Moratorium on moderation/censorship/general whines.-give it up for lent eh?

[bewkard]

/me sets down soapbox
/me climbs up on soapbox, taps microphone:  "ahem, testing.... Ohne, Tew,
Ohne, Tew, Tree...
/me climbs down from soapbox...looks at soapbox and microphone....shifts
soapbox to the left
/me walks over to table, reviews will, and signs it
/me takes asbestos suit out of trunk
/me puts asbestos suit on
/me climbs back up on soapbox
/me climbs down from soapbox
/me takes big breath...looks at soapbox, wondering, wondering
/me climbs back up on soapbox slowly, with trepidation


I don't pretend to be an evangelizing individual.  I don't say that I can
argue with charisma for any method, any company, any OS, or any religion.

But I can tell you that I know what I practice.  I know what faith I have.
I live my faith (in religion primarily, but in other things also) like a
little flower, always growing towards heaven...

I knew a man once who felt that he was a individual of God.  He felt that
everyone should know that he was such an individual. He was always
demonstrating this to others.  He would say, "what a blessed morning this
is," when others were looking at the rain with disgust. (As he said this,
most of the people in the room would view him with disgust as well.)  Any
setback was a time to see why God had given him a gift of adversity...and he
made sure that others knew this.  "With God's willing..."
Furthermore, he felt that everyone should have the great knowledge of God as
well.  He was always sharing God with anyone who would give him time.
This man was an evangelist, showing how many people he could bring into the
fold.
Of a group of about twenty people that I grew up with, he walked away with
eight.  The rest he drove from the flock with his unthinking, peevish
spouting that everything was a glorious miracle, and that God was always at
his back.

He over did it.

I now know a Priest that shows everyone he is an individual of God.  He
wears a collar.  If anyone asks him what he believes, he says "I am a
Catholic.  My creed is of Nicene."  If that person wants to drop the
conversation, or change it...the priest will allow that.  If the person has
questions, the priest will carefully and politely answer those questions.
By him having a degree in Cannon Law, I feel the man is very knowledgeable.
However, I would observe that his best moments come when he uses his time to
befriend people in the community.  He only brings up Catholicism when they
ask about his beliefs or for his advice.  If they ask for his advice, he
will explain that he looks to Jesus and the Church for his answers, and
people respect this of him.  I guess this works, as his bishop has moved him
twice to save failing parishes.

I try to follow the second example when setting myself in front of people.
I do this no matter if the venue is Catholicism, Scouting, Linux, or
anything else.  I've seen very modest success.  If I fail, I remember the
little flower.

/me turns off microphone
/me steps off soapbox
/me leaves asbestos suit on
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