Virtual-Doug

Christianity - Why Would Anyone Want to Be a Christian?

I once had a Lesbian friend. After she finally worked up the courage to tell me she was "different", we talked about her struggles to prove to herself that she was straight. You know - "normal."

Part of our subsequent discussions were about why she was a Lesbian. She grew frustrated as she told me of the affairs she had had with men, of the rejection she felt from her family, of her fear her secret would be discovered and she would be fired. (We both worked for a government training center at the time - and she would have been fired.) She decried the fact she could never have kids and a normal family like most people. Her life was filled with angst, and the occassional party to help soothe the pain. Finally, lashing out at the notion that some people think being a Lesbian is a chosen lifestyle, she asked "Why in the hell would anybody intentionally pick this lifestyle?"

Years later, I applied the same rationale to being a Christian. Why would any sane person choose this life? The rest of the world thinks we're nuts. We have to be careful where we practice our faith - creating a prayer group at work is a great way to get in trouble. Like gays and lesbians, Christians tend to gather together in self-protective groups so we don't have to confront the great mass of "normal" people.

I am struck by the many references to peace throughout the New Testamement - - yet I am struck too by Jesus' quote in Matthew 10 - "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."

Now I just happen to understand what all the "peace" talk is about. Most of the time I am very much at peace with the grace given me, along with gifts of friendship, courage, spouse, and children. For me, most of my life is full of peace. My lesbian friend is a Christian too (or at least as much a Christian as local culture and churches would let her be a Christian), but she does not have a lot of peace.

As I write this, there are people in Viet Nam working with the people to train them in Christian education and evangelizing. For the Christians of Viet Nam, particularly the indigenous people, there is not much peace.

Why would anyone chose to be a Christian? It can be a hard life indeed.

Christianity - Old Friends

Sometimes it best to just say "Screw all the work that needs to be done. A friendship needs nourishment."

I did that, and was rewarded. Sure, it took a four hour drive (which was kind of fun in and of itself), but seeing a good friend I hadn't seen in awhile was worth it.

As usually happens when we set out to help someone else, we are the greater beneficiary. The conversation over a great dinner, followed by cigars on the front balcony was wonderful. Few topics escaped our attention - the pending political problems in the Episcopal Church, the jerking around one often gets at the hands of home construction companies, the need for confidants in life, scriptural references to homosexuals - you name it. But mostly, it was about the personal trials of life. And you have a bunch of them.

Hey, my friend - I tried to offer as little advice as possible - just wanted to provide an ear for you.

What you don't know is that I was the one rewarded. God took your trials and taught me. And oh yes - when my small group meets tomorrow night, my "closest moment to God" will be easy will be easy.

Christianity - Mission Trip to Honduras Travelog Compilation, June 2003

To make it easier to read, here are all the posts I made concerning the medical mission trip to Honduras Cindy and I took last summer.

Miscellaneous Ramblings - Welcome

I finally made the leap - this is the new home of Virtual Doug. I think you will find this new system to be much easier to access and navigate. My thanks to fellow blogger Rachel Cunliffe for the design. I love it.

The one thing I do not like is that there is no email list. Some of you used to get an email telling you I had posted a new message, but Type Pad does not have that feature.

But - the big addition is the Photo Albums. I will be adding pictures to it as time allows. I will also begin adding pictures from our missionary trip to Honduras in June.

Doug

Christianity - A Bit of Humor

Sometimes I think it's good to laugh at ourselves. I was in a conversation wtih another believer last night, and afterwards realized I was much too insistent - even angry. I'm telling myself to lighten up.

Christianity - God Loves Us All - Is That Okay?

Lets call him Jose.

I belong to a small group. Christian men get together every Monday night and discuss our strengths, our weaknesses, our needs, and our prayers for others. Though it takes some time to build the trust, after awhile, such groups can be the anchor of a person's spritual life. Its through such groups that I have shared some real failures in my life, helped others grow - - - well, you get the idea.

Sunday morning, I invited one of the church regulars to come to our meeting. He's an oilfield roustabout, rough around the edges, but always there to say "Hello, Doogie!" He's a regular in the Sunday morning Bible study, and loves to sing praise songs with gusto.

Jose never had much schooling, and has worked with his hands all his life. He's made no bones about spending a lot of time drunk. He hints that he has been a drug user - at least at one time.

And it shows. It doesn't take one long to realize that Jose's mind is probably a bit addled. Its hard for him to string two thoughts together. He will usually go of on a tangent during a conversation. I doubt he understands much of the theology taught and preached at our church. Its all a bit beyond his ken. I think the drugs and alcohol have left his mind unable to grasp deep concepts.

But, he holds to one big thought - - - Jesus loves him. He's not really sure why. He's not even sure he knows what it means that Jesus loves him. He's neither sure what salvation is, nor if he is saved. But, he knows Jesus loves him.

The next time I sit down to write some brilliant pithy comment in this blog, I'll try to remember that God really doesn't give a damn whether Jose "gets it" or not. God cradles Jose in his hands just as He cradles the "smart" people who worship God. In the overall concept of things, I am no greater than Jose - I can't figure it all out either.

And God doesn't care. He just wants us to love Jesus. Welcome to our group, Jose.

Viet Nam Today - Travelogue July 2003

I've had a number of folks ask to have the Viet Nam travelogue from our trip in July put together for easier reading.  Here 'tis.

The War in Viet Nam - PTSD

For those who don't know the term, PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is a legitimate mental disorder that occurs in varying levels of intensity in some people who have been subjected to severe mental stress under conditions where death was probable.

In other words - combat veterans sometimes have difficulty adjusting to civilian life when they get home, are prone to nightmares, and often suffer other dibilitating problems. I am very blessed because I have had no problem with PTSD. Friends who know me will tell you its just because I have a poor memory!

There is an feeling among the general popualtion that all veterans who served in Viet Nam have PTSD. That feeling is sometimes reflected in a generalized image that regards Viet Nam vets as rather sad people, often beset with nightmares, drinking problems, or domestic conflict. Usually vets don't talk about the war with non-vets, and that is often perceived as a pitiful condition.

An excellent book is Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation. He paints a wonderful picture of depression-hardened young men going off dutifully to fight in World War II. When the war ended, they came home, took off their uniform, and went to work on the farm, factory, or store. And - they never talked about the war. They were seen as being strong because they never talked about it.

Compare that to the Viet Nam war. Young men went off to war, had some tough combat experiences, then came home, took off their uniform, and went back to work on the farm, factory, or store. And they didn't talk about the war. But - - this time, society's reaction was different when they didn't talk. They were seen as weak, and somewhat pathetic. They were seen as anything but strong.

I invite you to read another book - Stolen Valor. Much of the myth of the pathetic veteran is debunked. For instance, one would think that with all the young men who evaded the draft by staying in school that the educational level of non-vets would be higher than veterans. Not so. Suicide rates? Higher among non-vets. Druggies? One study found more drug use among those who stayed home than those who served in Viet Nam.

But, the fact remains, some soldiers were - and are today - plagued by PTSD. Clinics and treatment centers help those who seek help. And that is as it should be.

Recently, I have found some of these middle-aged men are still having problems with PTSD, and I wonder why? I have observed, some have only a small circle of friends, and they also suffer from PTSD.

And I have two questions about such men -

Is PTSD really the problem, or is it alcohol, drugs, or other impediment to healing?

Can you recover if the only people you know also have PTSD? Would recovery be better if they associated with vets who don't have PTSD?

Web-based Learning - Interaction

Okay - what keeps a web-based college course from being just a fancy, electronic correspondence course?

Most of us think in terms of what we know: ask a web head where s/he gets news, and the answer might be "CNN" or "Google News" or whatever. Want weather? "Weather.com" or they'll have the Weather Bug installed. Want to learn about Barbie clothes? Find a Barbie web site.

Because we tend to think in terms of web sites being just information sources, people tend to think of web-based courses as just web sites with lots of information. But if "information" was all that was needed for a college course, the professor would need only supply students with a text book, then invite them back 16 weeks later for a final exam.

We don't learn complex subjects very well that way. We usually need guidance from someone else. We need to discuss. We need to put theory into practice. We need to write about it. We need to argue about it. Think back to a time when you took a course that you really enjoyed. I'll bet it was a pretty lively classroom.

So it is with a web-based course. Like any other well-taught course, the professor will give you lots of information - but you will also experience interaction.

Say interaction and most people think in terms of communication. Its a fancy word for talking. At most you might think of an interactive museum display that requires you push a button to hear a voice.

Expand your definition. Think of interaction as an essential part of the learning process. Two guys named Michael Moore and Greg Kearsley said there are three types of interaction:

Instructor-Learner interaction. This is the one we are used to - the teacher standing in the front of the room lecturing.

Learner-Content interaction. This is the essence of learning - when we interact with the information by such actions as reading the text book, taking a test, writing a research paper, or looking something up on Google.

Learner-Learner interaction. This is the most under-used of the the three - at least it is in higher education. Many professors think learning takes place only in their classrooms and fail to understand students often get together to talk about the coursework. Adults often bring a lot of their own experiences and can therefore offer lots of learner-learner interaction.

The good online teacher will promote as much interaction as possible. Using the discussion boards built into online learning software, s/he will start arguments in those discussion boards - and require students to participate. S/he may have students post their assignments in such a way as to allow other students to see the assignment. (No pressure there, eh?) Some of the tools used for interaction are discussion boards, email, or even the plain old telephone.

At first you may miss the face-to-face aspect of an online course - - - but if you're honest, you will find you have more interaction online than you do in the traditional classroom.

And have fun too!

Miscellaneous Ramblings - New Life for the Soldiers Who Fought in Iraq

This is a tough posting to categorize - should it be "Miscellaneous Ramblings", or "The War in Viet Nam"?

I was stirred as a I read a story in today's New York Times. Its about the troops who just arrived back home from combat in Iraq. Damn - some of it sounded all to familiar.

The military is doing a lot of things right today. Even before leaving Iraq, the troops were given help in dealing with their conflicted emotions as they departed for home. When they got back to Ft. Stewart, Georgia, they received more help. In one session, and after being asked what they missed the most (guess what that might be), they were asked what bothered them most now that they were home.

"Less tolerant of stupid people," Staff Sgt. Matthew E. Jordan of the First Brigade, Third Infantry Division, said bitterly. "Stupid people doing stupid things."

I recall that emotion clearly. After spending time watching green tracer bullets go over one's head, and having to make decisions that literally mean people live or die, it is difficult to return and hear about the vapid concerns of those whose lives remained essentially unchanged.

These soldiers have just joined a club - a very exclusive club. They have paid their dues, and no amount of money can buy a membership in that club. Membership in that club means others will never see the world in the same light they see it. They will have the uncanny ability to separate the important from the bullshit.

And I am proud of my fellow Viet Nam vets who made sure there were some of us old timers there to welcome the new vets back home. We will try to do for you what our country did not do for us.

From this aging vet to those who have newly won CIBs on their chest - - Welcome Home!