More Cherry Blossom Pics

You can pretty much expect more of these every other day until the cherry blossoms are gone. =)



This is probably my favorite.


I went running (about a mile ) along the south side of Haines Point. This was one of the pictures I took on the walk back.


Supposedly only 40% have bloomed so far, but it seemed like more than that to me.



One of my many shots of the Jefferson Memorial.


I spent 3 hours walking around, taking pictures, so obviously, I have a lot more pictures than this!

Stay posted! =)

D'ya ever just wish...?

I do.

Tis the season...

for cherry blossoms! =P

After work yesterday I went over to East Potomac Park to walk around and take some pictures (unfortunately, I was having camera issues, so there are not many).

I liked this shot of the monument through the trees.

This was actually a drive-by shot (I learned how to do that, growing up in a ghetto neighborhood). =)

Rather serene, don't you agree?

I walked along here for a while. It was just SO pretty!

The Unforgivable Sin

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when society frowned upon certain activites that fell outside of the Judeo-Christian ethic. My grandparents' generation knew a time when everything (except churches) shut down on Sundays, when having a child out of wedlock was considered a shame, and sexuality in general was not spoken about in public. My parents' generation changed much of that. It was "cool" to rebel, to find one's self, and reject all that was held sacred by the former generation. Now my generation is reaping the "benefits" of all that "liberation." The current generations (X&Y) are rightly named. We are the generations without an identity. We have been given more than we need, and told the world revolves around us. Punishment is taboo because there is no such thing as wrong. No one is bad, just in need of medication or therapy. We are now the measure of all things. Without any kind of standard outside of ourselves to measure ourselves, we have no idea who we are. It is no wonder that my generation is turning back to the churches in search of something greater than themselves. Unfortuantely, many churches went the way of the world, accepting the ideas of love and forgiveness, but rejecting any ideas of law, holiness, and obedience, not to mention personal responsibility. In this environment, it easy to call yourself a Christian. It requires no effort and improves your approval ratings. There is only one commandment left, the breaking of which is the only unforgivable sin: "judge not, lest you be judged." Apparently Dr. Dobson has recently managed to gain some bad press by committing this great sin.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Thompson, took issue with Dobson's characterization of the former Tennessee senator. "Thompson is indeed a Christian," he said. "He was baptized into the Church of Christ."

So, that's all it takes to be a Christian these days? Just be baptized. My church baptizes infants, so I guess we adults have nothing to worry about. It's already been taken care of. My salvation is secure. Glad I got that cleared up!

In other disturbing church-related news, "a tense dispute among Episcopalians and their fellow Anglicans worldwide over how they should interpret what the Bible says about sexuality and other issues." I'm not sure what there is to interpret. It seems like the question is more one of belief, not interpretation.

Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. I Corinthians 6:9-10

I think that verse kinda disqualifies a lot of people, but I don't know... maybe that's just my interpretation. Oh no! I just committed the unpardonable - but, wait... I've already been baptized. So, which trumps which? Don't judge me...

It is a sad state of affairs

when the only way you can watch the sunrise is on your personalized Google homepage. I suppose I should be thankful for my virtual life since it is the only one I have.

Putting things into perspective

"There were 75,000 abortions in Texas last year. If this incentive would give pause and change the mind of 5 percent of those woman, that's 3,000 lives. That's almost as many people as we've lost in Iraq."

The incentive Texas State Senator Dan Patrick is talking about is a proposal he has filed into legislation that would offer $500 to pregnant women who are planning to have an abortion if they deliver the child and put him or her up for adoption instead. While I disagree with the idea of paying people to do what is right, the quote got my attention because numbers he used to validate his point made me stop and think. We are so concerned about the lives we have lost to the war effort (and rightly so), but at least every life lost in Iraq was a life given. The soldiers sent over there knew when they volunteered to serve their country that death or severe injury were very real possibilities. These unborn children are not given that choice. If you walk around DC, you will see a variety of war protests, a silent protest in front of the Capitol, a rally with brightly painted signs on the mall, an old man, sitting vigil in front of the White House, but very few protest the killing of the unborn, and yet the casualties are so much greater (approximately 3,700 every day in the US). The comparison of numbers put things into perspective for me. It is one thing for a solider to give his life for his country... it is very different for a mother to give the life of her child for her own "quality of life." While we're out there running marathons to cure Diabetes, AIDS, and Cancer, maybe we could try to find a cure for selfishness. In the end, I think that is what will destroy this nation.

To read the whole article, click here.

The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. ~ John Stuart Mill