Mental Musings

We often hear long discussions on how as Americans we must be tolerant of others who are different. Public schools, government institutions, colleges, newspapers and many businesses spend small fortunes in tolerance training. I thought about this today as we sat in a fast food restaraunt with our youngest son with his newest, loud, verbal tick that sounds like a pre-historic cat trying to cough-up a furball. At what point do we go too far with our expectations of tolerance? Is it right for us to expect others to just accept our son's disruptive behavior in public? Should we become incensed when people glare in our direction because of his constantly annoying sounds while they attempt to enjoy their lunch breaks? The advocates of political correctness would insist that everyone else pretend that our son was perfectly normal. They would campaign to get everyone in the country to treat children with autism in the same manner that nuerologically typical children are treated in public.

See how well you are doing homeschooling your children. Give them this quiz. Passing requires only four correct answers out of ten. How long did the Hundred Years War last? Which country makes Panama hats? From which animal do we get catgut? In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? What is a camel's hair brush made of? The Canary Islands in the Pacific is named after what animal? What was King George VI's first name? What color is a purple finch? Where are Chinese gooseberries from? What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane? ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ How long did the Hundred Years War last? 116 years Which country makes Panama hats? Ecuador From which animal do we get catgut? Sheep and Horses In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? November What is a camel's hair brush made of? Squirrel fur The Canary Islands in the Pacific is named after what animal? Dogs What was King George VI's first name? Albert What color

"Admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." (Colossians 3:16 NIV) Most theologians will agree that this verse describes various styles of music. Psalms were the traditional music from the book of Psalms written for instructional purposes as well as praise. These had been sung for nearly one thousand years when the book of Colossians had been written. Hymns were songs of the early Christian church, which often helped to teach theological beliefs in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Spiritual songs are generally considered to be more emotional in content. Why did God feel it important enough to mention these three different styles of music not once, but twice in the New Testament? I believe that God understands His creations enough to know that we would have very personal opinions and tastes in the creative arts. Modern churches continue to debate what styles of music are appropriate for worship (