365.

Only 365 kids awaiting adoption. 5 years ago it was 875! (That's the lowest per-capita rate in the country!)

The fact that the number is shrinking, not growing, is one more reason Colorado is a great place to live. It's not just statistics, it's characterizing Colorado - it's great fun seeing other families with adoptive parents when we take our boys to a playground.

How great would it be if Colorado was the first state to get the list down to zero (or under 10, as new kids enter even while others are adopted).

How great would it be if Colorado became known for being a state that loves adoption! What would happen then? Would Coloradans begin working with other states that have kids awaiting adoption? Would this trend begin to spread to other states?

One argument in favor of abortion I heard again recently was that you don't want to condemn your child to a life bouncing around foster homes. Not in Colorado! Here the kids get a forever family.

I'm so happy that Project 127 and so many churches have played such a crucial role in the tipping point that happened when the number stopped growing and started shrinking.

I believe one of the things that made the early church grow despite the pagan Roman Empire of the time was that Christians adopted the abandoned children in their own areas. I'm so proud of Coloradans that are following in the legacy of the first generations of Christians and grabbing hold of God's heart, woven throughout the Old and New Testaments,  for children who need families.

"I've heard this type of rhetoric a lot lately..."

"Isn't it true that you..."

"Now you're just arguing semantics."

"Let's be honest..."

"Well, that is the mantra of the people of your view."

All of these are statements I've read or heard lately. All of them are repulsive to worthwhile discourse. All of them poison the well of clear communication. (Just click on the words in the quotes to see a Google search of how these phrases are being used in news articles to slant the conversation.)

You've known people who argue like this, right? I've know several. Perhaps they like the idea of a dialog, but actually operate only on an agenda. To talk but not listen, to persuade but never be persuaded. This is not the pursuit of real Truth, but the pursuit of arguing others into submission of what the speaker thinks to be true.

I suppose we're too prideful to consider where we might be wrong, and that's why nobody likes arguments, disagreements, or confrontation. We're all just trying to score points and convert others to our point of view instead of having a real dialog. If our arguments were real dialogs, we wouldn't hate them!

If we were all seeking to reform our own minds to align closer with what's objectively true, arguments wouldn't be so frustrating. Conversations could really be like iron sharpening iron, helping each other align more closely with what's true.

I don't want to be someone that poisons the well of clear communication and drives people away. Rather than just trying to force my ideas on others, I want to always be willing to hear and evaluate where other people are coming from. I can argue well for what I think - but I'm also willing to change my mind and reform my thoughts when I'm wrong.

A dialog is a two-way "spoken exchange of thoughts, opinions, and feelings."

If you are closed to the thoughts, opinions, or feelings of others, dialog is impossible for you, by definition.

---

Questions for consideration and comments:

1. Who have you seen poisoning the well of communication? Politicians? Pastors? Friends? Yourself?
   
   
2. Does using these type of slanted phrases or arguments reveal that the speaker's position is weak, so this type of dialog-stopper must be used?
    
3. What is your reaction when someone does this with you?
    
4. Do you have the same reaction when someone you agree with does this in argument?
   
   
5. Is it possible to have a worthwhile conversation when someone tries to shut down the dialog this way?

Isaiah 58: Though people were fasting and praying for God's guidance and deliverance, their own actions were preventing this from happening.  They were oppressing people, they were not helping people's practical needs, they were finger pointing and talking maliciously about other people.


Are you the problem or the solution?

 ³ 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
       'and you have not seen it?
       Why have we humbled ourselves,
       and you have not noticed?'
       "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
       and exploit all your workers.
 ⁴ Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
       and in striking each other with wicked fists.
       You cannot fast as you do today
       and expect your voice to be heard on high.
 ⁵ Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
       only a day for a man to humble himself?
       Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
       and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
       Is that what you call a fast,
       a day acceptable to the LORD ?
 ⁶ "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
       to loose the chains of injustice
       and untie the cords of the yoke,
       to set the oppressed free
       and break every yoke?
 ⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
       and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
       when you see the naked, to clothe him,
       and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
 ⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
       and your healing will quickly appear;
       then your righteousness ^[a] will go before you,
       and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
 ⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
       you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
       "If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
       with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
 ¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
       and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
       then your light will rise in the darkness,
       and your night will become like the noonday.
 ¹¹ The LORD will guide you always;
       he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
       and will strengthen your frame.
       You will be like a well-watered garden,
       like a spring whose waters never fail.
 ¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
       and will raise up the age-old foundations;
       you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
       Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

I was reading 1 Timothy 1 today, where Paul starts off by urging Timothy to stay where he is, in Ephesus. He's supposed to stay there for one reason:

so that you may command certain persons not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God's work—which is by faith.

My overarching goal with this blog has been a personal exercise in writing and a way to connect with a few friends online who also blog. I've blogged about all sorts of topics, from New Year's Resolutions to politics,  website technology, books I'm reading, theories about comic books, things I want to show my kids, and newspaper cartoons I thought were funny. Comments had never been moderated because so few people ever saw this blog, and even fewer left comments.

My goals have been to share things that were funny, news stories that caught my ear, thoughts as I read through the Bible, or just factual information.

My goal has never been to "promote controversial speculations." In February, anonymous comments were left on a blog post from a month earlier that turned the factual post into a place that promoted controversial speculation. The comments were removed quickly, and within hours I unpublished the post itself.


Paul continues in his letter to Timothy about the "command" Timothy should issue to those teaching false doctrines and getting caught up in myths (perhaps like our urban legends today?) and genealogies:

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk.  They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

When we depart from solid teaching, or get caught up in myths, or promote controversies instead of promoting God's work, we do not have love. The most loving thing to do is to talk to someone if they're caught up in one of these things, even to command them, as Paul said, to stop what they are doing. If you love someone, you don't want them to be stuck in error.

Having had this troubling experience with this blog, I have learned. I have learned that the openness and anonymity of web communication has strong down-sides. Thanks to the clarity of hind-sight, I've turned off real-time comments. Comments are now moderated, requiring approval before they are published.

Any comments that "promote controversial speculations" will be deleted.

If you believe there is anything on this blog that does the same thing, please contact me and I will make appropriate corrections.

I have learned the value of clear and direct communication, and I'm seeking to communicate with people directly when I believe they are in error, as I would like others to do with me.

The goal of this blog remains the same, and firmer than ever. To promote love, to speak the truth, to be real and genuine, and to live life with others.