English only petition in Nashville TN

Moving well beyond ridiculous into the completely asinine is a petition circulating in Nashville, TN to ban all foreign languages from use on any official communications and publications. The petition has received enough signatures to be placed on the November ballot. Read about it here.

Petitions such as this are completely un-American; they are not at all in keeping with the values of our forebears. For Christians and other followers of the Abrahamic faiths, petitions such as these are completely antireligious; they fly in the face of the hospitality that is central to our religious faith.

But rather than address this embarrassment with either of those truths, I'll address it with a personal word. My family and I lived outside the United States for a short period of time. The country where we lived does not have English as a primary language.

For us, going to the grocery store or sending a letter back home or helping our children meet and play with other children at the park or finding our way to church the first time were all challenges. Many times our saviors were people patient with our very limited abilities in their language and people who were willing to try their little bit of English to help us understand. Their generosity allowed us to survive.

And now a part of my country -- a part of the country that I, in fact, used to enjoy -- is not going to return the favor. I'm ashamed of those in Nashville who pushed this effort, and I hope and pray it is soundly defeated in November.

Nathan

The Place to Be!

If you're around Shelbyville, Indiana, this Sunday, the place to be is First Christian Church at 118 West Washington Street.

Why, you ask?

First Christian is the place to be to hear about exciting, life changing experiences in Swaziland, Africa this past summer! You can worship and learn at 9:00 AM and at 11:00 AM. At 10:00 AM, you are invited for coffee and conversation with the team members.

See you soon at the place makinga difference throughout the world!


Nathan

Swaziland Christian Hearts Hands

If you're around Shelbyville, Indiana, this Sunday, the place to be is First Christian Church at 118 West Washington Street.

Why, you ask?

First Christian is the place to be to hear about exciting, life changing experiences in Swaziland, Africa this past summer! You can worship and learn at 9:00 AM and at 11:00 AM. At 10:00 AM, you are invited for coffee and conversation with the team members.

Hope to see you there!

Nathan

Olympics International Relations

I'm not ashamed of it even though some might consider it a disorder of sorts. In fact, not only am I not ashamed; I even admit it openly. It does, after all, strike only every couple years, and it lasts just a few weeks. This time, it's not too bad yet, though it could worsen.

What is it, you ask? Well, the nontechnical name is OISD. What is OISD? It is, as if you didn't know, Olympics Induced Sleep Deprivation. When the Olympics are on, I almost always suffer from OISD.

You see, I love - not like, but love - the Olympics. Always have. Individual and team, well known and barely known, big ticket and no ticket, those I get and those that baffle me - I like almost all events. Sometimes I'm asked if I like the summer or winter games better; the answer is whichever comes sooner. I love the Olympics.

Now, don't get me wrong; I am not naive about the Olympics. I know there are moral questions, such as whether the extreme training of some athletes is worth essentially robbing them of other parts of their lives. I'm as concerned as anyone about the use of performance enhancing drugs. I protest when judges are unfair, coaches are rude and athletes are pompous.

Even with those recognitions, though,