That's not fair!

I grew up with an older brother.  Peppered throughout my childhood, were numerous instances where I felt it vitally necessary to highlight for my parents any discrepancies in the activities that my brother and I were permitted to do.  If he was allowed to watch a movie that I wasn't, then that wasn't fair.  If he was allowed to go on a trip that I wasn't, then that wasn't fair either.  It was an immature and childish flare that I had to grow out of.  The temptation to complain whenever I recognized that someone else had some advantage or privilege that I didn't was present with me for years before I was able to distance myself from it, grow up a little, and take some responsibility.

Recently, I have noticed, peppered throughout the headlines, an unfortunate number of voices making a case for fairness in America.  There are voices that say it isn't fair how big of a gap there is between the wealthy and the poor.  Others who say these wealthy need to pay their "fair share" in taxes.

We see recent examples such as Cyprus where the country is actually freezing and taking control of money in individual bank accounts that exceed a certain amount.  Why are they doing this?  Well first of all because the country has been widely irresponsible and needs money, and secondly because they feel that these people obviously have far more than the average individual and probably don't need it.

The French President Francois Hollande has been trying desperately to tax individuals who earn more than 1 million euros at a rate of 75%!  Why?  Because, it's not "fair" that these people have so much more than the rest of us...

The cry for fairness that we hear so pronounced today is childish and shameful.  This illusive "fair share" the masses are requiring of the wealthy appears to have little to do with the amount given and far more to do with the amount they have left over after they have given.

When Speech is a Struggle

Communicating, unfortunately, is not always easy!  What makes perfect sense to one group of people can sometimes completely baffle another.  I came face to face with a prime example of this not too long ago.

After High School, I attended a ministry school in Northern California for 3 years.  I had grown up in churches always somewhere on the spectrum between conservative and charismatic.  This one however was really quite charismatic.  One legitimate and unexpected hurdle I was faced with upon arriving was what appeared to be an entirely new christian vocabulary.  We can leave the stories of my process of overcoming offense and recognizing the amazing heart and meaning behind it all for another day.  Today, I will probably just pull out a handful of the terms that initially caught me off guard and required urgent clarity.

I remember the first time someone mentioned getting "drunk in the Holy Spirit".  That was a new one for me.  I understand the affects of alcohol and have experienced the Holy Spirit but have never made that connection!  The terms "blasted", "wasted", and countless other seemingly out of place words were applied in a spiritual context that I would have never expected.

After spending 3 life changing years there, weird word choices and all, I have been faced on occasion with the dilemma of now having to describe to friends and family back home stories of what I experienced while avoiding the ready temptation to use language they would most certainly not understand.  From phone calls to letters home, this was never especially easy.  Slowly but surely, I grew more and more effective in my ability to describe things accurately with a more so mainstream vocabulary.