This was a blog by the CEO of the company I work at. The response I gave follows.

Political Correctness
During this morning's senior management conference call, I used the word "niggardly" in a comment about a change EXCOM has made in the policy and practice regarding company-sponsored holiday events for staff members. I thought the events of 1999 in Washington, D.C., were widely enough publicized that the use of the word, which has its roots in medieval English, and occurs in the King James translation of the bible, has been confirmed as in no way related to the racial epithet that grew out of the Jim Crow era.

For those who aren't familiar with the term, or it's derivation, please view:

http://www.jacobsen.no/anders/blog/archives/2002/09/03
/american_political_correctness_the_word_niggardly.html

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-nig1.htm

http://www.adversity.net/special/niggardly.htm

Neither I personally, nor anyone at (this company) will condone discrimination based on race, nor tolerate the use of pejoratives in the workplace. However, in this instance, the similarity in pronunciation of a long-used and well-documented term that describes excessively parsimonious behavior, with the odious term shouldn't be a reason to not use it. The D.C. event, which ultimately ended in the re-hiring of the supposed offender, was hardly a high water mark in the pursuit of racial equality in America.


My Response:

I appreciate you bringing up such a subject. I would like to share with you my experience. In April of 1998, my wife and I (who are white) were present in the labor room, watching the birthmother, Elizabeth, (who is also white) give birth to our daughter Rebekah. We were told that Rebekah was half Japanese. Within 4 days, Elizabeth and Garrick (who is white) signed the papers relinquishing their rights to Rebekah.

Six months later, we sent pictures of Rebekah to Elizabeth according to the semi-open adoption agreement we had made with her.

After Elizabeth saw the pictures, she went to the case worker and told her that Garrick was not the father but that Isaiah was and that Isaiah was African-American. Her next question to the caseworker was: "Will they want to keep her?"

In February of 1998, Elizabeth, her 2 year old daughter Sierra and Elizabeth's parents met with us. Each family shared concerns and desires for the adoption. At one point, Elizabeth's mother asked us: "If there is something wrong with this baby, will you walk away?" Since my wife and I had lost a baby 3 years earlier to a genetic disorder at the age of nine months, we were not about to walk away from this opportunity to care for another child. Race was never brought up at the meeting.

Rebekah is now a healthy 7 year old girl who has her daddy wrapped around her little finger.

Shortly after the discovery of Rebekah's dual heritage, my brother-in-law came up to me and said "My wife wants to know if you have any prejudices?" Being forced to exam myself on a moments notice, I was at a loss for words. But my answer was a foregone conclusion. I have an opportunity to look at another culture through the eyes of a 7 year old girl.

Even though it is an expressive and well defined word, I would refrain from using the word 'niggardly' simply on the grounds of being misconstrued. This is not for the sake of 'political correctness' but for the sake of relationship.

I would encourage others to do the same.

Glen Aus

I visited my sister-in-law, Lydia, who is in jail for aggravated murder. We did get to see her but in a small room that was divided by a concrete wall and a huge window.

We could not hug her or reach out to her but we could talk through the phone. The difference was that after we both left the room, my wife and I were free to go home -Lydia was taken back to her cell.

We talk very much about forgiveness and repentance and going on with our lives but when it comes to Lydia the State will not let her go just because of a repentant attitude. The State will prosecute to the full extent of the law.

I know Lydia can repent from her crime and I believe that God will forgive her, but from the State’s point of view there is no mercy.

I believe that we are made to create.

We should look at the great works or things that impress us and try to copy them in some form or another.

A person who wants to become an artist should study Norman Rockwell, Dali, Rembrandt and copy them. As they copy the artists, the personal skills and tastes of the budding artist will come out as they practice.

This goes for anything in life because we all imitate the good and the bad in other people.

This includes parenting, working at a job, driving, drinking, habits and hobbies.

For those who have had a bad example, their struggle is the greater - they must find a new example and trust all over again.

By the time my father retired in 1993, I was in stage 3 in my relationship with my Dad.

Stage One is best represented in a discussion I had with someone when I was 4 years old. We saw a butterfly and I ended the discussion with this statement: "It's a ‘flutterby’, my daddy said so!"
Stage Two occurred in my teenage years. The statement in stage one changed to a question in stage 2. The question was: "Why did my daddy say so?" I never realized how much grief that question would bring me.

By 1993, when I had 3 children; the question was now back to a statement: "I am now beginning to understand why my daddy said so". Because of my three children, I was able to say "Dad, Thank you for all your hard work."

Lets take this idea from the physical level to the spiritual level. God is our father. In John 14: 6 Jesus makes this statement, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." As new Christians we can sing this song with confidence: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the bible tells me so.

But as we continue to grow in the faith, we start to have questions. Questions like this: "Why do bad things happen to good people"? And if you think that this is only a theoretical question for me, let me put it in my own words. "Why was my son born with a genetic disorder and why did he die at 9 months"?

Then we read about Job. Job had the same questions we do. After all his questions, God responds in chapter 40 verse 8: "Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?"

Would we reject Jesus Christ because bad things have happened to us? The sin is not that we struggle with questions but that we would condemn God to justify ourselves. If we humble ourselves before Jesus then God can lead us back to Him. Today, let us examine ourselves, recognize where we are in relationship to God and strive to sing with a pure heart: "Jesus loves me this I know for the bible tells me so".

John 14:6-7 (NIV) Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

I looked for a job for 9 months - after 8 interviews and 7 turn downs, I got one. Praise the Lord!

God is good.

But wait a minute, my thinking must be off. Is God good only when he gives me something or is He good all the time(Even if he does not give me what I want or need)?

In dealing with pain and suffering and the good blessings that we have, the fault is not with God but with us. We are the broken ones, broken by our parents, teachers, church members, other family members that did not recognize God.

We cannot live on the emotional coaster ride of our perception of God's goodness(his ability to bless us) when life all by itself goes up and down. The down times bring us closer to God and the good times takes us away because we are "happy".

If I were to eliminate an aspect of this relationship, it would not be to "change" God but to recognize my "ups and downs" as a natural part of life but not a reflection of my relationship with God.