Literally

One of the silliest things I hear people say is the word "literally." "I literally ate more than my own body weight." "She literally bit my head off." Um.... NO! NOT LITERALLY! It's ridiculous and ignorant, and I will not abide by it any longer. If you are going to exaggerate, exaggerate. Use all the hyperextended language you can find, just don't say "Literally" when what you really mean is "figuratively". It's almost as bad as using "virtually" to describe "actuality." It's not virtual if it's actual. It's not literal if it's figurative. It's not literal if it's a figure of speech. And "Literally" is not a figure of speech. You can't use a term, which indicates how one is NOT using a figure of speech, as a figure of speech. Outright silliness. I mean it utterly defeats the purpose of the word. If "Literally" is now a figure of speech, a word of emphasis, used for exaggeration, hyperbole, and imagery, how can I communicate to someone when something I am trying to tell them is entirely literal. I can't say "literally" anymore, can I? Because that's just a figure of speech. They might just think I was exaggerating. They might just think I was trying to make a point, a bunch of rhetoric. I'm all for the flexibility of language, but let's not deliberately ruin it outright. There's a few words we need to use once in a while, thoughts we need to communicate, and I'm tired of everyone taking all the meaning out of the words we're able to use. Soon enough, I'm not going to be able to tell people anything, because nothing will mean anything, because everything means anything. What kind of world would that be? Not one I would like very much.

okay, I'm done.

heroes

Do people need heroes? People celebrate heroes who have rescued them or people they know. They celebrate Robin Hood, who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Is it just holding out the hope that someone might come along and drop a sack of gold into your poor lap? Is it wondering if some super hero will come along and make everything right for you? If we lived up to our potential, we wouldn't need heroes. We'd be heroes. Only no one would know it, because we'd all be making things right in the world. Do people actually look up to heroes so they can model their lives after them, or do they look up to heroes in order to be comfortable imagining that there's someone else doing things right? I don't know. This isn't expressed really well.

communicating myself

I've been thinking about my "worship leading" responsibility, in terms of connecting with the congregation, speaking or sharing something or welcoming them. I've found that I don't know how to communicate my life or my faith to other Christians as I used to. Well, maybe I never really did, so much. But I try to think of stories to tell, books I've read, verses that have stuck out, media that has grabbed my attention in a profound way. I don't know what it is, but the things that actually make me grow into a mature and loving follower of Jesus are rarely things that can be communicated in little stories or snipets or little lines that have affected me. How can I share how my outlook has changed on things, when I can barely wrap it up for myself in anything resembling neat and proper terms. There seems to come a point when you stop building up and you have to investigate the whole building to see that it is stable. How can I communicate my troubled feelings of being off-balance or my hope and faith in the strength of God to sustain me and to reallign my support structures correctly? How can I say anything without explaining my life for 10 minutes every time. And when I think about it, I don't even want to boil things down into little helpful snipets. I want to connect with someone one on one and tell them my life story. I just can't imagine that little things I might say in 30 seconds or less can form any true connection or really do any great good. How can I communicate that way? It just seems beyond my abilities. It seems beyond my aspirations. Perhaps not so much beyond as... outside. Howcan I share my personal life? The things I talk about one on one with people take me half an hour to get across effectively. To boil things down just becomes a matter of telling people I've been thinking or feeling a certain way and that God is somehow a part of that. What do I do with that? I will not think of anything as impossible. I must connect with people of this congregation. And I can. Perhaps there is a new way. Perhaps there is something else. Maybe I should just start talking. But I don't really always know if people will follow what I'm saying. I don't always gain points of insight fr0m situations that can really be helpful to people. I just tend to live life. I just... I just... I don't know what I do. Do I have to learn small talk? Do I have to learn about... I don't know. I just feel a little lost and confused.