Pudd'nhead Wilson

I just finished reading Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson . It is a story about a slave that switches a white baby with a slave baby (with mostly white blood) when the babies are just a few months old. The white baby is raised a slave and the slave baby is raised free. An interesting story is set up and carried out, with Twain's belief that environment plays more in the capabilities of humans than birth. Twain's wit and humor come through, as well as his capability to tell a story. Although you know what is going to happen early on, Twain almost makes you believe that it will not. Mark Twain is probably one of my favorite authors because of his sarcasm, progressiveness, and humor. I highly recommend this short little novel.

Random Thought #30

Have you ever noticed how each day starts out with good intentions but things don't work out as planned? Good intention #1 – get up at 6:45 so that I can get to work at 8:00. I got up at 6:45, but there was a fire in the neighborhood that required me to do what all good humans do and go outside to watch the firemen do their duty. It is fascinating, but also results in 30 minutes lost. Good intention #2 – type up deposition summaries first thing in the morning over a bowl of hot oatmeal. Instead, when I got to the office and had my oatmeal cooked, a client dropped by and of course needed to speak with me … and really did need to speak with me. Now I am sitting at my desk trying to enjoy a semi-warm bowl of oatmeal and thinking about whether to start the summaries since I need to leave the office in about 30 minutes. Decisions, decisions.

World Beard and Mustache Championships

I love StumbleUpon for the randomness that it adds to my day. Periodically, things are interesting, or funny, but this was just downright bizarre!!! It was too good for me to keep to myself.

Apparently there is a World Beard and Mustache Championship that is held biannually. This year it will take place in Anchorage, Alaska. For the cheap ticket price of less than $50, you can go see the championships, which includes competitors from all over the world. The start of the World Beard and Mustache Championship is a subject of debate, with two different branches of the organization claiming to have started the event. There are many different categories of mustaches and beards, so any facial hair is likely to fall into one of the categories. In case you need facial hair inspiration, the website sports a Gallery of Contestants from the past. I am sure that this type of championship would be interesting to attend, but I cannot see going to Anchorage just to watch men with facial hair. However, if you happen to be in the area at the time, it might be cheap entertainment!

More on yesterday's blog

Last night the pastor prayed for those will be eternally separated from a relationship with God unless they come to a saving knowledge of God. I think that this is correct. Even though persons in hell will be experiencing God's wrath and judgment, they will not have a personal relationship with Him. At least the wording was a step in the right direction!

What Hell is Really Like

Sometimes I hear preachers say things that get me all stirred up inside (in a negative way), and I do not feel better until I have said something about it. Fortunately my blog can be a place for me to express my views in a way that isn't criticizing a person, but a thought. Our church is in revival this week, and the preacher is passionate about the word of God and preaching expository sermons – two things I believe are completely essential for a pastor to be faithful to be faithful to Scripture (there is a place for thematic sermons, but that is another blog post). What this preacher said though that has me bothered came in a prayer he said at the end of his sermon last night. In the prayer he said something to the effect that he did not want anyone present to go to hell and experience eternal separation from God. In fact, that is what many Christians say. They mean well, but they are wrong. There are at least two reasons that it needs to be pointed out that they are wrong. Those in the church need to be careful how things are phrased.

First, hell is not eternal separation from God. Instead, it is being in the eternal presence of God's judgment and wrath. Those in hell no longer are in the presence of God's love, grace and mercy. In this world, the Bible makes it clear that all are in the presence of God's love, grace and mercy. In Matthew, Jesus says that God causes the sun to rise on the just and the unjust. Rain comes for the believer and non-believer. Believers and non-believers may receive food, clothing, and shelter. Believers and non-believers all have the ability to make moral choices. Believers and non-believers have the capacity for thinking and growing in knowledge. There is a restraint that God has placed on all humans that keeps us from being as bad as our sinful hearts desire to be. These are all examples of the love, grace, and mercy of our God. The other side of the loving, gracious, and merciful God is the wrath and judgment that He pours out for sin. In the present world, God restrains from pouring out the full cup of His wrath on the world and from allowing His full judgment to come on the world. We still see examples of His judgment and wrath. Just look all throughout the Old Testament, and we have commentary about periods of God's judgment and wrath during human events such as the flood, the defeat of Egypt, the conquering of the nations in Canaan, the exiles of the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel, etc. We even see the judgment and wrath today, although those are not popular subjects to talk about. In this world, it is clear that all humans see both sides of God's nature even if (as Romans says) they suppress the knowledge of God and fail to recognize the works of God.

Once this world ends, and once a person dies, eternity is spent either in heaven or in hell. We know from God's nature that He is love, grace and mercy, but also, because of our sin, He is rightfully full of wrath and judgment on sin. If those in heaven experience the eternal love, grace, and mercy of God, it also follows that those in hell experience the eternal wrath and judgment of God. He is still present, but the justified wrath and judgment are the attributes of God that those in hell will see for eternity. They will not be outside the presence of God. They will just be outside of the blessings of God. Quite frankly, that is a much scarier picture of hell than what is often preached. Those in hell will not believe that what is happening to them is unfair. Instead, they will be consciously aware that they have eternally offended the God of creation who is a holy and righteous God, and they will agree that they should be subjected to eternal punishment. Again, that is a much scarier picture of hell than what is often preached.

The second reason that we should not preach hell as an eternal separation from God should be motivated by our love for sinners. Many (maybe even most) sinners would love nothing more than to be separated from God. It is not a concept that scares them one bit. They have already built up a mental separation from God, and they cannot see how separation from God would be a bad thing. They do not have love for God, so why would it hurt them to be separated from God? They want to be separated from God and His holiness in this life, and the idea of eternal separation from Him in the next makes them feel that they will finally get what they want. They will not be motivated to accept Jesus' sacrifice for their sins because they think that they want nothing to do with God in the first place. The book of Romans makes this clear. Therefore, our love for sinners should motivate us to have the right concept of hell. All men know that there is a God, but they suppress the truth and trade it for a lie. All men know that they are sinners and that their sin is an insult to God. Therefore, it is necessary to explain the truth to them. Hell will not be eternal separation from God. Instead it will be the eternal wrath and judgment of God poured out on sinners. Man cannot get away from God. God's love or God's wrath will follow all men into eternity. If we truly love men, we will not preach hell as they want to hear about it (eternal separation from God), but we will preach hell as it really will be – the eternal pouring out of God's wrath and judgment on sinners.

Now my love for sinners requires me to give a short account of the gospel in case there is someone reading this blog who has not heard the gospel before, and does not want to experience the eternal wrath and judgment of God. God is a holy and righteous God. He requires man to live a completely perfect life and live up to His holiness. Those who cannot live a perfectly holy life are condemned to die an eternal death for their sins. Man was created holy and righteous by God, but man sinned against God. All men sin against God. It is not possible for any man to live a life without sin. Therefore, all men are condemned to experience the eternal wrath and judgment of God. All men are without hope in their own attempts to live up to God's standard. BUT GOD … some of the sweetest words that sinners will hear. But God knew that man would not live up to His standard, and sent Jesus Christ to live up to His righteous standard for us. Jesus was God and was man. As God, He was able to live up to the standard of God. As man, He was able to take our place and die our death as the punishment and judgment for our sins. Believers are able to experience God's eternal love, grace and mercy through eternal life because the judgment fell on Jesus. Sinful man must realize that he is worthy of eternal death, that he has sinned against a holy God, that his sins are filthy compared to the holiness of God, and that his only hope is to put his faith and trust in the life that Christ lived and the death that Christ died. Sinful man must realize that he needs the presence of God in his life in order to enable him to act in the manner that God desires. Sinful man must realize that he needs to surrender his life and actions to the authority of the Most High God. It is more than praying a prayer (although that is where new life often starts), it is living a life alive in Christ, able to do works of righteousness.

I have to admit that I, at one time, would describe hell as eternal separation from God. I really do not know when I came to the realization that hell is much worse than I was representing. I cannot remember a specific sermon or book or passage in the Bible that led me to the proper understanding. I think that my studies of the book of Romans probably played a large part in my clearer understanding. I know that the clearer (although probably not perfect since I am human) understanding of hell has been put in my mind and heart by being faithful to the study of God's word, which the Holy Spirit writes on our minds and hearts. I wish that hell was not as harsh as what I understand it to be, and the scariest thing is that hell is much worse than I can ever imagine. Therefore, I think that we should present it in the strongest language possible while remaining true to God's word. Our love for sinners requires it.

Sometimes I am glad ...

... that I do not practice law in South Texas! This week there are two pretty big trials that are going on in South Texas. One thing that you learn as a lawyer is that it is almost impossible to give a good quote to the media, so you should always write it down. You have to assume that the media is not going to get what you say right or is going to take what you say out of context. Even the best attorneys can come up with pretty funny quotes when they speak instead of issue a written statement. Here are some of my favorites this week:

One of the cases in South Texas involves a federal judge who was charged with sexual assault or sexual abuse or something along those lines, and was convicted of obstruction of justice because of some lies he told investigators. Apparently, one of the accusers was someone that this judge had an affair with over a number of years, but the judges, when questioned by the investigator, did not inform the investigator of the long term affair. His lawyer offered this quote in defense of his client's actions: "Through the ages, it's been recognized that the proper course of conduct for a gentleman or a lady is to not discuss the affair of the heart," DeGuerin said. "It's no more than that."

The second case is of a guy who was charged with multiple counts of impersonating an attorney and a peace officer. Mr. Celis would travel all over the place signing up plaintiffs for attorneys when something tragic would happen. As part of this sham, he ran a law firm (which is not permitted for a non-lawyer to do) and would conduct the initial meetings/telephone calls with clients in order to sign them up for his firm. In fact, between 2004-2008, he received over $10 million in activity that can be called impersonating an attorney. He was found guilty on fourteen counts (most of which were felonies I believe) and his trial is currently in the sentencing phase. He awaits trial number two for money laundering, which needed an underlying criminal conviction or activity before being able to proceed. His lawyer offered two great quotes yesterday afternoon.

In the first quote, as soon as the jury came back with the convictions but before the sentencing phase began, his attorney announces "Mr. Celis intends to appeal the verdict." Let's just say that I would never say that prior to sentencing because (1) I do not want to make the person who is sentencing my client mad, and (2) why state the obvious. Everyone knows you are going to appeal. It is inevitable when you have a client that is paying an astronomical amount of attorney's fees already.

In the second quote, speaking about potential sentences, the attorney said, "Probation is the only logical outcome of the verdict." What? Are you kidding me? Unless I read that incorrectly, your client was just convicted of fourteen counts of something that the state considers a crime. Each individual count carries two to ten years of time, although you do get the benefit of it running concurrently. I am pretty sure that if you have fourteen counts of a crime with each carrying two to ten years, you are going to be spending at least two years in jail. Plus, why would you appeal probation? Oh, that is right. Because the conviction for the fourteen things your client did wrong forms the basis of the money laundering trial that is coming up. Still, probation?

Random Thought #29

It is rare in the legal world to get a client exactly what they want. In fact, clients are often less than pleased with what they end up with but compromise is often a good business decision. Even more rare is to get a client exactly what they want, and force the other person to pay the client's attorney's fees. Today, I was able to get both for a client. I have a feeling that will be a repeat client!!

Random Thought #28

I think that there is quite possibly no worse smell in the world than burnt popcorn. Burnt popcorn reaks! And lingers! One of my bosses burnt popcorn today, and when I say burnt, I mean that there was smoke and everything coming out of the microwave. The remains of the popcorn took the form of a huge, black brick instead of individual kernels. Forty-five minutes later, it smells just as strong as it did when it first happened. Not only is the smell bad, it seems to be a smell that the nose is incapable of accustoming itself to. I just hope it does not linger in my clothes when I leave.

Things that are more fun in an SUV

I realized that there are certain things that are more fun when you drive an SUV. I am sure that I will be able to add to the list at some point in the future, but here are a few things just from this weekend:

1. Starbucks drive-through – maybe I am just paranoid because of the horror stories of McDonald's coffee spilling on the woman that we heard over and over in law school, but I was always concerned anytime the Starbucks worker passed my cup of hot coffee down to me while I sat in drive through. The window was just too high for me to have a comfort level when accepting my drink. Not any more – I can look the worker right in the eye and the drink does not have to go anywhere but horizontal from the window to my cup holder. This will make Starbucks a more enjoyable experience.
   
2. Dirt roads – for the first time, I was able to drive on a dirt road without the fear of busting a hole in my muffler (something I did quite often in high school). It was definitely nice to be higher off the ground!
   
3. A dirty car – mud just looks better on an SUV than it does on a car. Of course, having a black dust covered car will necessitate a trip to get it washed sometime this week, but a dirty SUV is still more fun than a dirty car.

Random Thought #27

Yesterday we hiked down an ATV trail to the lake. I don't know how long the trail was, but it sure felt like a long time on the hike down. However, it seemed on the hike back that it took no time at all. I think it is weird how the trip to a destination can seem so much longer than the trip back. Of course, we were able to walk faster since I let someone else carry my chair, and that may have factored into the quicker trip a bit.

Black Beauty

SWEET!

Wreck, February 6, 2009

I was turning left into a restaurant parking lot. The other car was turning right at a light a little ways south of where I was. He was trying to beat the traffic that was about to go at the light, and gunned it straight into the passenger side of my car. I ended up spinning around 180 degrees before landing. Here are pictures from the junkyard.



As you can see, the wreck was so bad it made the tire on the opposite side fold under the car.

Wonder if it would pass?

I received this e-mail this morning about an all-points inspection on my car. I am pretty sure that my car would fail right now since it has one wheel and tire that is horizontal instead of vertical, the impact could not have been good on the back brakes, and, well, it needs a lot of body work (even though that would not be considered in the all points inspection I am sure!). Some of what is included in an inspection:

Multi-Point Inspection Includes:
• Check & Top Off Fluids: Brake, Coolant,
Transmission, Power Steering, Window Washer
• Inspect Tires
• Inspect Windshield & Wipers
• Inspect Filters: Air & Oil
• Inspect Steering & Clutch
• Check for Oil & Fluid Leaks
• Check Major Systems
• Check Shocks and Struts
• Check Brake Wear
• Test Condition of Battery
• And Much More!!

Random Thought #26

I am handwriting some notes because I thought that would be more personal than a typed out letter. I discovered after writing two notes that my hand now cramps up when I handwrite instead of typing. My idea of making the notes more personal now seems foolish in light of my hand pain.

TYLA Newsletter

I am the secretary of the Texarkana Young Lawyers Association, the local affiliate of the Texas Young Lawyers Association. One of my responsibilities as secretary of the organization is to put together and publish a newsletter each month. This months newsletter was posted on the Eastern District of Texas blog, which happens to be one of the most read blogs by patent attorneys and attorneys practicing in the Eastern District of Texas. This is a pretty big accomplishment for our local affiliate!

My New Favorite Place for Furniture ...

I am in love with IKEA. I received the current catalogue a few weeks ago, and I was impressed with the look and the prices. I decided that IKEA might be a more affordable way to go on some furniture that I need throughout my house. I am in the process of making a wishlist and prioritizing what pieces of furniture I need, but I have been in desparate need of bookshelves for a while. I decided that would be my test furniture to see how I would like ordering the furniture online and putting it together.

I bought cheap shelving units ($19.99 each) in the Lerberg line. I decided to get two because I envisioned that I would use the shelves to replace the shelving units I currently have my books on in the back room at my house. Shipping was a bit pricey, but I still was able to order the units for less than I could buy similar shelves in a local store. The first plus to IKEA.

The shelves arrived yesterday, and of course, I could not wait to open the boxes and start assembling last night. When I buy furniture or other items that need assembly, I am always looking for easy assembly and/or easy instructions. For example, I will not buy anything that requires assembly from Lowes because not only are their instructions hard to follow, I have found that they are often wrong. On the other hand, I will buy whatever I can from Target because, although the assembly may be a little on the complicated side, the instructions are awesome and alleviate all of the frustration in the assembly. As I opened the boxes and pulled out the instruction book, I was a little worried because the instructions did not look easy to follow. However, I ended up being pleasantly surprised at the ease of assembling the shelves, which took right around thirty minutes each.

Once assembled, I saw a completely different, much needed use of the shelves. My dining room, although I have lived in my house for two years, looked like a storage room because of my boxes of law school books and notes. When I assembled the first shelf, it looked perfect for the dining room so that I could unpacked some of the boxes. After the assembly of the shelves and unpacking of the boxes, in a little over an hour and a half I was able to turn my dining room from a storage room to a room that is able to function as a dining room. The only bad thing is that I now realize I need two more shelving units to take care of the situation in the back room at my house!

Happy Candlemas, a.k.a. Groundhog's Day

I did not know that Groundhog's Day had a Christian tradition behind it. I found this article very interesting.