John Piper's Rain Dance Elicits Tornado

After one light post let's go right back down into the pit, shall we?

I was thinking lately about how much I blog about the news. I really enjoy being current on world events and think, possibly self righteously, that everyone needs to have a wide, educated world view. It may keep us from WWIII or get us to start recycling. Who knows.

So when the tornadoes hit Oklahoma this week, I thought, "Should I blog this?"

I usually blog on things in the news that have an angle. Two sides. A stance I can take.

Aside from launching into global warming and the need for us to care for the planet, I didn't see how I could take a side that wasn't implicit. Of course these tornadoes are terrible. Of course we are sadden by all of the loss. I'm not trivializing it; I'm saying I thought that reaction was universal.

After a long lunch in the sun with a particularly progressive, politically minded, and religiously skeptic friend (who went to school in OK and has friends there that were affected), I read this post and was immediately thrown into head-nodding agreement and heart-pounding disgust.

Rachel Held Evans wrote:

"Then, before I could stop it, an awful thought popped into my mind: “Oh no. How long will it take John Piper to get on the radio, TV, his blog, or Twitter to explain to the world that this was God’s judgment on sin and tell the parents who lost children in this tornado that they got exactly what they deserved?
"Because this is what John Piper does whenever there is a tornado…or earthquake…or shooting…or war. While the world is still in shock, while we struggle to find the words to convey our grief and compassion and to weep with those who weep, he jumps in with an explanation, and it’s always the same: Bad things happen because God is angry. This is God’ judgment on undeserving, sinful people. Repent. We brought this on ourselves.
"That’s because Piper and many in the fundamentalist neo-Reformed movement are working off of a perversion of the doctrine of total depravity that not only teaches that human beings are depraved—that is, that our humanity is marred by sin—but that this depravity renders the world’s men, women, and children into valueless objects of god’s wrath, worthy of nothing more than eternal torture, pain, violence, and abuse."

If you're interested, read the whole post. Or to skip it. It'll really only make you mad at some sad man mongering "just desserts" on Twitter. 

And if you need to get out of the downward hate-spiral, be sure to read the end of Rachel's post:

"God is patient and kind. God does not envy, God does not boast, God is not proud. God does not dishonor, God is not self-seeking, God is not easily angered. God keeps no record of wrong. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails."

Why the National Weather Service is Like a Clingy Ex.

Did ya'll get an annoying text from the NWS about the weather this morning at 4 AM?

The Mr. and I sleep with our phones in Do Not Disturb mode and the weird sound/vibration/light show still woke us up.


NWS: Hey, did you know it's raining?
Me: Dude, if I was up doing something that required me to be outside, I'd already know it was raining. I live on the second floor and work's not cancelled for me. Leave me alone.


Not cool, iPhone. Not cool, NWS.

If your alerts are doin' you dirty, here's how to turn that mother-f'er off:

Go to Settings.

Go to Notifications.

 Go to the bottom and turn off Amber Alerts and the Emergency Alerts.

Some may see the benefit of having their phone alert them, but I watch the news. I click "refresh" on the NYTimes site. I pay for NPR.

I don't need the NWS texting me at 4 AM, "You up?"

'Cause I am now, b*tch.