a year or two of French, German, or Spanish in high school or junior high. That can be helpful, but it sometimes does not come close to knowing how to speak the language in the nation where that is the native tongue.
Many people of my homeland think that they should not and will not learn any other language. But, that is foolish thinking! Only after one learns another language can he see how limited he was in his ability to communicate. So, may I suggest learning a foreign language? Learning a foreign language teaches discipline and it gives one an insight into the problems that are involved in translating from one language into another. This is especially important to preachers who are concerned with Bible translations, and with translating from Greek into English. It is also important as one goes into a foreign nation to preach or teach the gospel where the use of a translator is required! It becomes a new part of one’s education.
The world seems to be growing smaller day-by-day, and we will need communication skills with people of other nations. Many years ago in the days of the pioneers on the western frontier, there were many who learned Latin, Greek, and other languages in addition to English. We have few today who are so talented. A few days ago I heard a fellow in Belgium say that he knew at least three languages, and that it was necessary to know those languages in order to survive. Interestingly, even though some Indonesians may not know the word for “shoe laces” or “door knobs,” and many Indonesians do not have much formal education, many of them can speak at least two to three languages or dialects!
So, let me challenge the reader to plunge into learning a new language. It will be an enlightening experience! (Cobahlah!) Try it!
I did a lot of my growing up in the Deep South, Midwest, and among "hillbillies" who moved north after World War II to work in factories. I love the colorful expressions, words and phrases that come from the south and Midwest. Sometimes there is no better way to say something than the way southerners say it! Some folks look upon the expressions of the South and Midwest as hokey, back-woodsy, redneck, ignorant, and uneducated. But, I can assure you that when a southerner speaks you know just what he means! You get the real “flavor” of the meaning.
I was almost 50 years old when I began to try to learn to speak and write the Indonesian language. That is rather late in life to try something as challenging as learning a language that was completely foreign! I already knew a few Spanish words due to the American connection with Mexico and through hearing Spanish words in movies and television, (gracias, hasta mañana, señor, hasta la vista, frijoles, perro, hombre, etc). And, I knew a few Greek words. But, to learn a language that was totally foreign was, at times, a frustrating and seemingly insurmountable task. I am still learning it--it is an unending process.
The best way to learn a foreign language is to go to the nation of the language you wish to learn and study it everyday, and be with the indigenous people everyday so that you are forced to use the language. Many American students study a year or two of French, German, or Spanish in high school or junior high. That can be helpful, but it sometimes does not come close to knowing how to speak the language in the nation where that is the native tongue.
Many people of my homeland think that they should not and will not learn any other language. But, that is foolish thinking! Only after one learns another language can he see how limited he was in his ability to communicate. So, may I suggest learning a foreign language? Learning a foreign language teaches discipline and it gives one an insight into the problems that are involved in translating from one language into another. This is especially important to preachers who are concerned with Bible translations, and with translating from Greek into English. It is also important as one goes into a foreign nation to preach or teach the gospel where the use of a translator is required! It becomes a new part of one’s education.
The world seems to be growing smaller day-by-day, and we will need communication skills with people of other nations. Many years ago in the days of the pioneers on the western frontier, there were many who learned Latin, Greek, and other languages in addition to English. We have few today who are so talented. A few days ago I heard a fellow in Belgium say that he knew at least three languages, and that it was necessary to know those languages in order to survive. Interestingly, even though some Indonesians may not know the word for “shoe laces” or “door knobs,” and many Indonesians do not have much formal education, many of them can speak at least two to three languages or dialects!
So, let me challenge the reader to plunge into learning a new language. It will be an enlightening experience! (Cobahlah!) Try it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)