married
don't communicate feelings empty don't hold hands love like robots
job
computer screen glares at you you scream back wanting to be alive
house
can't afford rent got to watch the neighbors my credit card is deeper
car
how new and fast and big don't cut in front i'll kill you i hate cops more gas
children
keep them entertained/sedated make sure they do better than his kid
401k
40 years of work i think my heart is bad i'll buy that motorcycle
retirement home
no one comes to visit i can't stop falling asleep where are my friends
dream.

I have always wondered at Christ's statement in Luke 14:26: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple." For the longest time I have interpreted this verse to basically mean as far as priorities are concerned:

1. Ministry
2. Family

The problem with this line of thinking is that for instance, if you are given the choice between say going to your son's soccer game or having a Bible study with someone, you would be more likely to choose the Bible study. There have probably been many a preacher's wife or children who have ended up feeling neglected by their husband/father. I personally feel that what Christ was trying to convey was that where accomodating your family excludes your ability to follow Christ, you must choose one or the other. Where being a Christian and being a father and husband intersect, however, I think the following verse is more applicable:

"If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." 1 Timothy 5:8

I will be honest here and admit that I am a brain-candy junkie. While I make a sincere effort to read things edifying to mind and soul, I find myself returning to escapism almost every other book. I don't think reading Sci-Fi or Fantasy novels is inherently bad -- in fact you could make a strong argument that they stimulate the imagination. The problem is that an undisciplined escapist pours hours of precious time down the drain of self-indulgence. I will say, however, that if you had to choose between brain-candy books and television, brain-candy wins out as the lesser of two evils. Regardless, for what it's worth, I've stumbled upon a series that is holding me out at least until the next Robert Jordan or Orson Scott Card book comes out: Tad Williams' Otherland. The characters and plot are solid and Williams' has a real talent for description in general.