Words

I've been catching a hard time about the way I speak lately. It doesn't have anything to do with the South Texas "twang" I inherited from growing up here. It seems that I do not use correct grammar. I say "Me and Jake went camping" instead of "Jakeb and I went camping".

But isn't the point of talking to communicate where the hearer understands? Unless the hearer has a personal bias against bad grammar and shuts me out, will he/she still not get the point?

I have a friend who is starting a church. He calls people who have not yet stepped over the line of faith "pre-Christians". He ended up in an argument with another person over whether it is okay to call a person a "pre-Christian" because we are bestowing on them the sacred title of "Christian".

A church Andrea and I visited in D.C. spent countless hours arguing over whether to call the new addition to the church the fellowship hall or some other name. The arguments were heated and people were passionate and angry that church "tradition" could be ruined by the improper naming of a building.

Don't get me wrong. I believe words are important. I agonize over how to say the right thing in the right way as I teach. I just think that sometimes we communicate the same concepts with different words having the same meaning, yet waste time arguing over semantics.

Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.
2 Timothy 2:14 (NIV)

Well I've got to quit writing now ... me and Andrea are going to lunch with our daughter ... or is it Andrea and I ... oh, you get the point.