Interrobang?!

Are you serious?!
He did what!?

A little over five years ago I started getting e-mails from http://www.merriam-webster.com/ . It wasn't spam, I actually signed up for them. My Senior Pastor, Dr. Larry D. Robertson told me that he got them and not wanting to be behind or outdone :-) I decided I should get them too.

Each day Merriam or Webster or someone who works for them, I suppose, sends me a word with it's definition, pronunciation and then a section called "Did you know?" (which is my favorite part) which tells about where the word came from (usually Latin or Greek).

Well, today's word was "interrobang." Really?!
Long story short, it is a punctuation mark that was made up in the 60s. Ha! Of course it was. It's a combination of an interrogative/interrogation mark (a question mark - ?) and an exclamation mark ! which printers call a "bang."

Here's a picture of one.

Here are some other variations.

So why am I bothering telling you such things? Well, first off, maybe I've inspired you to subscribe to http://www.merriam-webster.com/ word of the day. Click the link and sign up there. A mind is a terrible thing to waste and it will get squishy and lazy if you don't use it.

But actually I'm thinking of starting a campaign with Dell and other computer keyboard makers to include the interrobang on keyboards. We need them ALL of the time.

For instance:
"The Tree" is when and we're missing how many Wednesday nights between now and then?!
New York City schools can give birth control and "morning after" pills to 4th graders without their parents knowing?!
The crazy President of Iran is addressing the United Nations and will once again call for the elimination/destruction of Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year!?
Gas is how much?! Even at Walmart!?

I'll be the first to admit that some of the sentences above are much more serious than others, but in each case an interrobang fits wonderfully. Perhaps with comments on this post you can add some good sentences that need interrobangs for punctuation.

More importantly, we each should seek ways we can correct the above sentences. I've worked on the first one by adding Sunday rehearsals (see an earlier post Tree Rehearsal Schedule)

What interrobang is God asking YOU to address? Who, me?! Yes! You!

Fall Rehearsal Schedule for "the Tree"

Since my QR code goes to this post I'm adding to it in addition to creating a new post.
Here is the rehearsal schedule for Sunday, November 18th.

Rehearsals for November 18

3:00—Do You Hear What I Hear?

Middle School Actors and Dancers

 

4:00—Adult Choir

4:00—A Baby Changes Everything

H.S. Dancers

 

5:00—Sing Noel! Sing Hallelujah!

Angels—elementary age through adults

 

We have a few weeks this Fall where we aren't able to have a choir rehearsal. And there will be a week or two (or more) where we need to record songs for our CD. This puts us short on the number of weeks we have to get ready for "the Tree."

We also have a few choir members that - for right now - are needing to work in other areas of the church on Wednesday nights.

With these two things in mind, we have added some Sunday rehearsals to help us get ready for "the Tree." These rehearsals will be at 4:00 on Sunday afternoons. This allows time for a nap after lunch but doesn't keep you here so late that you miss supper.

Kids Singing Project

 

We have a fun project your child can be a part of (grades 1-5) (well, if you have a 6^th or 7^th grader that really wants to sing, bring them too).

 

Our adult choir is making a CD. Two of the songs need children singing on them. This Sunday afternoon at 2:00 we’re going to learn the two songs and then record them – a one afternoon project. We should be finished before 3:30.

 

The CD has several purposes.

1.      It’s fun to make a CD and get to hear yourself (your choir) singing on it for years to come.

2.      Our church family will enjoy listening to our music, but more importantly

3.      Our CD will be something people can use to tell others about Hilldale and give them a chance to share their testimony.

4.      Proceeds from the sale of this CD will help a mission team going on an international mission trip next summer.

So as you can see, besides being a fun project for a Sunday afternoon, the message and ministry of the CD has the potential to reach many people for Christ for many years to come.

 

If you have any questions, call the church office and ask for Donna.

Standing for what is Right...

...even though the crowd is against you.

I was a bit surprised to hear that Cardinal Dolan gave the closing prayer at the Democratic National Convention. Don't get me wrong. I know that there are many good Christian people who are Democrats, but as a whole, the party has not been supporting Christian ideals. The party of "inclusiveness" and "tolerance" shows the most intolerance to those who defend the rights of the unborn and defend a traditional (biblical) view of marriage.

Cardinal Dolan was not originally scheduled to pray. But after his announcement that he would be praying at the Republican Convention some more moderate Catholics put pressure on the DNC to ask him to speak/pray at their convention also.

I don't know if there were any behind the scene negotiations of what Cardinal Dolan could or couldn't say, but he obviously wasn't going to let the politics of the Democratic party influence how he would pray. In his prayer he said this!

“Grant us the courage to defend life…waiting to be born, welcomed and protected,” he said. He also prayed for “life, without which no other rights are secured.”

Here's his entire prayer if you have 5 minutes to listen.




I won't quote any of the profane tweets that went out the "left" after his prayer. Needless to say, the "tolerant" left showed their true colors as they said many unholy things about this man of God.

As a Southern Baptist Pastor there are a few theological differences I have with the Catholic Church, but I stand along side of them in their defense of life, their defense of marriage and their defense of religious freedom (as in their lawsuit against the Affordable Care Acts requirements that violate their religious beliefs.)

So thank you Cardinal Dolan for your unwavering public stand before a somewhat hostile crowd. May all of us of faith follow your example.