Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients?

I’m having troubles with this whole debate over drug testing for welfare issue. I haven’t read a lot about it, but I think just by the few articles I’ve read, i get the gist of the whole thing. Here is my take: I can see why so many people back the idea, i guess. I saw a guy on twitter say, “we have to test to make money, they should test to get money”. Fair enough.

But there is something inside that says this is wrong. Does testing for welfare take away from any american rights? More so, does it not take away human rights and dignity? Let’s take a minute to look at this, because I believe that it does take away from a person’s dignity. I know that there are people who take advantage of the system, but whenever there is a system made, someone will always take advantage of it.

So i guess my question is this –  Drug Testing for Welfare: is it helping or taking away from people? Also, as a Christian, how does one stand on this issue? Do we simply support the masses who are saying that it’s a great thing, or do we lean on the side of dignity?

The Return to Running

Man. I’m sore. I ran for the first time in a little over a month (last run was on July 22) and it was brutal! The body likes to return to the darkness a lot quicker than i would like it to. I decided to take a “quick” 1.92 mile run. I was wrong.

Last time I did this run, It took about 5 minutes less than I did today, and I could run without stopping. Good news: I ran. It took a little encouraging and positive self talk from me, but it happened. While I was running I decided to put on Pandora’s “Foo Fighters” channel because it was a rocker, right? I was wrong.

The Foo Fighters channel will play 90′s music like Soundgarden, the Foos (naturally), Nirvana, etc. The problem is that it was their slower songs being played: Man Who Sold the World (Acoustic), The Best of You (Live at Wembley Acoustic), Blackhole Sun, and the coup de gras was finishing up my run with Wonderwall by Oasis. Not exactly the Power music that I would usually listen to. By the end of the run, I just couldn’t change the channel. I thought it would just interupt my run.

Hey. at least I got it done. But the thing that keeps me going on this run is the pay off at the turnaround:

To Pastor or Not to Pastor

I’ve always found myself keeping the term “Pastor” at an arms legnth away. Really, I’ve never wanted to take that title on because of what happens once it is attached to you. For starters, you have to marry and bury, which is no big deal, but between those points is where it gets messy. I see a pastor as a councelor without the liscense. Advice for the curious/hurt/needy. A pastor needs to be the voice of reason and held to a standard high above everybody else. It seems that pastor makes a superhuman. Yikes. Thus why I avoid the title.

For me, I prefer Creative Arts Director or Music Guy or him. But Pastor??? Too much to chew.

But alas, I have found this that I am excited to read:

 

From what I’ve seen and read, Peterson shares his memoirs and memories as he walked into and through this role of Pastor. Will it make me change my mind about adding Pastor to my name. Probably not. Will it make me think differently about the idea of Pastor? Having read Peterson’s books in the past, most definitely.

That Guy Doesn’t Care…

The other day our neighborhood celebrated the National Night Out. While i didn’t attend (I was giving a guitar lesson), I had heard a story that was pretty funny:

One of the points of National Night Out is to have police come out, communicate safety and safety procedures, and show that they are a presence in the neighborhood. Great. I love it. My friend, though, had pointed out that one of them was a political figure who is also a cop.

At one point, trouble was brewing between two groups at the event. As this was happening (i was told that it was hard to miss) the politician/cop walked right through oblivious to what was going on. Now granted I wasn’t there to see it, but my source is a first hand witness and credible.

So here is my take: This politician/cop doesn’t care. He walks through an argument and doesn’t do anything? Does he believe that his presence was enough to stop it? It says to me two things: 1) If he didn’t see it, then he is not very observant and doesn’t care about the people who he is catering to for votes. 2) if he did see it going down and ignored it, then he just plain doesn’t care about the people who he is catering to for votes. 

 The true hero of the night was the lady who lives in the neighborhood who went into the trouble and asked some of them to help her move tables. De-escalating in a positive way. This is caring. This lady cares for both sides no matter what. She didn’t want to see anything happen, and lord knows that the cops were far from the park at the time.

In the end, a party broke out in one group and dancing and fun was being had. The other side looked on cluelessly as if they were trying to figure out how to talk to some of the girls that were dancing. Resolution was found. The neighborhood was calmed. All because the lady asked for help. She cares, the politician does not.