One of my best friends was a student at Gallaudet University. No, its not a school for FRENCH people! Its in Washington DC - and is a leading college where sign language is the primary mode of communication. He was "undercover" however, because he is a hearing person. And man, does he ever validate your comments about deaf culture. He was "outed" as an "ear" while a student there - and lost some friends who felt he had betrayed them by not being forthcoming about being one of "them" and not one of "us" - but the good news is that after that he met the women who would become his wife. And she loves him despite the impediment that he can hear and she can't! "Handicaps" are all a matter of your perspective...
Hey, thanks for making PK Tacoma such a wonderful experience! Your involvement on both days, and your enhanced role as an almost moderator-host (weaving together themes from prior speakers and summing up ideas expressed) during the time you were "on" even while doing pedal-to-the-metal comedy was awesome - and commented on by the guys I was there with. We agreed that you should host the Academy Awards show!

i love deaf people. they're seriously the post amazing people i have ever met. my sister has her degree in american sign language and so i've met some of her deaf friends. some of you may recall an episode of CSI where the victim was deaf. one of the CSI's mother happened to be deaf and he knew sign language. i knew what he signed to her at the end: "my mother always taught me to never speak down to people, but to always speak blessing." that's what we need to do with handicap people. we shouldnt baby them just because they're deaf, but if they do have trouble with something, we need to give encouragement, and not shun them just because theyre deaf. i think members of the deaf community are, instead of being less human, more human and probably better people than any of us without that handicap could ever be. just look at helen keller. 'nough said.

Disabled people are no better, nor worse than anyone else. They are people with a disability that we need to respect and vice versa. I love CSI and remember all too well that episode you referred to. I thought the principal of the "deaf" school acted ungraciously to the two CSI's who were using an interpreter (and looking at same) to communicate with the principal. They weren't being malicious or purposely insensitve. Heck, they brought the interpreter with them (who, BTW, should have briefed them on how to communicate with the deaf). They were just ignorant about how to communicate. So much for tolerance. Yeah, I guess it was just a story. But, my point is going to be this...God is no respecter of classes of people, rich or poor, abled or disabled. He loves them the all the same and died for all of them because...all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. --Ziobuck wearing his hearing aids, but still looking forward to meeting his first deaf person.

I was talking to a youth the other day, in which he stated, "my walk is good, but I am having trouble forgetting this one guy that did something horrible". He was asking me what I thought about that situation. As any practicing youth pastor would state I said, "God forgave you, you must forgive that person". Of course it was more detailed than that, but thats the meat and potatoes. Deaf, blind, dumb, ignorant, legless, armless, brainless, spineless, wife bashing, gay hating, president hating, children beating, God denying, deceived, disfigured, crippled, the list goes on and I must say, you can single out, label, and come pretty close to identifying all types of people. But like I told the teen, and everyone knows deep down inside. There are two types of people in this world, Saved and Unsaved, some are miserably saved, they come to the cross, and still walk around not reading, not worshipping, no fellowship, up and down rollercoaster walk with God, never fully understanding what the Lord has for them, but their saved. And there are the happily saved, always knowing their need to press in to Gods word, always being on their gaurd, weighing the good with the bad, always believing that God has way more for them, always encouraging others to do the same. Two types of people in the world..................... And those two types can all be hurt by words, and those two types can all misread someones comment, or fail to understand the depth of a comment, and those two types can make mistakes, but there is one type that even when they fail, or hurt someone, or are taken the wrong way, they have the insight to handle the situation by Faith, not by emotions, because emotions are a wonderful caboose, but a horrible engine. By faith, by faith, by faith, all things by faith, and faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of GOD, etc, etc,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Every type of person you can think of can also be deaf, or crippled, or blind,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I love it when two believers get together that disagree,,,, and they hash everything out to the last detail, expecting to find a conclusion,,,,,,, when they leave their emotions on the shelf for a while, and by Faith know and believe that God will provide the best possible result......... How many times, have you heard, we should just agree to disagree, and deep down inside your EMOTIONS were going every direction but positive,,,,,,, and it just gets buried,,, inside that pitiful emotion filled cavern that leads to unforgivness and denial, the exact opposite of what the Lord attempts to teach us......... Saved and unsaved..... and as brad points out very clearly, the only thing that matters is God, or the lack thereof.
When it comes right down to it I told the teen not to look at what the guy had done wrong to his mother, but to look at what he wasnt,,,,,he wasnt saved.....
It was almost like a light went on in this kids head. You see the guy may not have commited the wrong, had he been accountable to a Living God that loves him. In fact, he may not have been anywhere around the teens mom, and where she was in her life at the time.......... He might have been,,,,,,,, well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, a youth pastor..
The teen vowed to pray for this enemy, and to ask for forgiveness, for his lack of forgiveness.
But then he said, "So this whole time, have I been saved?". I told the teen that by my observation of his life, that it appeared that he may very well be saved, but I would have no way for sure of knowing, but if his heart was right with the Lord, and he did not have that information before this day, that every little bit of information and knowledge that he acquires from the word of God, makes him more responsible. Because with his increased knowledge, comes important decisions, with great power behind them. Man I love days like that. So heres to everyone with a disability, which appears to be EVERYONE......... work it out, by Faith. jC

Why do farts smell?
So deaf people can enjoy them.
Love this joke.

Unfortunatley, the real bad ones, are the ones that are visible.......