Society, you're a crazy breed. I hope you're not lonely without me.

Eddie Vedder must be onto something when he wrote that song. It has been a mainstay in my mind ever since this song showed up on the movie "Into the Wild." After seeing so many things lately, it has finally inspired me enough to sit down and write about it.

The world today is a mess. I know many people say, "But you have to think positive and look at only the beautiful things in life." The only way you can acknowledge something as beautiful is if you have something ugly to look at and compare. C.S. Lewis once said:

 "My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?"

There are beautiful things in this world and they are only accentuated by the mess we live in. A tree swaying in the breeze with sunlight peeking through the branches, a little girl laughing on the swing while her father pushes her, an elderly couple holding hands while walking to the store from their car. Those things we rarely notice because we're so busy digging ourselves out of debt or trying to achieve academic perfection. We don't stop and look around and because we don't, we call this world ugly and unfair. Awful things don't happen because the world is unfair and cruel. Awful things happen because we view them as awful, because we've experienced goodness and can tell the difference. How? Our feelings when we experience them. If you were speeding and you were pulled over, you probably would say that an awful thing has happened to you. You have to pay a fine and your reputation as a driver is tainted because it's on your record. That is an awful thing but only because you allowed it to happen. So what is truly the definition of an awful and unfair occurrence to a person? When they are not acknowledged as a beautiful creation of God, a statue molded into perfection in His eyes. When they sacrificed their lives, and other people blame each other for their deaths, making their deaths in vain. When they try and try to show the goodness of this world and they're smothered by people who look down on them as poor, uneducated, and unable. When a child of God tries to show His love and they are killed for it. When a small, innocent life is lost because of their parents' irresponsibility. Awfulness is the bad things that has happened to those who do not deserve it. Jesus Christ was an innocent person, free of sin, and sent to earth to show the goodness of God's love. He was treated with disrespect and was persecuted because of the things he said. Jesus was not a member of the society back then. He was considered a radical, with radical beliefs and untraditional methods. He criticized the bibical scholars and performed miracles that contradicted the Pharisee. He was not an angry person and never showed anger. He was not a wealthy man and never showed any desire for money or fame. He was not a conceited being and never thought of himself only in any situtation. He is what we all should become like. A person not of this world.

I've seen a lot of things in my short twenty-five years of living. I've seen enough to make any heart break. I've experienced a lot of frustration, not only as a Deaf person but in general. I've experienced problems with myself and the people around me, my family and my friends. There have been times where I felt like giving up on everything and just let the stones fall where they may and accept that as "the way of life." But those who feel the same don't need to feel this way. Those who feel different and out of place do not have to feel lonesome. God created us for this world but that's not the only plan He has for us. When the world fell into sin, He gave us a second chance to go to heaven. In order to get there, we have to accept Jesus as our personal Savior. We must look up to him and follow him, and most importantly, become like him. If Jesus was an outcast, a man different from the rest of society, what does that mean for us to become like him? Jesus was not of this world, and those who follow him are not either. We must be free from the grips of society, a greedful, angry, and unsatisfied germ, and join the brotherhood of Christ, who was a selfless, happy, and content man whose only desire was and still is for everyone to see God's face.


Society, you're a crazy breed. I hope you're not lonely without me.

Sorry, still can't hear ya. Now please stop snapping in my face.

Have you ever come across a moment in your life where you just want to stop yourself and smack your forehead, breathe in deeply, and silently pray for the ignorance of the person you just met? Mine just happened today.

My deafness was subtly labeled as a generational sin by a woman whom I have never met before in the parking lot of a grocery store. To make it even better, she asked if she could pray for me to be healed. After she took her hands off my ears, she snapped in my face and asked if I had been miraculously healed. A look of disappointment was plastered all over her face when I told her no. So what did she do? She prayed a second time, with her hand on the back of my neck. After snapping again, she asked if I had been healed. Again, I said no, I still cannot hear. Then she started her own monologue about Jesus' love and how our relationship with Him is so important and that to be healed, you must have tremendous faith. It was pretty startling to hear a stranger make a judgement against me about how my faith wasn't enough to heal me. So I said a little prayer for her and I dare not repeat what I said on here.

When the whole thing was over and I was walking away, I suddenly had a verse come up to mind that would most definitely put that woman in her place. I had recently posted it on Facebook and it was too late to turn around and go back to tell the woman. That verse comes from Psalm 139, which says: "I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." God made each of us exactly the way He wants us to be, and being the perfectionist He is, He does not make mistakes.

"For You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb...My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth." Psalms 139:13, 15

"The LORD said to him, 'Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Is it not I, the LORD?'" Exodus 4:11


Christians, please don't make any assumptions that some people need healing. People are made according to a much higher plan that we will never be able to see nor comprehend. Accept God's will and allow them to show the mighty works He has planned for those who love Him.

Facebook is an abomination...but gosh, it's so addicting.

I deactivated my Facebook account yesterday. I realized I spend too much time on there. After I deactivated, I noticed myself reaching for my phone to check my Facebook at least 20 times since yesterday. It's amazing how a little thing such as that can consume so much for time and take the focus off the more important things in life. After I post a status, I noticed myself checking it every 5 minutes to see if someone liked it or commented on it. I was disgusted with myself at how self-centered I'd become. So I decided that I need a break from the virtual world and become more involved with the real world. This doesn't mean I'm quitting for good but I just won't exist on there for a week or 2, if not more. Hopefully, this will help me break some bad habits I've developed over the years. My phone is in danger of going in exile but I'll be keeping it around for a little bit longer so people can get in touch with me.

So, be sure to look up at least once in a while and view the world around you. Don't take life for granted because sooner or later, our time on earth will run out. Make the best of every minute that is given to you so you will have fewer regrets. I challenge you to leave your phone in your car for one day when you're at work or school, and see the huge difference between being dependent on technology and having technology depend on you.

Hot dogs with mustard and a dabble of boredom, please

I've been eating a lot of hot dogs lately, and washing them down with old lemonade from a 5 gallon cooler. Like my meals, my summer has been pretty consistent. Some days I'll be productive, some days I just stay home and think up plans for building a better minnow trap. Yeah, my life is pathetic right now.

Now that my first semester at Baylor is over, it's time to move on to the next best thing; a job. I've been searching everywhere and applied to every part-time position I can think of that will comply with my fall schedule. So far, I haven't received a single call from any of the places I applied to; which begs the question, why put up an ad for a job if they're not gonna hire? So I'm thinking I may have to stoop down to the bottom of the bucket of chicken, where all the fried bits of nothingness rests in a puddle of peanut oil that nobody wants to eat. I try to avoid the food service industry, given my experience of working in a grocery store and a short stint I had packing tomatoes in boxes. But it seems that it's the only option that's left. Perhaps if I find a job at a pizza place or Wing Stop, the leftover food at the end of the day may help me feel better about the situation.

That's all I'm up to right now. Peace out.

Hebrews 10:23-24 -- The Power of Fellowship

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching." -Hebrews 10:23-25

"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." -Matthew 18:20


Aristotle once said that because the Deaf have no logic or reason, they would never be saved because they could not hear the word of God. Yet, there are ministries all over the world who consists of Deaf believers spreading the word of God, using sign language. There is nothing too wonderful for God or impossible for Him. By His power, the blind can see and the deaf can hear (figuratively speaking).

When my parents got married, they had discussed having children. My mother wanted a daughter and my father wanted a son. After three years, they finally had a baby daughter, followed by another daughter two years later. Finally, late September of 1986, my father got his wish. I was born. A couple years went by and they discovered I was deaf. My mother took the news worse than my father. She felt because I'm deaf, she couldn't teach me that Jesus loves me and he died for me. But years went by and she learned and mastered the language of the Deaf; American Sign Language. Through ASL, she was able to show me the word of God and what it meant. Ever since then, her dream was to minister to the Deaf who have no knowledge about God. But all attempts at setting up a deaf ministry in Waco have crashed and burned. Every year, we have a Deaf VBS for children who are deaf or have deaf parents. But each year, the number of kids become smaller. Several years ago, we worked with a Deaf pastor from Fort Worth. He would come to Waco every Sunday night and have a bible study in ASL. After a while, it just fizzled out. One ministry still stands today at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church and has been around long before I existed. The one important thing missing from this ministry is the young people. So several of my friends and I got together and tried to start a bible study, and we only managed to have a few meetings before that too fizzled out. So all that's left is Sunday school for the Deaf at CABC.

So my mother set up a potluck just last Sunday with a purpose of setting up a ministry that is led by the Deaf. The discussion we had was well-intentioned and in-depth, but it still left my mother with an unsatisfied feeling; and I felt the same way. I've always been a passive person and never expressed myself in front of people as well as I would like to. So that's the reason why I've decided to express my thoughts on here, which is something I'm starting to become good at. All thoughts and comments are welcome and will not be rejected.

Here's a summary of what happened at the potluck, from my perspective. (Names of participants are excluded.)

One person opened the discussion by explaining the purpose of the Deaf ministry. The purpose is to gather people, both Deaf and hearing, to become like a second family. While the hearing people can be a part of it, it was strongly suggested that the Deaf have leadership in this ministry, because they are role models in their community. This doesn't mean hearing people can't be involved, but they just can't have too much control in how the ministry is run. In my experience with the attempts of setting up a Deaf ministry in Waco, hearing people who are involved tend to take over and the Deaf felt smothered and looked down upon. So this time around, we want to have Deaf leaders, whose primary purpose is to reach out to the Deaf community. Deaf people look up to their Deaf elders; they listen to them. The goal was to enpower the Deaf to lead the ministry, while hearing people can assist in whatever way they can. It was argued that the Deaf already has the power and to say we, the hearing people, want to enpower them implies that we have the power originally and we're giving it to them. That was not the case the first person was trying to make. Of course the Deaf has the power. They just don't know what to do with it, how to use it. Those who were involved in other ministries have that experience and that is one way they can help the Deaf ministry; to show the Deaf how to lead. That's all.

One important way of knowing how a ministry is successful is not by the number of people, but how close they are to each other. God encourages all Christians to have fellowship with one another. Like it says in Matthew, when two or more people gather in God's name, His presence is known. A ministry has to have the feeling of a family, a closeness where each person can feel free to express themselves. A Life group is a group of people who meet at a person's house, which gives the feeling of comfort rather than the feeling of being in church. Topics discussed in the Life group doesn't neccessarily have to be about God, but about ourselves. Such topics could cover so many things; such as addiction, problems at work, financial trouble, depression, controversion regarding to sex, orientation, race; and so many other things. Positive things are included with those topics; testimonies, praying, praising, meditating, contemplation, etc. Voices may be raised, tempers flared, tears shed, and friendships tested; but in the end, we learn about each other. The more we learn about each other, the closer we become. The closer we become as a spiritual family, the closer we become with God. That's what we need in this ministry, the ability to have closeness with God and with ourselves.

Later after the potluck, I had thought about what took place earlier. I discussed with my mother my thoughts about what happened and some suggestions on how we can proceed. My suggestions were to start basic. Make an event that revolves around an activity; such as a park where we can play frisbee golf or flag football or whatever. Previously, those who are involved in the ministry can meet and discuss what to do. Such things would be striking up a conversation with someone and try to get them to express themselves about something, like work or school. Then we give them a positive perspective on that and try to get the person involved in a discussion. This one-on-one approach is ideal for creating an enviroment where they don't feel they're being watched or criticized. Then later, we can involve more people in the discussion and hope it leads to one big group of people just expressing their ideas. One thing I've observed in the Deaf community, people tend to talk one person. Then another person joins the conversation then another one. Eventually, we're all sitting around in a big circle, telling jokes, complaining about school, discussing relationships, and things of that nature. That's the type of enviroment I would like to develop in this ministry. It may require a lot of time but it's something I think would be worth it.

Any thoughts or ideas are welcome here. If you've been involved in a deaf ministry, or are now, feel free to share your ideas and experiences.

Blessings upon you all this week.

Fence post - n. An alternative when brakes aren't enough.

From time to time, I've been known to do something incredibly stupid. The most recent "dumbass" incident is wrecking my truck. Now, you're probably thinking, "Joey did something stupid? That's impossible. He's the wisest man ever to walk the earth." Sad to say, that's not always true. (Please note: this post may have several hints of sarcasm. Do not take them seriously.) I'll explain how this happened, but to do that, I need to go back a little.

My dad recently bought a 55 gallon aquarium. Why he did that would never be fully known to me. So he filled it with water, and put a dozen minnows in it, the kind you buy at a store where you can rent a movie and buy gas at the same time. So we had a bunch of little 20 cent fish swimming around in a $160 aquarium. I thought it was a little boring to have tiny silver fish swimming around, so I took my dad's minnow trap and drove out to the creek and try my luck and catching some perch. It just happens that between our house and the creek is 3 miles of unpaved road. After soaking the trap for a few hours, I drove back out there to pick it up and see if I caught anything. I peeled out a little at the first turn and had such a thrill from it, that I wanted to try it again. So the next turn, I pressed the gas pedal a little more to give it some more spin. The truck skidded to the right, I turned into the skid. It worked great. It turned around to the left, and I turned to the left, and it worked...kinda. It seemed I miscalculated the speed going around the curve and just ran right into a 3 inch steel fence post. Luckily for me, the fence post was fine. My truck, however, wasn't fine. It folded the bumper from a 180 degree angle to around 120, cracked the grill and the brand new header panel I had just replaced, and dented the hood a little. The license plate took the form of the fence post and made a perfect half-circle, along with the bumper that was behind it. What's even more lucky is the new radiator I replaced only weeks before showed no signs of leaking. So my truck has experienced trauma from 3 sides; the driver's side, the passenger's side, and now the front. All I need is a wreck from behind and my truck will become a compact truck.

Anybody want an old banged up Ranger with over 212,000 miles on it? It's a standard and drives like a dream...a red and black mediocre dream.


Oh, if you're a fan of John Lennon, I strongly recommend you watch "Nowhere Boy." Usually a biopic movie doesn't always turn out good, but this one is a must-see.

I wanna be a teacher...or an airborne Ranger.

I had to type up an introduction paper stating the reason why I want to become a teacher. I had also noticed I hadn't updated my blog in a while so I thought I'd amuse everybody and post what I typed up. Please note, I typed this up in, like, 30 minutes. I've very well known to do things at the last minute.

Joey Bartlett

TED 1312 – Sharp

1/19/2011

Introduction: Why do I want to teach?

If someone had told me in high school that I would be going into education at Baylor, I would have thought that was the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard. The thought of becoming a teacher was the last thing in my mind. But sometimes the plans we make take an abrupt left turn and we find ourselves following a path where we don’t know where it will end up. All through high school, I loved going to my math and science classes. When I was a kid, I would design and build things from Legos, things that would astound my parents. My father told me I would become a mechanical engineer when I grow up. Sure enough, after graduation, I went to Texas Tech and majored in mechanical engineering. While I had enjoyed the classes immensely, I wasn’t motivated enough. I flunked out and moved back home, where later I went to Texas State Technical College and graduated with an associate’s in mechanical engineering technology. During my time at TSTC, I took up a job as a tutor for the deaf students who have problems with their math homework, and even help out with their English assignments sometimes. There was one student in particular whom I’ve enjoyed working with, and caused me to realize I might enjoy teaching. All semester, that student came into the tutor lab and we sat down together and discussed the homework assignments, went over the methods used to solve various problems, and practiced on theories that the student’s teacher talked about in class. As the semester progressed, I started noticing that I have a lot more patience than most people when it comes to teaching. Practically all my friends have told me I should become a teacher, and when I told them I was going into deaf education, they, along with my family, gave me their full support. Currently I teach American Sign Language to the parents of deaf children at Viking Hills Elementary. During both experiences, at Viking Hills and at TSTC, I have enjoyed not only teaching, but seeing the student’s face when they finally understand.

I made this decision about four weeks before the semester started. I was in complete denial that I would succeed in the school of education because I was concerned about not being motivated enough. One professor at Baylor, who teaches Deaf education, gave me some advice. Before, I had felt panic and doubted myself, but after the discussion, I was suddenly at peace. It was at that time everything made sense. God made me to be a teacher for the Deaf. I have the patience for it, I’m always willing to teach something new to people, and I love to interact with the Deaf community. So after I made the decision to go into Deaf education, I started to ponder what I want to teach. The answer was quite simple. I want to teach high school math. Many Deaf students graduate from high school with the minimal amount of knowledge in mathematics, and that makes them limited to the potential they so deserve. So my goal is to give them as much as they want, so they can grow up to be engineers, architects, chemists, physicists, and whatever else they aspire to become. The mind is a powerful tool we use daily, and it’s a shame to watch it go to waste and never know what we are capable of.

Corny, I know.