I Love This Guy

Alright, I've always been a snob. I still am, but I slowly work against it. Every few months or years I realize that I've given up another snobbish ideal. In 2003 I admitted my enjoyment of Top Gun. 2004 saw me occasionally buying frozen Red Baron pizzas... Recently, I was loaned a copy of "The Message." For those of you like me a month ago, "The Message" is the Bible translated into contemporary language. I'm not going to accept it over the translations I've always used; it does lack some of the depth and carries a stronger personal view than a norman translation. But, for a different and perhaps needed view that these books were real letters and accounts... I can now accept that and even enjoy it.

I've been through Colossians a couple times and am now looking overe Galations. I've always known Paul to be a strong sort of man. He must have been to take the message where he did. He confronted, denounced, and loved believers of other gods and even took Peter to task a time or two. This was not a wishy washy man. This translation has given me another insight into him. I can now see this character directly in his writings.

I love his beginning in Galations. He is writing to a fairly new church that has started changing its message and adding restrictions back into Christ's freedom.

Partway into chapter one finds Paul saying "I can't believe your fickleness -- how easily you have turned traitor to him who called you by the grace of Christ by embracing a variant message! ... Those who are provoking this agitation among you are turning the Message of Christ on its head. Let me be blunt."

I love that! He calls the church "fickle" a "traitor," accuses them of turning Christ's message upside down, and then warns them that he will now be BLUNT. Yes!!!

"Let me be blunt. If one of us -- even an angel from heaven!-- were to preach something other than what we preached originally, let him be cursed. I said it once; I'll say it again; If anyone, regardless of reputation or credentials, preaches something other than what you received originally, let him be cursed."

Wow. This is what I've always thought in my heart was meant by a Warrior for Christ. My heart has always yearned personally to be something like this, but for some reason, I've never really seen the New Testament characters in this light. Bumbling deciples, yes. Teachers and guides, yes. But not plain spoken, no holds barred for the Truth, lovers of Christ and His people. I have no idea how many of you have already had a realization like this, maybe its a common step that I've just now managed, but this is the type of life that I am pulled to live. Skip the justifications and rationalizations. I do those in my sleep.

"We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That's what I'm working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me." End of Colossions chapter 1.

After

Exterior shot of the Scout 80 from a few weeks ago. No these are not my projects. I just collect pictures of Scouts because I love them so much. One of these days I'll find a scanner and post some pictures of the one I tried patching.

Before

Exterior shot of the Scout 80 I used as my last Scout of the "Week."

Back for More Than the Proverbial Limited Opportunity

So, wow, people have recently indicated that my blog was read once apon a time when I actually posted to it. Prior to this weekend I received comments from two seperate individuals that my musings were missed. Post of my post, I have two more people "celebrating" if you will the return of my varied tangential thoughts. This brings up two questions, just who are these people who show interest in MY thoughts, and how do they get the Cheese Wiz into the can?

Actually, I've been thinking about the peculiarities of a blog. Just who is this person that I synthesise into a few words and share with varied individuals throughout cyber space? Its not really Curran. I distinctly choose the thoughts, pictures, desires, and much more rarely emotions that I wish to share. Sure, you can and natually do read between the lines and come up with an idea of me that is fuller than what I simply write, but how much can you really know about someone through five paragraphs a month?

This is my little domain. No questions are asked. No one actively seeks to know me better through my blog. On the surface, this is simply a place for me to share the things and ONLY the things I currently wish to express. I was feeling kinda bad about this a couple days ago, but then started thinking, just how much different is this from my actual life? Sure the interface is extremely obvious for a blog, its an offical Computer Term after all. But I use a similar interface everyday called my body. Hair styles, clothing, facial expressions, words uttered, questions answered are all controlled by me. Despite this, I still desire and attempt to use my body and life to convey the Truth of who I am. Its called living, caring, being honest, and living in integrity. So, what's to keep me from doing differently on a blog? Really nothing. I communicate differently in writing then I do in person, but its still me. Maybe the real struggle is accepting that I don't fully understand myself yet.

Keepin' the shirt tucked and liking it,
Curran

You Can Take the Boy Out of the Ozarks...

This title might be a little too specific. Perhaps any good ol' country boy would have done the same.

Okay, so you've replaced the muffler on your truck with a generic from Auto Zone because you don't want to spend the $500 dollars it would cost to have a professional in the city of Dallas replace the entire system. The truck came from the Ozarks, you see, and a previous owner had already "fixed it" beyond stock specifications. Apparently "professionals" in Dallas have an inherent need to return everything to factory specifications.

Now, due to lack of tools, one of the pipe joints is not completely solid and finally pops apart while pulling onto a major road artery half a mile from my uncle's house. This results in a very loud sound because 1, the muffler is no longer connected to the engine and 2, the muffler is now dragging on the pavement. Question: what do you do?

1: Have it towed to a shop and let the proffessionals handle it?
2: Try to wedge/tie the muffler off the ground long enough to limp back to the house.
Or
3: Strap that sucker to the frame rail with a length of bailing wire untill you have time to duck tape the pipes back together.

My air conditioning at the moment is good old 2-55, so there is not much danger of carbon monoxide building up in the cab due to a much shorter exhaust system. Besides, I've heard louder Honda Civics running "mufflers" than my S10 is without.

Alright, alright... its been a couple years since I've had actual bailing wire in my truck... so I had to use a length of rope. I also rented a pipe flaring tool and clamped the system together the way you're supposed to, no duck tape. Problem solved for $38 dollars, counting original cost of the muffler.