Penn State punishment not harsh enough...

The NCAA has handed out their punishment of Penn State University for the Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.  Post after post is appearing on my facebook newsfeed and Penn State is starting to trend on twitter.

Here are key points of the punishment with my comment for each.

1.  A four-year postseason ban. - Really?  A 4 year ban on bowls?  That man sexually abused children, and the school knew and allowed it to continue for OVER a decade and they ban the school for 4 years?  Personally it should have been one year for each of the years they allowed Sandusky to freely continue abusing children.

2.  $60 million fine, which will be used to create a foundation for abused children. - This seems fair to me.

3.  Penn State will be forced to cut 10 scholarships for this season and 20 scholarships for the following four years. - I personally HATE sports scholarships.  Universities should be about academics, not sports.  I only wished they would cut them all.

4.  Penn State will be forced to vacate all wins from 1998 to 2011. - This just doesn't make any sense to me.  The games were played, despite the horrendous activities occurring in the background.  Why remove them?

I personally feel sorry for the students because they will probably feel the brunt of this with hikes to their tuition to make up for the revenue loss from Penn State losing all the TV money from not being in the bowls for the next four years.

Maybe it's time...

"Mass shooting at Batman screening" or "Dark Night: Mass Shooting at Batman Movie Premiere."  These are two headlines of hundreds, if not thousands of news stories flying through the internet.  I'm seeing them being posted on twitter, facebook, reddit.

I can't imagine the horror these people went through in those very short few minutes.  They only wanted to watch a highly anticipated movie.  Instead some nut job with, what some believe, a shotgun and some tear gas murdered 12 people in cold blood and wounded dozens more.

As with all horrific stories the gun control debate rises up.  Social media sites become a shouting match, some against gun control, and what seems like most, for gun control.

An American citizen has a constitutional right to buy and own pistols, rifles or shot guns.   The 2nd Amendment. Before moving back to the United Kingdom, I, personally, was issued a concealed carry permit from the Commonwealth of Virginia and owned a Smith & Wesson Sigma 40VE (which I carried concealed) pistol and a Walther P22 pistol (which I used mainly for range shooting because the ammunition was cheaper).  I loved firing the pistols and I loved carrying them, and I loved owning them.  It was a sad day for me when I eventually had to sell them because the United Kingdom has a no tolerance policy for pistols and revolvers.

A few weeks ago there was a major national news story in the United Kingdom about a gunman running around in Essex which is the next county south of where I live.  It was on the radio and all over the British news sites online.  I was amazed because in the United States, this story would have barely made the local news stations, let alone nationally.

It got me to thinking.  Gun violence in the United States is common.  Richmond, Virginia is a city of just over 200,000 people in it [link].  This year alone roughly 30 people have been murdered.  Most of these appear to be gun related crimes.  One of these was a dispute over $20.  TWENTY ******* DOLLARS!  Take a look at the map that NBC12 in Richmond is hosting.  Each one of those blue markers represents a homicide in the Richmond area.  I think I counted 25.  25 deaths in an area that contains a little over 200,000 people.  Percentage wise that isn't a lot, but how do you judge the value of a life?  Each one of those men and women were someone's brother, sister, daughter or son, or a husband or wife.  A loved one.  Despite the circumstances leading to each death, each one is a sad story.  Today is the 208 day in the year 2012.  Richmond is averaging a death every 8th day.  By the end of 2012 there will be roughly 20 more deaths. 

This commonality of gun violence in the United States has numbed us to it.  It happens so frequently.  The only reason last nights shooting is such large news is because of the scale of it.  If you spread that over the last 7 months, it wouldn't warrant a small blurb in the local newspaper.

So, my question is, why not have gun control?  Isn't life more important than a small amount of plastic and metal?

We are all sinners...

George Takei, renowned actor who played Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek, who is openly gay, linked the above photo on facebook, who are the first gay couple to have a civil union performed on a military base.  As with all things controversial, comments started to pour in.  Some wishing the couple well being, some calling them disgusting, and others bashing those with the opposing views.

The constant bantering from both sides of the fence is starting to become frustratingly annoying.  They are completely missing the point.

As a Christian, I don't look at this photo with disgust.  I look at it in sadness.  Not because they are gay, but because they are lost.  Are they any better or worse than I am?  No.  We are ALL sinners in the eyes of God.  In Romans (3:23): "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard."  The last I looked, the word "everyone" encompasses just that.  Everyone.  I am included int hat list, and so are you, and so are these two gentlemen pictured.  If we all have fallen short of God's standard, how can we judge? Jesus said that if we even looked upon another with anger, then we have murdered in our hearts (Mat 5:21-22), or if we look upon another with lust, then we have committed adultery in our hearts (Mat 5:27-28).

Is homosexuality a sin?  Yes, according to the bible it is.  But so is anger, lust, stealing, murder, adultery, etc.  The list goes on and on.  The point isn't about whether or not gay marriage is right, or wrong.  It is about lost souls.  We, as Christians, are commanded to go out and preach the gospel.  Not to judge, but to spread God's love and acceptance through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So, instead of looking at photos like the one above with hatred or disgust and judge, look at it with sadness and pray.  Pray that the Lord will reveal Himself to these deserving gentlemen. 

Can we stop with the debates about gay marriage?  The argument is not important.  What is important, is spreading the gospel and praying for the lost.

Separation and Loneliness

As many of you know, or maybe you don't, my wife had to leave the United Kingdom in order to apply for her settlement visa.  She's been gone since April 6th, 2012.  Three months we've been separated.

Since May 21st, 2011, my wife and I have been separated for a total of 8 months.  Last May, I left Virginia for the UK at the suggestion, and willingness of me, in order to settle.  My wife didn't arrive in the UK until October 7th, 2011.  That is 139 days of separation.  Since my wife did not have a settlement visa, she was only allowed entrance to the country for 6 months on a visitation visa.  During that time we knew that she would probably have to go back to the United States to apply for the permanent settlement visa.  However, we always hoped that we would be able to avoid that.

However, after constant probing and asking and more probing of the UK Border Agency, we finally received an ultimate answer.  Yes, she would have to leave.

That fateful day arrived on April 6th, 2012.  Today is July 9th, 2012.  Separated for 94 days and counting.  Since that day in May, we've been separated for 233 days.  That is roughly 64% of the past year.  A very long time.

Due to all this separation, I feel that the Lord has done some amazing work.  First of all, I'm back in His fold.  Not only is my walk much stronger than it was over a year ago, but I'm also consistently going back to church and participating in home group.  This is a huge improvement than when I first left Virginia.  However, I also know that the Lord is still working in my life and I have a long ways to go before I am the man He wants me to be.

Secondly, I am starting gather a much deeper appreciation for my lovely wife.  It is funny how you tend to take things for granted until they are taken away from you.  Don't get me wrong, I have always, and will always love my wife.  She is a wonderful woman and I am very fortunate to have her as my wife, partner and friend.

However, despite this love, I haven't been the greatest of husbands.  My temper has caused me to lash out against my wife in ways that was hardly fair to her.  For those incidents I am deeply sorry, and wished I could take back.  Unfortunately I can't.  The Lord is working on my temper, but I am far from being where I need to be.  But we are constantly a work in progress.  I continue to pray, and I am sure my wife is as well, that the Lord will change my nature, because only He can.  I know I sure can't.

Saturday night, my loneliness for my wife really hit me.  I miss her so much.  8 months of separation, albeit not continuous, is a long time.  I miss waking up next to her.  I miss her hair constantly tickling my nose when we sleep.  I miss her warmth.  I miss the smile she gives me.  I miss her laughing at the stupidest and silliest of things.  I miss her attempts at jokes and failing miserably.

So I pray, Lord, please give the UK Border Agency a good kick in the ass and have them grant her visa quickly.  I miss my wife and want her back at my side.  I know my kids do as well.  Amen.

July 4th

There is a trend regarding how people wish greetings on holidays that I'm not liking.

Today is the 4th of July.  For most of the world, today is just the 4th day of the month of July.  For the United States and its territories it is Independence Day (Rwanda is celebrating Liberation Day and Tonga is celebrating King Tupou VI's Birthday - Link).  Today is a celebration of the day that our Founding Fathers signed one of the most important documents in the history of the United States.  It was a letter, a declaration, to the King of England declaring that the people of the colonies wanted to be free and independent.

This document symbolizes the freedoms and liberties that are granted to us as citizens.  Instead of greeting each other with "Happy Independence Day, or Happy Freedom Day" I am instead seeing "Happy 4th of July."

I'm sorry, but the 4th of July is only a day, just like any other day.  It is like saying "Happy 3rd of August" to someone.  It means absolutely nothing.

By saying "Happy 4th of July" we are denigrate the significance of the event that occurred on July 4th, 1776.  Today's date is more than just a date, it represents our way of life and we shouldn't cheapen it.

So, Happy Independence Day everyone.