Since I haven't had too much of a chance except to reply to direct questions: WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS! Hope you guys stay around for years and have fun!
I just lost out on another job. This one would have taken us back to WV, only 90 miles from our families. (We've been stuck in PA for 17 years, and we're now 425 miles away from our families.) I'm a pastor, but I'm about ready to say "screw it" and take a job at McDonalds back home.
I love this about the Den. Us christians do not have to fear backlash for our beliefs. I know we should not anyway, but this is encouraging.
Agreed. I have been on other "forums that will not be named" in which if you even have a verse of scripture in a signature line or any small mention of your affiliation you are treated very negatively. On this forum the members show that they can display faith and not be obnoxious about it. The members understand the rules and basically stay restrained while showing compassion for other members. That in itself is always refreshing.
Yes it is. I'm a member of a very large board of, shall we say, decidedly spiritual orientation. I'm currently on self-enforced hiatus because of the upcoming move but mostly because rudeness, personal nastiness and general lack of all fruits of the Spirit is not only tolerated there but, I strongly suspect, tacitly encouraged simply to gin up post numbers. Not everyone there is like that, but many are -- too many. We all know the effect one bad apple can have; imagine a half-dozen or more. It's literally unholy, which is ironic given the professed nature of the place. Of course many message boards of all types have become like that these days, just as our society has begun to do. Point is, TSD is a truly remarkable, refreshing place, in so many ways.
I respect and care about every single Denian here. I don't care what you do or don't believe in, race, financial status, etc. We come here in common interest. We are a family here, period. Anyone that comes along and challenges that will be dealt with accordingly, I'm sure.
The sad thing is, at the place I have in mind, there are people of various faiths, including some eastern religions such as Buddhism, but it's not even those fundamentally different/incompatible faiths that seem to stir things up; it's the ones who can't allow themselves to believe in anything.
I surprised myself today. Actually, Lowe's did. I took in a chip of several years-old faded latex paint from the house and hoped they could scan and match it. Sure enough, their little machine matched it dead perfect, even closer than Home Depot managed to get, which was acceptable. Wal Mart's was in the ballpark but not close enough. Between washing off some neglected dust and scraping/priming/painting rough spots, the front of the house looks 100% better than it did.
It has started off in true bgdaaa fashion. Hopefully things will get better from here out. Time to crank up some tunes and get some work done.
