andrew dodson

I recently did a balance transfer to an American Express Blue credit card. I wanted to enjoy the benefit of 0% APR for 15 months. Hopefully in that time, I will pay off my outstanding balance and be credit card debt free.

Important Background Info - I have perhaps the most interesting address I’ve ever known. Not only does it include an apartment number, but it also includes a “1/2″ (one half). I’ve noticed, however, most of my mail comes through without the “1/2″ marking after the street address number.

To date, I’ve yet to actually receive my AXP (their abbreviation - not mine) card. The only statement I’ve received came to my work address, several days after the due date. Fortunately, the good folks at AXP’s customer service department have been nothing but friendly and understanding about this whole ordeal. After speaking with them tonight, I think I’ve cleared up the address issue, and they’re not going to penalize me for paying my March bill late.

While I don’t recommend getting yourself into any sort of debt, if you’re shopping for a balance transfer or a new credit card, I’d recommend American Express. They seem to be good people.

Most of the United States is caught up in the Terri Schiavo story right now. I figure I’ll add my two cents.

What’s happening to her right now is wrong. Who are we to play God and decide when this woman should die? There’s something wrong when the justice system can overrule her parents - the two people who brought her into this world. To all the people who would argue she has no chance of recovery, I pray you never have to experience a similar situation with a loved one. Then we’ll see how your feelings change.

While I’m on the subject (sort of)…

Over the past few years, my feelings about the death penalty have also changed. I used to believe anyone that committed murder should be put to death. Once again, humans would be playing God by flipping the switch or inserting the needle. This is wrong. While I’m in support of life sentences without parole, I don’t think we need to decide when a criminal should die.

Recently, the Supreme Court placed a ban on the death penalty for juveniles. While the following quote supports that decision, I believe it applies to criminals of all ages:

“(We encourage) … guidance that will lead young people away from violence and crime, but we do not turn our backs on those who commit criminal acts, including murder,” said Day, who leads the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, which prioritizes ministries to children and young people worldwide. “The Bible and the church teach love, forgiveness and the opportunity for restoration even in cases of the worst offenders.”

Ok - so what’s my opinion on war? After all, war involves humans killing other humans. Those who know me know that I’m a fan of President Bush and I’m pleased that Saddam Hussein is no longer in power (our pursuit of Osama bin Laden and whether or not we had a good strategy going into the war with Iraq are completely different subjects).

Bible.com has a nice response to the Christian viewpoint of war:

Where we find most of our problems with the military action of our government versus loving our enemies is that God’s law of justice for the taking of a life demands that life be taken; yet, God’s spiritual law of mercy and forgiveness grants that a murderer can be forgiven and restored. How can we reconcile this? We must understand that God instituted civil authorities to maintain order in the earth. God uses them to restrain evil and they should be obeyed for this purpose.

How can I be against the death penalty, but a supporter of war? It’s a touchy subject, for sure. I’m not sure I’ve thought up a good enough answer to put into words on this blog. Maybe we’ll revisit this post another day…

My blog has been hit heavily by spammers in the last few days. I just deleted close to 200 spam comments. Fortunately, most (99%) of the comments were held in “Awaiting Moderation” (a great feature of having a WordPress blog), so they weren’t actually posted to the site. I think a few slipped through the cracks, but they’re gone now.

I just heard (and felt) the loudest crack of thunder ever in my life. My apartment rattled as if it were an earthquake, and you could here the thunder reverberate all down East Main Street. Minutes later, I heard sirens and emergency vehicles driving by. Judging by the lightning flash that preceeded the thunder, I would guess the strike landed two or three miles away. In this case, it sounded like a bomb was dropped a block away from my apartment. Wow.

This week, my website turns three years old. To send your well-wishes, stop by, check it out, and post on my message board. Gifts and money can be sent directly to me

Last night, I decided to take a “quick trip” to Georgetown after work. This turned into an extended trip that included Lexington. While my gas tank and bank account never enjoy trips to Lexington, it was a productive trip.

My favorite purchase: a $5 black t-shirt with the saying, “Top Ten Reasons I Procrastinate: #1.” (think about it - it’s funny)

Most useful purchase: a $7 Zondervan’s Compact Bible Dictionary.

Most spirited purchase: an $8 UK LiveBlue t-shirt and a $3 LiveBlue silicon bracelet (my Easter Sunday outfit, considering the ‘Cats will be playing for a trip to the Final Four that day).

Dave Ramsey mentioned a good idea a few weeks ago in a Financial Peace University session. He often uses verses from Proverbs to illustrate his points about fiscal responsibility. Since there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, he stated a good Bible study is reading one chapter per day for a month. Since that time, I’ve been doing just that.

Twenty-nine of the 31 chapters are attributed directly to Solomon. The last two are the writings of Agur and King Lemuel. Not much is known of these last two authors, but it is believed the names may be poetic references to Solomon.

During my readings of Proverbs, the reoccuring theme of diligence versus laziness has spoken to me. I could go into more detail, but blogging about diligence would mean I’m procrastinating (being lazy)! See you tomorrow…

Lori F. finally has internet in her apartment. She’s using my family’s old (ancient) computer. Surprisingly, it’s running fairly well, aside from a few bugs here and there. I just ran AdAware and Internet Explorer is acting much better now.

It seems that Blue Merle and the Dave Matthews Band have several connections. For starters, DMB’s Red Light Management also handles business for Blue Merle. This involves Coran Capshaw - the mastermind behind DMB’s rise to stardom. Blue Merle’s debut album, Burning In the Sun was produced by longtime DMB engineer and co-producer of Busted Stuff - Stephen Harris. The album was recorded in DMB’s hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia. Recently, Boyd Tinsley (DMB’s violinist) made a guest appearance at one of Blue Merle’s concerts.

All of this leads me to believe that we’ll see Blue Merle opening some of DMB’s shows on this summer’s tour. The dates have been announced, but there’s been no announcement of openers at this time.

Since becoming a Christian, I’ve found different translations of the Bible interesting. With that in mind, I picked up a $10 New Century Version of the Bible yesterday. In total, I now own an NCV, New International Version (study & compact versions), New Living Translation (study & compact versions), a Today’s English Version that I received for my graduation from Georgetown College, and the good ol’ (term used loosely) King James Version.

While researching different translations today, I discovered very strong Kentucky ties to the development of the New Living Translation. Several people involved with the project are faculty members at Louisville’s Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as Asbury Theological Seminary.

I’ve always preferred the NLT for general reading and study. However, I go through cycles when I pick up the NIV more often. From a readability standpoint, the NCV is very understandable. Perhaps moreso than a NLT. I found this article about the history of the NCV. For study purposes, I think I’ll stick with the NLT or NIV, but I’ll definitely pick up the NCV for enjoyment of reading the Bible.