Beginnings

So here we are. We're about to start 2006 so why not try something new. Here is the blog spot for my ramblings. Maybe they'll make sense, maybe not, but they'll be here for posterity. As to the title, Paper Train... Back in high school I created this fictional band in my head. At the time I had not musical talent to speak of, so I wrote songs in my head and put them on albums together during sophomore history. I even drew the characters. Their faces were elongated and each had a specific personality and input to the creation of the songs. They were of caried ethnicity, of course, and they named their band PaperTrain. They bore a sociopolitical weight. They had grandiose ideas of "paper training" the world. Stop defacating on each other and learn to live together. It seemed to me that every year more and more problems surface on the global radar. They may be old fights finding the light of day, or they may be new issues that need dealing with. The problem is that they are all issues stemming from something deeper in humanity. That would be sin. PaperTrain had an agenda, and being minutely aware of simple psychology, I realize that PaperTrain was an extension of my own values and ideals. I was, and may still be, PaperTrain. I hadn't really thought about that "band" in a long time. I needed a name for this blog and it surfaced like and old photo in a shoebox at the back of the closet. Not a bad memory, just one I didn't need until now.
Strange that it returns to me now. I have been reading, since December 24th, a book entitled Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. It is a highly recommended read from my own point of view. It is a bit like reading memoirs or journal entries. I can relate to the author on many levels. He points out that social problems have their root in sin. Him saying this coinciding with the appearance in my mind of PaperTrain is just a bit strange to me. I'll continue to think on this.
In a few weeks, school starts for me. If you're reading this and don't know, I was laid off in November by a couple of heartless money grabbers. There I said it. Regardless of my feelings toward those folks, a door had been opened and an opportunity supplied by the Creator. I will attend college and finish in the summer. Then to eduacate the masses of young hoodlums I go. I love teaching in the settings I have had the opportunity to so far. I hope that stays and even grows with this career change. Graphic arts hasn't been much of a sturdy support. I can't miss this opportunity, despite what the future truly holds. I can't know that. I can only know what is happening in this moment. That and the past, which I should learn from. Why does it take so many mistakes before we learn a single lesson, though? I know, I know...sin.
It's getting a bit late. I hope to keep up with this blog, to keep thoughts flowing on religion, Christianity, what those things really mean, and what we can do about the real problem of sin. Any posts are welcome as long as they are civil and clean. I don't mind a little constructive criticism, but vulgarity exposes a lack of vocabulary and possibly even intellect. So, be honest, but tasteful. Check you all later.