Of all human expressions, whining is one of the most irritating. The word get’s defined variously, but “to snivel or complain in a peevish, self-pitying way” is to whine. Whining usually gets delivered in a high-pitched, nasal voice with loooong draaaaaawn out syllables with a spine-chill rating close to fingernails on a blackboard.
Got the picture?
Complaining is an older brother to whining, a bit more mature perhaps, but just about as nauseating. Lamenting is an even older brother, but with a degree.
I’m fully aware that complaining about the prevalence of whining puts me on the edge of being guilty of both, but I’ve got to “vent.”
We learn to whine rather early in our years. Remember Shakespeare’s “whining schoolboy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like a snail unwillingly to school?”
It seems to me that an inordinate amount of a day’s communication amounts to a day at the whinery. And it’s depressing.
It wouldn’t be so bad if every tooth-grinding whine was in the company of some happy suggestion or solution.
I had a boss once who said rather emphatically, “If you come to my office to complain about a problem without at least one possible solution to the problem, I’m going to pretend that you’re not standing there.”
I remember showing up once without the requisite solution. Our interchange was rather short, as I recall.
“The tendency to whining and complaining may be taken as the surest sign or symptom of little souls and inferior intellects.” That was one on the chin by Lord Jeffrey, whoever he was.
As Christians, active in our world for good, we must advocate for peace and justice; but if we do it by whining and complaining, by reiterating the problem over and over, without offering well-thought solutions, we’ll get waaaaaaaaay behind.
Glad we could get together.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Editorial - Let's not forget the E, the U, or the B
The month of April is a significant milestone for the United Methodist Church: a time to celebrate, a time to evaluate, and a time to reflect.
As denominations go, a forty-year-old is still a youth; but it’s old enough that many persons sitting in our UMC pews do not remember their church with any other name. Others in the pew will know the church of their heritage as an Evangelical United Brethren church.
While the two fellowships, Methodist and EUB, officially became one in 1968, the union in the pew came about much more slowly and, to this day, it is important for some to identify their congregation as “former EUB.” That identification will probably fade in a generation but, for now, it can serve as a positive reminder of the contribution brought to the union table in 1968 by the Evangelical United Brethren Church.
The three words: evangelical, united, and brethren are good words that served their place in history very well.
The word “evangelical” remains a very good word. Some of our UMC literature proclaims that the UMC is evangelical. Unfortunately, words can change their connotations over the years and when we see the word “evangelical” capitalized we tend to shun usage of the word so as not to be associated with the abuse the word “evangelical” has suffered.
United is the one word in three that survived to the name of the new church, and it remains important to our DNA. The word “united” defines how we strive to go about our work as Christ’s church in the world.
Many in this part of the country are sensitive to the fact that the word “united” often gets dropped from our name in common usage. When persons speak of “the Methodist Church,” we are tempted to retort, “There has not been a Methodist Church since 1968.” That would not be a holy response. However, this editorial goes on record as pleading with the larger body that we be careful to identify ourselves as “united” in our purpose to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
The word “brethren” is a beautiful word in our history. Somehow its generic meaning was lost over the years. And while most are uncomfortable using the word “brethren,” let us not ever loose the embodiment of the word, and the intimacy in the history of the word. JW
As denominations go, a forty-year-old is still a youth; but it’s old enough that many persons sitting in our UMC pews do not remember their church with any other name. Others in the pew will know the church of their heritage as an Evangelical United Brethren church.
While the two fellowships, Methodist and EUB, officially became one in 1968, the union in the pew came about much more slowly and, to this day, it is important for some to identify their congregation as “former EUB.” That identification will probably fade in a generation but, for now, it can serve as a positive reminder of the contribution brought to the union table in 1968 by the Evangelical United Brethren Church.
The three words: evangelical, united, and brethren are good words that served their place in history very well.
The word “evangelical” remains a very good word. Some of our UMC literature proclaims that the UMC is evangelical. Unfortunately, words can change their connotations over the years and when we see the word “evangelical” capitalized we tend to shun usage of the word so as not to be associated with the abuse the word “evangelical” has suffered.
United is the one word in three that survived to the name of the new church, and it remains important to our DNA. The word “united” defines how we strive to go about our work as Christ’s church in the world.
Many in this part of the country are sensitive to the fact that the word “united” often gets dropped from our name in common usage. When persons speak of “the Methodist Church,” we are tempted to retort, “There has not been a Methodist Church since 1968.” That would not be a holy response. However, this editorial goes on record as pleading with the larger body that we be careful to identify ourselves as “united” in our purpose to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
The word “brethren” is a beautiful word in our history. Somehow its generic meaning was lost over the years. And while most are uncomfortable using the word “brethren,” let us not ever loose the embodiment of the word, and the intimacy in the history of the word. JW
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