A Thrill a Minute

Let's just file this under Utterly Random Posts, shall we?

Our oldest son was just a little older than his daughter is now when Michael Jackson's Thriller video premiered in December of 1983. I am not ashamed to tell you that I loved that whole album. As mortified as he will be to hear this, if I had a nickel for every time I danced him around the house on Cherry Street while it was playing in the background I'd be rich. He loved it, too, and he'd come out from wherever he was, saying "Do 'again, Mommy!" and off we'd be in our own little world.

He was absolutely terrified of the video, however, and in those days, MTV played it nearly non-stop. Nothing would send him running down the hall as fast as his catching a glimpse of it. It has taken him decades to get over it, but to this day he has an unhealthy fascination with Zombies.

I only think about that now because of this video that went out on wimp.com recently.

Obviously, this little boy did not have similar issues.  Enjoy!

Rock of Ages

I am growing increasingly disappointed and saddened by friends in faith who would have been perfectly happy if Casey Anthony had been found guilty in less than a day, and therefore subject to the death penalty, but who are outraged over a finding of not guilty in that same amount of time. It has all taken on the tenor of a lynch mob, and the anger doesn't seem to be directed solely at her. The jury is being vilified, and Nancy Grace (how's that for a last name full of irony?) is leading the charge.

Ms. Grace is an attorney. She should know better than anybody else that a verdict of not guilty doesn't mean that the jurors believed she was innocent -- it never means that. Years ago my husband served on a jury for a trial dealing with the theft of a window air conditioning unit. I should explain here that he has always struck me as a "hang 'em high" kind of guy, so you could have knocked me over with a feather when he told me after it was all said and done that they found the guy not guilty -- but that everyone in that courtroom knew he was. The state had not proved its case. They had clearly shown Point A and Point C, but had neglected to provide a Point B. (And do not think for a minute that I'm putting the death of a child and the theft of property on the same level.)

Hate it all you want to, but when the State decides to charge a person with a crime -- particularly one in which death at the hands of the State is an option -- then they had better have a Point B.

It doesn't matter whether I think/believe Casey Anthony did any or all of the things for which she stood accused. If she had been found guilty, and sentenced to death I can well imagine that there would have been a cheer go up amongst the bloggers who were frothing at the mouth for her to come to justice. They might very well have called it God's justice, as though He requires us to give him the go-ahead for such.

You either believe God is a God of justice, even when you don't understand how or when it's going to work, or you believe that the mob should decide, and you're hoping construction starts on some new coliseums very soon.

In all of this, I have found myself wondering, what would Jesus do? How would He have me respond?

Seems to me that when He was confronted by an episode of mob justice He squatted down, picked up a stick, and began to write in the sand.

Go ahead. Pick up the rock.

I dare you to sling it. 

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