Back on the road

So, I have fallen greatly behind in updating my blog, you shall see why here in a second. To finish out where I left off on my last post:
Christmas was great. It was a pleasure to get to see all my family and such! The time spent in NC was also wonderful. I rang in the New Year with some of my friends from high school down at the ocean front. On January 1st, my first real productive act of the new year was to run a 5K in a suit with my best friend and her sister. It was pretty awesome, and I was only 9 minutes slower than my pr, which I consider awesome having not run one since probably high school (we won't talk about how long ago that was). On January 2nd, I flew back to tour meeting up with the company in Schenectady, NY. We spent a week in Schenectady and since leaving there on January 9th I have been to:
Kingston, Ontario; Erie, PA; Morgantown, WV (where I got to see our old college shop foreman and his wife); Portsmouth, OH; South Bend, IN (where we set our record load out, as we also did when I was on Annie); Wabash, IN (where I met some amazing people!); Knoxville, TN (where I got to see an old friend from high school, who I only knew was there because I accidentally texted him, but was great to see); and am currently sitting in a coffee shop in Colombia, SC waiting to do a show tonight, and then head to Harrisburg, PA for a day off before starting a rough weekend. But yes, overall the life goes well and I still love my job (even if we are in the worst part of our schedule until Mid-February)!

Junto:

An issue that has been huge these past few weeks is Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church, if you can call it that, protesting at the funerals of those killed in the events that took place in Arizona. I don't know of anyone who likes Fred Phelps, and I believe that is because what he and his group do is disgusting, and it is also hypocritical. Having been raised in a protestant household, I can tell you that nothing (maybe an exaggeration, but you get the point) that this group does is biblical. In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus gives us the two greatest commandments, he says, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” When you are standing with signs that read, "God Hates Fags" while people are in their deepest time of mourning, how is that loving your neighbor? When you are telling people how much God supposedly hates them (which is in no way, shape, or form supported biblically), how is that showing love? And yet, they continuously insist that they are doing "God's" work. It makes me sick. How would this group feel if when one of their members dies, a crowd gathered to hurl insults at them as they attempt to cope with this loss? 


All of that to say, hypocritical people have always been one of my biggest pet peeves. Truthfully, I don't care what you believe, but I want you to own up to it and take credit for it. I hate it that people have skewed ideas about religion, politics, etc because someone claiming to be part of x belief system is giving it a bad name because they are not following any of its tenants. They are claiming to be part of x, but show no sign of having that belief system, as the Bible says, "you shall know them by their fruit". Sadly, most humans will never investigate to see if what this person claims lines up with x belief system, they will just write off that system. The few giving the many a bad name. 


I was talking to our new bus driver recently and he was talking about a Christian metal group that he has driven for. He said he doesn't understand how metal and Christianity go together, but that the members of the group are genuine and truly care about others. He mentioned this a few times in conversation. That is what a believer should be, wether of religion, politics, or any number of things. People should say, I may not understand why they believe the way they do, but they are genuine about it. People like those who take a stand and hold to it!


Longest Blog Post Evah!!!