Smoking, Part II (Translated Comments!)

Well, Tobi and Lizzy left some interesting comments, which I've been kind enough to translate for my Dear American Readers.

:)

Here's what Tobi wrote:

Point 1. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Smoking is poison (there’s no question about this) and no matter when and how often you smoke, you’re smoking out the Holy Spirit.

2. Nicotine is a drug and an addiction. Even if you only smoke every now and then, the step towards being a regular smoker (be it out of boredom or frustration) is very short. You should prevent such habits.

3. General question: do you want to be a good example for others or not? If I don’t want people or teens or youth to smoke, then I should consistently model this which would mean not smoking, ever.

4. It’s an either – or situation.

5. If you think you’re free, then you also have the freedom to say “no.” Smoking as a habit ties you down.

6. In the Bible, it says that if your behaviour is a hindrance to others, you should refrain. Well, I hate smoking, so your smoking would be a hindrance to me.

7. Smoking isn’t cool. Most people only smoke because of peer pressure. You could eat a candy or an apple or whatever instead.

Hash and marijuana are out of the question; they’re drugs. There are not decent medical values; it only anesthetizes the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, it says that you should have a pure spirit, even in pain. Look at how Jesus suffered; our pain is nothing in comparison.

Jesus didn’t smoke and wouldn’t smoke; he wasn’t into pleasure – He was here to save us. He kept his spirit pure and wasn’t distracted by smoking.

And here's what Lizzy wrote:

I totally agree with Tobi! I’ve never touched a cigarette and never plan to! Even though some friends of mine smoke, it hasn’t been hard for me to refrain because I think it’s disgusting!! It stinks, your eyes tear, it’s too expensive, etc.! When it comes to hash and marijuana, it’s the same story. I’ve never touched it and never will. I agree with Tobi!!

There’s also hookah. I wouldn’t count that as a drug, but in principle you can put it in the same category as cigarettes. You smoke it every now and then, but if you smoke it too much, you can become addicted (not as fast as with cigarettes, but when you’re addicted, it’s just as hard to break the habit!), which is why I think that what Tobi wrote about cigarettes also applies to hookah. I think you should keep your fingers away! It’s hard to prove whether hookah is more or less damaging than cigarettes… the only “advantage” is maybe that it doesn’t taste so disgusting. Another advantage might be the fact that you smoke in comfy little groups with friends/family. But these are the only advantages!

Hmm...

Katinka-dabogana in Deutschland!

well, i'm finally here in germany!! yay!!! by the way, this is katherine (also known as katinka dabogana). it was a long flight, without much sleep thanks to the grande starbucks coffee i had in atlanta, but it's definitely worth it!! we've had so much fun already, and it's only been two days! one of the first things we did yesterday was take a nice stroll down the street through the middle of town. the little town reminds me of a fairytail, so we sang a song from beauty and the beast as we passed by the bakery :-) it was great. after that, we went and got spaghetti eis!!! i haven't had that in about 14 years. last night was bible study at mary's appartment. it was so neat to hang out with all of the people that i've been hearing about. we sang some songs in german and english -- it's always cool to hear praise music sung in a different language. today mary woke me up nice and early (around 1pm) and we went to a big mall in a nearby city. it's fun to see little cultural differences, like paying money to use the restroom and smoking indoors. so far, i think my three favorite things about germany are: 1)mary. 2)mary's great little church family. 3)people eat ice cream all the time.

Wraps = Salami Tacos?

Aww, I miss my Texas co-workers (well, most of them). :) Got an e-mail from Jen the other day describing a typical scenario in the dynamic HCBC Office life: Jen and Shelby having lunch together and laughing hysterically, people dropping by one another's offices to chat, and Kenny making goofy comments and observations.

Here's what Jen wrote me:

"I made roast beef wraps for lunch one day and brought one for Shelby to try. Now, these are very clearly in the category of a "wrap." It’s spinach, red pepper, and roast beef wrapped up in a tortilla. Pretty simple. And wraps are a pretty commonly known type of food stuff, right? I mean, everyone has wraps…Subway, KFC, Burger King, you name the place, they have a wrap. So, we’re sitting here eating the wraps and Kenny walks by and stops in and looks at them and says, "Oh! Salami Tacos!" Shelby and I just look at each other and die laughing thinking that he’s joking, but no, he’s not joking, "salami taco" is really the very first thing that popped in his head. We were like, "Um..how about a wrap?" He’s like, "Oh yeah, I guess you could call it that." Right, "salami taco" makes so much more sense, sorry to use such a misnomer as "wrap."*

The problem with Kenny is that he frequently says such absurd things, and you sometimes can't tell whether or not he's joking. He must have had tacos on the brain that day. See what daily dosages of Tobasco sauce and Guadalajara over the years can do to you...


*thanks to Jen for the contribution!


Lyric of the day, for old times sake, not because I'm into country music: "Cadallac, black jack, baby meet me out back, we're gonna boogie. Hey, get down, turn around, go to town - boot scootin' boogie." (Thanks to Brooks and Dunn!)