Tim Tebow

**Disclaimer: I detest football, and this blog post in no way changes that. I don't understand why people get so obsessed and excited about seeing guys they don't know play a game. I think its sad that a lot of church people can name team members, stats, etc, but couldn't name the 12 apostles or the Beatitudes. I have no interest in who wins the Superbowl, except I cheer for the opposite team of my facebook friends.That said.......

I admire Tim Tebow. He has been coming under fire from all sides, even other Christians, for his outspokenness about his Christianity, his kneeling "Tebowing" after he gets a touchdown, or whatever he does it for. They say he is too fanatical, and he has been mocked for it.

I didn't even know til today when I read an article about him, what team he plays for. Neither do I care. I do admire him though. I don't know a lot about him, but it sounds like he is true to his convictions, and he is not ashamed of his Christianity. I am sure I wouldn't agree with everything he does - i.e. playing on Sundays, but it doesn't sound like he does anything to ruin the Christian image he puts forth.

I have a few thoughts about him and his forwardness about his Christianity, and the media and liberals attacking him for it.

First off: If he were a Muslim, they wouldn't dare attack him and mock him, but Christians are fair game. (great article on Fox News website about him, and the writer makes that point).

Second: If we live as the Bible commands, the world isn't going to love us. And if we live as the Bible commands us to, people are going to know who we are, and what we stand for. I have little time for these so-called Christians who are in entertainment, sports, etc, and you would never know that they are Christians by anything they do. They don't sing about Jesus, they aren't careful about the kinds of movies they appear in, etc. If every sports person and celebrity who claimed to be a Christian was like Tim Tebow, he wouldn't be an oddity or anything unusual.

And to take that further, if everyone who claimed to be a Christian, celebrity or your average Joe, was made of the stuff Tim Tebow is made of, and acted out our faith the way he does, this world would be a totally different place.

So, Tim Tebow, though I hate the sport you play, thank-you for your integrity and boldness to show your faith and beliefs in the face of mockery and attacks on you. God bless you for being something that so many people in sports are not worthy to be: a role model.

Christians On the Bench

Anyone who knows me very well,  knows that I am not only disinterested in sports, I despise sports in general, but putting that aside, imagine going with me to a ball game. We get there to find the stadium filled. The visiting team is in the outfield, but nothing is happening. I look around, and finally spy the home team. They are all sitting on the benches by the dugout. Some are reading, some have laptops, some are on their cell phones, but none appear interested in the game they are supposed to be playing. The coach is going from player to player, spending a few minutes with each before going on to the next. I'm curious as to what is going on, so I wander down to get a closer look. I arrive in time to hear him speaking to one of the players......

Coach: "Come on John. Go bat, please!"
John: "I'm too busy Coach. My plate is too full."

The coach moves on.
Coach: "Mike, will you take a turn at batting?"
Mike: "I'd rather not, Coach. But I promise I will pray for the game!"
The coach moves on to the next player.
Coach: "Bill, will you please go bat?"
Bill: "Coach, I think you are doing an excellent job at coaching, but me, bat? Nah. Go ask Paul to bat. He is better at it than me. And here is $20 to help with the game."

And down the row of players the coach goes, asking, begging, only to be met with excuse after excuse. No one will bat.

Sounds dumb. As much as I dislike sports, even I think a team like that should be fired and thrown out. But isn't that like so many of we Christians? Oh, we will pray for the services, for the pastor, for the Sunday School, and those who teach. We will toss some money into the offering plate, but don't expect us to sacrifice our money, our time, to step out of our comfort zone.

I read a book this past week that really impressed me and moved me. Passion to Action. It is a book I received to read and post a review, which I did here. It is a true story of a family who decided they didn't want to sit on the bench. The Locken family. They sold their house and most of their possessions, bought a RV and travel all over the country helping where they can. Handing out Bibles, helping serve in soup kitchens. All sorts of things, with all sorts of people. These people are really serving God and living out His Word to those they meet. Check out their website at passiontoaction.org.

Now obviously, we cannot all sell our homes and travel the country in an RV, but are we willing to do something for God where we are? To use our talents in our church? I am afraid too many of us want to sit on the bench - or pew - and do nothing.

I went to a baseball game at the beginning of this post. Now lets go to my church. Let me set the scene. At the end of last year, my Sunday School teacher handed out a paper with what we would be studying this year. He wanted volunteers to teach lessons and/or suggestions for people we would like to teach them. I dove in whole hearted and wrote so many that I had more than there were lines for.

Here we are at the end of September, and no one that I listed has spoken in Sunday School class, nor are they listed to. I asked my SS teacher a couple of weeks ago about it. He did ask some, who all said "no." And some he didn't bother asking, for he knew they'd say "no."

There was one person in particular I was wondering about. Let's call him Dan. I asked "Did you ask Dan?" Yes, he was asked, but was "too busy." I used to think highly of Dan, and this will sound judgmental, but hey...so what. Dan has a hobby, shall we say. He spends a lot of money and time on it. He travels all over the US doing this hobby. He talks about it all the time. And there is nothing wrong with this hobby, but if we are too busy to teach a Sunday School lesson, but have time for trips for a hobby, then what is the deal?! Sad thing is, "Dan" is very talented. Should have been a preacher. I firmly believe that if he was given a Sunday School class full of young boys, he would make a difference in their lives. But......... he is "too busy."

There are a lot of Dans in the church. We are all too happy to pray for the pastor, the missionaries, put money into the offering, but we don't want to sacrifice. We want our time, most of our money, our dreams, our desires. Let someone else carry the load. Don't ask us to do anything that will take us out of our groove. Put the average Christian up against the Loeken family, and we'd be sadly lacking. Here is a family who is out there living in a RV because they wanted to do more for God. Sound fun? Sure, but read their book and you will see it isn't all fun and games, but God is blessing them for what they are doing.

I fear the average Christian forgets what it is all about. There is a quote from the Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens that has been on my mind lately. It is from the scene were Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Marley:

One of the most moving statements in this Christmas tale is by Marley's Ghost when despairing over "life's opportunities misused." Scrooge, trembling with fear and beginning to share in Marley's guilt, says: "But you were always a good man of business, Jacob." Upon which the Ghost cried out in anguish:


"Business! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!"


The Great Commission isn't just for the missionary on the foreign field. It isn't just for the people working in the streets of the USA. It is for all Christians. We should be seeking ways to work for God, even if it is just in our local church. Who knows what a change could be made in our own churches if people would let God use them and their talents, but everyone is "busy."
 
I can honestly say I haven't said "no" to much I was asked to do in the church, and the times I did say "no" was because at the time I was asked, I wasn't where I needed to be spiritually. And there may be others like me, but most of the time, people are just too busy, or don't want to step out of our comfort zone.
 
But what if Jesus had been "too busy" to come to earth to die for us? What if He hadn't wanted to step out of His comfort zone? And if you think hanging on a cross with nails through His hands and feet and a crown of thorns on His head wasn't out of His comfort zone, then you are delusional.
 
We may not know til we get to Heaven - and maybe not even then - what our actions and influence has done here on earth and what our in actions and refusals to be used have not accomplished. If you are asked to speak in a Sunday School class, it might be you that God is planning on reaching that one person. And your refusal to speak might mean he won't be reached. Far fetched? I don't think so.
 
So should we always say "yes" to anything we are asked to do in church? Not necessarily. For one thing, if we always say "yes" we will get asked to do everything. For another, we may not be capable. For instance, me sing a solo? Wow. That would clear out the church! But we should be more willing, and less prone to just say "no."

Someone has said that God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. If we prayed and sought God's will, we'd all be surprised at what we could do with His help.


Too busy? I'm sure Satan laughs with glee when Christians use that worn out response. For the busier we are, the less we will do for God, and Satan wins another round.


There is a song that says when we get to Heaven, we will wish we had done more. I don't know if we will have any regrets when we step through those pearly gates, but if we do, none of us are going to wish we had spent more time on us and our desires. No, we will wish we had done more to help our fellow man. Done more to reach out to our neighbor, co-worker, even the person in the pew across from us at church.
   
We aren't on this earth to play and work. Those are important, but we must not forget why we are here: To do God's will, live for Him, make it to Heaven, and take as many people with us as we can..... for that is all we can take to Heaven - people.

A blog post.......

Wow, it has been ages since I have blogged... not counting book reviews. I guess I just haven't had anything to say. At least nothing I want the general public to read, nor would they want to.

Today I turned a day older. #42. At this stage of my life, that number doesn't just represent another year lived. To be brutally honest, I view myself as a failure, and each year that comes is just another signpost to remind me of that fact. But enough morose talk.

I started out the day by reading several birthday greetings from facebook friends. A nice gesture, and it made my day. Sadly, I have already opened all of my gifts a day early. I got some clothes and books... what more could I ask for? ;-) Also sadly, I work today on my birthday. There should be a law against such things......

But on the bright side, today is the last day I will work for a little over a week. I leave tomorrow afternoon for a week at the ocean... The Outer Banks, NC. I and my parents will travel to Breezewood, PA, where we will meet up with my little sister, her husband, and my three nephews. We will travel together to a motel in Maryland, where we will spend the night. On Saturday, we will head on to North Carolina and meet my other sister, her husband, and my three nieces somewhere and have a 3 mini van caravan the rest of the way.

Traditionally, we stop around Nags Head at a really cool Ben Franklin store. It isn't your average BF. They have all kinds of souvenirs and things pertaining to the beach. A pretty cool place to shop. We will most likely eat in that area.. pizza is on the menu from what I hear. Then we will head on to The Outer Banks.

The vacation house we rented, Beach Haven, has 6 bedrooms, 4 1/2 bathrooms, game room with a pool table and Foosball table, a private heated pool, and a hot tub. We will be joined from Saturday through Monday by my cousin Barry and his wife, Dorsie, and their family: twins Bowen and Brianna, age 16, and Barry's other daughter,  Natasha and her husband, making a grand total of 19 of us under one roof for three days. Not sure where everyone will sleep. :-) After the cousins leave, we will actually have an extra bedroom, as all 6 of my nieces and nephews will be in one bedroom. Hopefully not too close to mine.... ;-)

This vacation we take is pretty much a glorified fishing trip. If my one brother-in-law couldn't fish, there would be no ocean vacation. The same might hold true for my dad.... but I am still happy to go, though I am not much into fishing. Not enough to pay to fish. Nah. It is enough for me to sit on the beach and view the might and beautiful ocean, walk in the sand and feel the warm sand under my feet, watch small crabs scurry for cover, see shells lying on the sand, feel the cold ocean lapping at my feet as I walk along the edge of the massive body of water. It makes me want to stay and open up a small shop on the beach.

And of course read. I usually get a lot of reading done at the ocean. I have at least 10 books, possibly more, that I am taking, and will most likely read all of them, or at least most of them next week. Some of them while sitting on one of the decks on the house. Sounds like paradise.

Beach Haven.... I may not want to leave.

The Power of a Story... repost

I am re-posting this in response to a blog post I read that is condemning Christian fiction. That post is here.

I love to read. Always have. I remember in my elementary school days excelling at reading so much, that I was reading books above my reading level. As my reading skills grew and changed, so did what I read. I devoured The Hardy Boys books, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Black Beauty. I read at any chance I got.

When the day came that I got my own library card, I remember librarians being amazed at the stacks of books I would take out on loan. Where other people got a few books, I would get eight, ten, or even more, even as I grew onto adulthood.

Now at age forty (ugh!), I still have a love of books. My main enjoyment for pleasure reading is Christian fiction. The Christian fiction book has gotten a bad rap, in my opinion. Some people look down on people who read a lot of fiction. Even in my own church, I have heard people refer to the "novel" with distaste and a bit of pious self righteousness that they don't read books like that.

I will be the first to say the Bible should be the most important book in our reading, and should be read daily, and meditated on. And there are other good books to read that aren't fiction, but if we discount Christian fiction, and consider it a shallow pursuit, I believe we are discounting something that not only can be a pleasurable past time, but something that could help us.

Because of a good novel, I have been all over the world. The jungles of Africa, Russia, the swamps of Lousiana, China, Japan - even in the Oval office. I have learned things from reading a novel.

I am rather passionate that Christian fiction should indeed be Christian. Nowadays, there are books being published as Christian fiction that might mention God once or twice - or not at all, and is just a clean secular book marketed as Christian fiction. Worse than that, are the Christian fiction books that have curse/swear words in, or situations or discussions that do not belong in a Christian book.

Now there are a lot of Christian novels that are "fluff" - romance, and books just for fun. I am not knocking those - they have their place, and there is nothing wrong with reading a book that is just fun and clean, whether it be Christian, or not - but in the last several years, I have been discovering a wealth of Christian fiction books that not only entertain and tell a good story, but have lessons, truths - even life-changing truths.

Sound far-fetched? That God could use a story - fiction - to speak to someone? To convict, change? I don't believe so. Jesus Himself used stories to get a message across. We call them parables.

Many of Karen Kingsbury's stories carry a strong message, address a specific topic. I have told the story here, but it bears repeating: a few years back, I had loaned Karen Kingsbury's book Waiting For Morning to my pastor's wife. It is a fictional story of a woman who loses her husband and daughter because of a drunk driver, and her journey to forgiving him. Not long after she read that book, a lady in my church related a sad story to her about a co-worker. This woman's daughter had a small boy. The daughter's boyfriend seriously abused the boy - damaged his motor skills, it was so bad. He, and the boy's mother were charged, as she allowed it. The boy's grandmother was given custody of this little abused boy, and she told the woman from my church that she knew she needed to forgive them, but couldn't. My pastor's wife recommended the book by Karen Kingsbury, and the co-worker later said it did help her a lot. A fiction book - who knew?!

Karen received so many emails and letters from people influenced by her books, that she actually has a place on her website for them. Here are a few:


Hi, my name is Chris and I am a 16 year old boy with a second chance. For years now I've been struggling with pornography addiction. Looking for the answers, but only getting frustrated. Then I read Ocean's Apart and the part where Connor realizes what the preacher said about "it will start with you" and how he was to blame.

For years I blamed God for allowing it to cross my path, then I blamed the devil, then I blamed my brother (it started on his computer), then the world. But Connor (the character in your book) helped me to realize that it was all my fault.
My fault that I alone chose to look at them. Now seeing what can happen when one realizes it was their fault, it brought me to my knees and I asked God to forgive me and for a second chance, and guess what HE DID! Now I'm no longer addicted to that awful sin. Thank you so much for writing this book, I feel it was written to me from God. It helped me in more ways than just this. If you don't mind I would like to use the butterfly story as a tool for witnessing.

Keep allowing God to use you and you will never falter, I'm praying for you and your family, thank you Karen. -Chris R
My sister-in-law gave me One Tuesday Morning and it changed my life. I had turned my back on God for many years due to beliefs I had from a former religion. I believed that if I were not part of their religion I would not ever have Gods favor again.
After reading One Tuesday Morning I started questioning what I believed in my heart all those years. By the time I was done with the book I sat down and prayed to God for the first time, honestly knowing he was really with me.
She knew what your books would do for me. You have given me my faith and my love of God back and I can not thank you and my sister-in-law enough no matter how long I live. -Cheryl H

After reading A Time To Dance, I spontaneously flew to Japan, surprising my husband during his business trip, to tell him that I chose us and committed myself to saving our marriage. I suggested that he MUST read your book; you wrote it specifically for us.
We did not fly home together, however, he took the book and said he'd read it. I just got off the phone with my husband who elatedly called from the Detroit, MI Airport, choked up and near tears because he finished your entire book without stopping the whole flight, except for bathroom breaks, and realized the blessed relationship that we nearly lost.

Thanking you doesn't convey my heart's gratitude. However, I want to commend you for your obedience to the Lord for clarifying to readers that God doesn't let go even when we do.
As John and Abby nearly threw in the matrimony towel, so did my husband and I. Your characters marriage paralleled mine to a tee, except my husband is a pilot and not a football coach. Otherwise, the coincidences of my life as a writer, having two sons and one daughter, experiencing the loss of a child, possessing a seemingly perfect marriage externally, one spouse faced with the possibility of choosing an affair, and the wounds that are inflicted through relationship neglect, stemming from the busyness of raising children and providing for a family, were utterly uncanny.
You did write this about us! Your God given gift to write impacts lives.
It saved mine

And there are many more on her website.

Just recently, I have read The Last Word by Kathy Herman. The author told a great story of suspense while driving home the point that we need to be working harder to win our loved ones to Christ. Also addressed in the book was the importance of life, and that abortion is not the answer.

In Scream, the most recent book that I reviewed, author Mike Dellosso spins a tail of kidnapping and treachery, all the while pointing out the reality of hell, and that anyone who dies without Christ will go there for all eternity.

Not so recently, A Time to Dance by Karen Kingsbury stresses the importance of marriage, and of saving a marriage, even when wrong has been done. She also addressed the issue of pornography in this book, and why it is wrong.

Not every Christian novel is going to present life-changing truths, and I am not saying they must, but I did want to address the issue of the power in a story. No, a Christian novel - or any book - should never replace the Bible, and many Christian novels are just a good, clean story, presenting God as the answer, but that in itself is something we need reminded of now and then. But I would like to tip my hat in recognition of those authors and books that not only tell a good story, but do it with a message to help someone out there that will read their story, and be encouraged, convicted, and possibly even become a Christian, because God used a Christian novel to speak to their heart.

So you aren't a reader of Christian fiction? Why not give it a try. You might learn something, and God may speak to you through it.

The case of Joel Northrup

Joel Northrup is a 16-year-old boy from Iowa. He is the son of a pastor, and is home-schooled. He also wrestles, and does quite well.

Last week, he was scheduled to wrestle in the first round of the Iowa state high school wrestling tournament. He didn't wrestle. He forfeited the match and his chance at the state title.  Why? In his own words: "As a matter of conscience and my faith,” he wrote in a statement, “I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner."

The boy's father supported his decision: "We believe in the elevation and respect of women, and we don't think that wrestling a woman is the right thing to do. Body slamming and take downs -- full contact sport is not how to do that."

A lot of people are applauding the boy's decision. A lot are not. Even on an article on Focus on the Family's website, there are comments like this:

This one from a woman:

I come from the other side of the issue. I have a daughter who loves to wrestle. Being the only girl in a family of 3 brothers and all male extended family, she is very much a tom-boy. Don't get me wrong, she is totally female and knows how to be and act like a lady. That background is to share that she knows how to be rough with boys and take it -- knowing full well they can hurt her.
With that history, she wanted to wrestle. There are no all-girl wrestling teams in our area so she had to join the boys team. The only boy who would even practice with her was a boy that had been part of our family (I babysat him and his brother) since she was born. She ended up giving up something she loved because the boys wouldn't wrestle with her. Is she supposed to refrain from something because it's a "boys" sport?


This all took place before she hit puberty and high school, so hormones and curves were not an issue. I don't know if she would have continued with the sport after such time any way because she has slowed down on wrestling with her brothers or if she would have wanted to continue. We were never given the opportunity to find out. Not because she wasn't allowed to play but because the boys would not engage with her. She could hold her own in the matches, but never won because she did not get the practice she needed.

And this one from a man:


I'm with you, Brina. The boy and his father, I feel, are in the wrong for many reasons here.



First of all, they're NOT showing respect for the young lady by refusing to grapple with her. They're showing contempt for her abilities and hard work. She has made a choice to compete against young men, and knows what she is getting into...it's not like he's going to come up behind her in a dark alley and knock her in the head and steal her purse!


Secondly, it's a cop out to make this a sexual/morality issue. If the young man in question can't control his hormones for the length of a high school wrestling match, maybe some counseling is in order.


Finally, at the end of the day, I think this is a case of "I don't want to get whipped by a girl" cloaked under the guise of Christianity, making all of us Christ-followers appear childish and silly.


I have read similar comments on news sites, and to be honest - they tick me off. I firmly believe the young man did what he did out of moral and Christian convictions - not because he was afraid to get beat by a girl. And disrespecting a girl by refusing to wrestle her? You gotta be kidding! The girl's parents are the ones who are disrespecting her!!!

Let me be blunt: wrestling is a contact sport. The intent is to take down your opponent by any means necessary. There is a lot of grabbing, groping, etc going on while trying to do so. How and why would anyone want their daughter in that position with a boy? The possibility of her breasts being grabbed by a boy, her butt or private area, her face ending up in the boy's crotch or butt? Is that really appropriate?!

When and how did we get to the place that this is condoned, and we ridicule a young man with the integrity, honesty, and courage to back away from doing that? Instead of cheering him on, applauding him, we make fun of him, claim he is disrespecting the girl, and that he is afraid of being beat by a girl. Really? How about questioning why a girl should wrestle in the first place with other girls, much less boys? And why a parent would be willing to place their daughter in that position, all for the sake of winning. Winning what? A trophy? The young man is the winner here.

Which would you rather have marry into your family: a young woman who wrestles boys and puts her body in the position to have done what I mentioned, or the young man who values women so much, and sticks to his religious convictions so much, that he is willing to forfeit his chance at winning a title to do so? I would pick the young man. He sounds like a guy I'd want my nieces to date.

And speaking of nieces... my three would never wrestle - they are young ladies, after all, but if they did, and if their parents allowed them to wrestle boys - which they would not - I would have something to say about that - so where are the people condemning the girl and her parents?

My hat is off to Joel Northrup - and his parents, for raising such a courageous young man with integrity. I wish there were more like him.

Threatened by Hell.....

"The Lord just impressed on me that for someone in this service, it will be their last chance to come to an altar and pray."

Ever been in a church service where something like that was said? I have been - more than once. I was raised in a very conservative church - and still attend one - and have been in many revival services and camp meetings where the preachers thrived on telling horror stories to get people to the altar.

There is the one that was a favorite for a while about a man that stole some kind of chemical from his job that when it came into contact with water, would burst into flames. He was using it to impress some buddies and got careless. The chemical got all over him - and water. His body kept bursting into flames no matter what the doctors did - for his sweat kept triggering the chemical. They eventually had to peel his skin off to stop it. It made a lovely story to impress the horrors of Hell upon the listeners.

There were others. Stories of people who didn't go to the altar and were mowed down by a car when they stepped out of the church. OK, not that bad, but almost.

I am reading a book right now that a good friend of mine suggested I read - or more like it, bugged me until I bought it. :-) The book is He Loves Me by Wayne Jacobson. I have read three chapters so far, and it is definitely a book I need to read. The third chapter is where I got the title of this blog post: Threatened by Hell. Even before I read it, I was having similar thoughts as to what he wrote, and have made comments about it on my blog before.

Looking back over my life, all too many of my trips to the altar were because I was scared into going. Sure, I may have felt conviction and God's urging to go, but what would usually result in my going was a scary story told by the minister.

Sad to say, most of my life, I have tried to be a Christian to escape Hell - and to make my family happy. Never have I served God out of love for Him, or because He loved me. Is it any wonder I am so messed up?!

There are a lot of people who would say it doesn't matter how you get people to the altar, as long as they go - but is that really true? Can people truly have a relationship with God if they have been scared into it? Going back to the book I mentioned, the author used this illustration: of telling someone you know that you'd enjoy spending more time with them and becoming better friends. Then adding - "and if you don't, I will hunt you down and torture you." What kind of friendship would that be? Or to take it another direction, asking someone to marry you and tell them if they refuse, you will torture them beyond imagination. They might marry you, but what kind of marriage would that be? (That one was my idea!)

Sound absurd? Maybe, but is it any more absurd than scaring someone into a relationship with God? A relationship where you feel if you digress in the least that God is waiting to throw you into Hell? Is that really going to work? Maybe for some people.

I might be wrong, but I would wager a guess that a lot of the people who are scared into going to the altar and pray do not get a lasting relationship with God. And given some time, they have gone back to where they were in the first place. That happened to me. Over and over again.

How much better if people came to pray because they felt and believed that God loved them. No matter what they have done - or will do.

There are churches that tell you that you can live as you want, and go to Heaven. That its all covered. Their God is so loving that He overlooks all sins and welcomes you into Heaven.

I think there needs to be balance. Yes, God is a God of judgment, and maybe that needs to be pointed out occasionally, but He is also a God of love, and that is what will truly win people to Him. That is what needs to be the basis of any relationship, including the one with God.

The author of the book I mentioned made an interesting point in the same chapter about hell: If the only reason I'm even responding to Him is to serve my own self-interest and escape a fiery eternity in hell, am I really loving Him, or myself? Good question. And I would say it is the latter.

Jesus Himself told some scary stories - the rich man in hell wanting Lazarus to bring him a drop of water, the wedding guest without a wedding garment.... but He told many more that weren't like that.

So, any thoughts? Is it a bad thing to scare people to the altar? Should we have many messages on hell?

Free speech....... or something that needs to be stopped?

I was surprised recently to find out that not everyone is familiar with the Westboro Baptist Church. They shouldn't even be called a church. They are mostly all family, related to the pastor, Fred Phelps. They love to go around spreading hate, picketing at the funerals of soldiers with signs saying things like "thank God for dead soldiers", "God hates fags", "God hates America", and other similar signs.

This same group of hateful individuals are planning on picketing at the funerals of the Arizona shooting victims... including the 9-year-old girl. A law was just passed to ban picketing within 1000 feet of a funeral. Many applaud this decision, while others worry about our free speech... and with good reason.

Should they be allowed to picket at funerals? It is sick, wrong, makes Christians look bad...... but if we stop that, what is the next step? The liberals make no secret of the fact that they want to limit free speech - which amounts to shutting conservatives up. They don't care about hateful speech from the left.

Anyone should recoil at the idea of people holding hateful signs at any funeral, much less those of a soldier or a 9-year-old girl. Imagine coming out of the funeral home and/or burial site to see signs rejoicing at your son or daughter's death. No wonder the father of a fallen soldier is trying to sue the church for doing so at his son's funeral.

But what about free speech? Outside of threatening a president - especially the socialist idiot we have right now - it seems we have free rein to say anything - though any anti-gay or anti-Muslim speech is trying to be curbed - but should any of it be curbed? Should we be allowed to say whatever we want to say? Picket at funerals?

Are there alternatives to banning picketing at funerals? There have been some. The last couple of times that this group of people have tried picketing, counter protestors have shown up ion droves to block their view and the view of the bereaved from seeing them. At one, a group of motorcyclists showed up and revved their engines to drown the hateful people out. The tires of the hatemongers were flattened and no on in the town would help them get fixed.

Most of us would change our minds about things we believe if we were in certain situations. Not for the death penalty? If your child was abducted, raped, and killed... you would be. And there are other scenarios. Come out of a funeral where your loved one was buried and see signs rejoicing over the fact - you'd be all for bannning picketing at funerals.

I see it from both sides. The dangers of limiting free speech, and the desire to see these people pushed back as far as possible from these actions. Yet, I am all for allowing protestors at baby killing factories (aka abortion clinics) - and there is no comparison between the two, but there are those who want that stopped - and that is limiting free speech.

I guess what it boils down to, is perspective. If it is something we agree with - protesting at baby killing factories -  we want our free speech rights. If we disagree - these idiots who protest at funerals - we want free speech curbed in that situation. But we can't have it both ways.

So I remain on the fence. On one hand, I want these hateful people blocked from their horrible actions, but on the other.... I worry about limiting free speech. Yes, even of these horrible people. If we start there, we have no way of knowing where it will stop.

Meanwhile, cheers to anyone dedicated to show up and block these people. Keep up the good work, and go ahead and flatten their tires.

Getting along

I found out something recently that bothers me. There is a church near me filled with people who split off from my church and other similar churches to make this one. Someone who attends there made the statement that in their Bible studies, they mostly discuss why they aren't of a certain denomination anymore. When I heard that, I said two things. First off - "Bitter much?" Second: "too bad they don't discuss why they aren't sinners anymore - would be more profitable." But really - how profitable is it to keep rehashing why they don't like my church/denomination. One of them had - and as far as I know, still has, a website where he spews vitrol, lies, and hateful comments about my denomination and its leaders. Really? Is that Christian?

I have gone through two church splits in my life. The first was when I was a teenager. I remember feeling hurt and confused. People I thought highly of just up and left because they couldn't get along with the pastor. All these years later, I still don't get it. The issue seemed so small and dumb.

Fast forward to a few years ago, my current church. I was living in Indiana, but it still affected me. The people involved sent vicious emails out trying to tear good men down. They sent them to try to recruit people to their cause. Even though I was 400 miles away, I was fair game. They ended up leaving the church and taking several people with them. They were suing my denomination over the sale of a church they didn't even attend. Their membership was going to be pulled - made sense to me, they were suing us! - so they left, and took as many people with them as possible.

It happens all of the time, all across the world, across denominations. People splitting off from others. Well, I have some thoughts that I said all of that to get to, so here goes.

Ever notice when something like that happens, the unhappy party takes several people with them? Why is that? Because they belly ache, talk, complain, etc to anyone who lends a sympathetic ear. That is wrong. If they are going to leave, they need to go quietly without trying to drag others with them. I am not naive enough to believe that everyone who is a Christian is going to get along 100% with everyone - but isn't that what God wants?

And if we are committed to God, committed to loving everyone as He asks us to, then why don't we quietly leave, instead of stirring up as much trouble as we can, and pulling as many people with us when we go? And after we do leave, why can't we shut our mouths and quit putting down the church or denomaination we left?!

Unfortunately in the day we live in, people who claim to be Christians have some issues. Selfishness, pride, the desire to have our own way. We aren't interested in just going to church to worship. We want to be seen and heard. We want power. We want our own way.

I could be wrong on this, but I don't think I am - if a church was filled with true Christians who wanted to please God more than anything else, who loved their brothers and sisters in the church as God commands us to - I don't believe there would be church splits. Sure, there would still be people changing churches - personalities come into it, and churches are all different. What you like in a church might be the opposite of what I like in a church - though I am not sure what that is anymore.

So are the splinters wrong, un-Christian? I think most of the time they are. It depends on the attitude of the heart, their actions, and how they leave. We left a church once. The church my parents grew up in. The church I grew up in. The pastor is a hypocritical jerk. We tried to resolve it, but when the preacher is mad at you and preaching directly at you from the pulpit, and any effort to talk to him is met by a cold rebuff - it is time to leave, so leave we did - and quietly. All these years later, I view him with disgust, but not bitterness. I don't talk about him - well, guess I am here a bit - but what is the sense in that? Let it go.

I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, nor am I any John Wesley. I don't set myself up as a paragon of virtue. If you read this and start thinking that I think I am Mr Perect - how wrong you are. But.... I am disillusioned with the church and Christians in general. The day may come where I don't go to church at all. Bad idea? Maybe - but who says you can't home church. Yeah, yeah - I know - "forsake not the assembling, etc, etc." But people say that is because we need to be around other Christians for encouragement, etc. Well guess what - that ain't happening - I'd get as much encouragement at home, but I digress....

Back to my point: I think we get too caught up in what we want out of church, instead of focusing on what God wants. You want a less conservative church? What if He doesn't. You want a stricter church? What if He wants you where you are. You want a bigger church? A more lively church? You want offices, to be seen up front, and the list goes on. If we were honest, how many of us really seek God's will and spend thought on what God wants for us at church? Oh, we may claim to, and pull our self righteous robes around us - but do we really? Do we go to church to worship God, or are we going for other reasons?

I have been pretty outspoken about my unhappiness with my church. Oh, nothing to cause a split over - though if I left, it would be alone. No trying to drag people with me..... I have had people urge me to look elsewhere - and I may some day, but to be honest - I think I expect too much out of church and God's people. Maybe we all do. Thing is, I'm not sure at this point in my life that there is a church I'd be truly happy in. I have too much going on inside right now for one thing, and for another.... as bad as this sounds, I am not sure there is a church I'd agree with 100%. I don't agree with mine 100%, but I agree with enough to stay.

We tend to box God in. We think this demomination or that one has it totally wrong, and the people there couldn't possibly be true Christians, but God can meet people anywhere, and He can make people happy anywhere - if we let Him.

I think so many church problems - and even marriage problems - would dissolve if people sought God and His will above all else, and laid aside their selfish desires and wishes. Yeah, maybe even me. And yes, people would still change churches and denominations - we are human after all, but if the selfishness was gone, the desire to have our own way, I think there would be a lot less of that, and I truly believe there wouldn't be church splits. But what do I know. I am not the sharpest tool in the shed......

And I know I have been rough on church splitters and splinters, but I do believe there wouldn't be so many people leave with the perpetrators if there was no gossip and taking sides going on. And when they leave, they should keep their mouth shut, and quit being so angry and bitter.

And I am sure I offended people in the church that I used as an example, but hey, your actions led to my blog post, so get over it.

And yes, there have been people I have confidence in who have left in church splits...and I still have confidence in some of them, but have to wonder if it was God's will.
The perfect church does not exist, nor the perfect denomination, but if we seek God with all our heart, seek His will above all else, and love our Christian brothers and sisters..... it might be as close to perfect as a church could be in this sinful world.

Blogging in 2011... I don't understand the fascination...

I was going to blog on January 1 to start 2011 out, but never got around to it, so here we are two days into the New Year, so I decided to blog about something I don't understand. Well, the possibilties there are endless :-) - but this is about America's fascination with sports. I really don't understand it. Not even a little bit.

I will admit I am strongly biased against sports. I was picked on a lot in school and bullied mostly because I was so bad at sports. I am still affected by that to this day.  And since I went to a small Christian school, I was forced to play whatever sport was the craze of the season. Looking back, that seems so wrong and unfair. But that is beside the point.

I like soccer. It is the only sport I excelled at, and the only one where the other kids wanted me on their team. Unfortunately, it wasn't popular in school.

Softball was ok after I got out of school and got ok at it. Until that fateful day fourteen years ago that led to my selling my ball glove and vowing I would never play again - and I haven't.

Football.... I never liked it. I think a lot of the problem was I had no clue how to play it - seemed like a stupid game (still does!) - I was forced to play it for gym class, and by the time I half understood the game, I already had a deep-seated hatred of the game.

I get why people like to play sports - even though the very word conjures up bad memories for me - especially football - but what I don't get, not even 1%, is the fascination with professional sports. People will stand in line in all kinds of weather to get tickets, will act like total idiots rooting for their team, and act like it is the end of the world if they lose.

Why? They don't personally know any of the players, and if they passed Brett Favre, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady on the street, th guys wouldn't give them the time of day. These guys get played obscene amounts of money for playing a game - because people will play to see them chase a ball around a field. And why? Why does a bunch of guys you don't know chasing a ball make a difference in your life? It sure doesn't make a difference in mine - other than the fact that I root for the opposite team because I get so tired of hearing about it. Bad of me, but oh well. :-)

Sports has been called the god of America, and whoever said that could be correct. There is nothing wrong in playing sports, but there is in the addiction people have with it and the professional teams. There is also something wrong with it in that all too often men and boys are judged by their performance in how manly or masculine they are, and how popular they are.

As I said, I am biased, but if you look down on someone - or worse, bully them, because they aren't good at or like sports - then that is a sad commentary on you and your life.

Everyone has their interests - mine are reading and music. Every year, some of the music groups I listen to are up for awards - favorite song, favorite group, etc. I usually read the results somewhere on line after the fact, but I don't lose any sleep over it, and I don't even get that excited about it. Even when my favorite group gets most of the awards. Good for them, but I'm not going to throw a party over it. :-)

Sports lovers may hate me for this, but hey if you're a Christian you gotta love me and forgive me - but if the Christians who are so into sports put half of that energy and interest into God's work, only God knows what could be accomplished.

I'm not married and have no kids - and never will, but if I did, they would be allowed to play sports - even the cursed football, but I would curb the professional sports interest. Most of the men are immoral guys who no one should want their kids looking at as a role model. They alll too often desecrate the Sabbath by playing on Sunday,  drink, smoke, live immorally, and it seems a lot of them do drugs - yet even Christians follow them like a little puppy dog - and what for?

In the end, this is a free country - and I am thankful for that. So sports lovers are free to post on facebook about their favorite team winning or losing, and doing all the other things they like to do - but people like me also have the right to dislike sports and also make that known. So I have. :-)

Now I have to run. There is a quilting bee on TV I have to watch. I really get into how they stitch those things together, and my favorite group of quilters is up next!

What I like about winter

It is well known that I hate winter. I don't just dislike it - I hate it. I have friends who love it, and though they are my friends, I think they border on insanity for loving it.

I blogged a sarcastic post recently about what I love about winter, which was actually things I don't like. Some of my friends are trying to get me to see the good about winter, so I am taking up their challenge and making a list of what I like about winter. I repeat - this is a list about what I love/like about winter. Your list may differ from mine. OK, here I go.......

1) Christmas

The depression that is mine

I don't often get very personal on here, but would like to ask for prayer of anyone who reads my blog.

I have mentioned this before, but for the last two years, I have been battling severe discouragement and depression. I finally started seeing a doctor back in August. She put me on an anti-depressant, and after a month, it was helping... but has quit helping. I am more depressed than ever, and it is affecting everything:

I love to read, but have to force myself to do so. I only read the books I get to review, and that is a chore. I have a stack of books I have bought in the last few months to read, not review - and they still sit. Even two from my favorite author.

I love Christmas music and always start listening in late September/early October - but I have no interest in it yet. I am even dreading Christmas, which I normally love.

About the only thing I still enjoy is shopping - even for books that I don't read.

I am constantly irritable and angry.


I have a doctor's appointment next Friday if I can go - I have jury duty. I plan on telling the doc how I am doing, and I know she is going to urge counseling - which I may need, but there are issues - they have counselors who go by your pay, as the doc does, but they would be secular and could screw me up more than I am already. I have no idea where to find a good Christian counselor, and couldn't afford one even if I did.

Anyway, I'd appreciate prayer... this is far worse than anyone realizes - I do a fairly good job of covering it up most of the time. Thanks.

The Christian "F" word....And the family of God

I saw reference made to this on John Acuff on his site, Stuff Christians Like. I mentioned it in a blog post I did a few days ago, but decided to blog about it a bit.

So what is the Christain "F" word? It is "fine." It even has 4 letters. We all use it. Someone asks us how we are doing, and we say "fine." Even if we are not. There are a couple of reasons for doing so: We know the person just asked us a greeting, we know that they don't really want to know how we are REALLY doing, or we feel that they don't care.

What would happen if we were honest? I'm afraid in most cases, the person would run the other way. "Uh, I see Susie Smith and I really need to talk to her. Keep encouraged!"

Can you imagine if we said any of the following: "Not too good. I am really discouraged and feel like giving up, I am having an affair, I just lost my job, I am struggling with homosexuality and don't know where to turn, I am addicted to porn, my husband has been hitting me." Be honest, we don't want to hear that. We don't want to deal with it.

And it may not always be because we don't care. We are too busy. We have our famlies, our jobs, our little circle of friends, emails, facebook. And the list goes on. We don't have time for people. We don't have time for our "brothers and sisters" in the church. If we were honest, most of the people in our church are mere aquaintances, not a brother or sister. If someone does dare admit a problem, we pat them on the back, tell them to keep encouraged and/or we will be praying for them, and off we dash to something or someone more important.

Ernie Haase and Signature Sound have a song I really like, "We Need Each Other." Here are a few lines that stand out to me:
"Cuz if one of us is hurting none of us have peace

And if one of us is bound then none of us are free"

"Reach out and take my hand, I need your strength to stand

We're not alone in this world, we need each other
I am a part of you, you are a part of me
No longer strangers we're sisters and brothers
We need each other"

And then there is the timeless Gaither song:

"You will notice we say "brother and sister" 'round here,

It's because we're a family and these are so near;
When one has a heartache, we all share the tears,
And rejoice in each victory in this family so dear.

Chorus
I'm so glad I'm a part of the Family of God,
I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His Blood!
Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod,
For I'm part of the family,
The Family of God"

But is the song really true? If one has a heartache, do we really share the tears?

Back in the early days of the church, as I understand, it was pretty much "What's mine, is yours." Christians lived close to each other and took care of each other. How far we have come.

What if we really cared about our Christian brothers and sisters? As much as we are about our biological brothers and sisters? What if we asked someone how they were doing, and really wanted to know, no mattter how bad the reply?

I believe the Church has strayed far from what God intended it to be. Not just in this area, but in other areas.

So how are you doing? Really doing?

To Save a life...... to save a church

I am in a blogging frenzy today....this being my 4th blog post today. :-) I recently posted a review of the movie "To Save A Life", and had some more thoughts about the movie. For non-movie watchers, it is also available in book form.

And before I start, a quick note: This post may contain some slight spoilers, so if you haven't watched it and intend to, proceed with caution.

To Save A Life starts out with a high school senior taking his own life at school because he feels no one cares, and he feels all alone. This starts his former best friend on a journey of change that leads to him becoming a Christian and seeking to befriend those who might be in the same place as the kid who killed himself.

I highly recommend the movie, although there is some cursing in it. That brought a comment from a blogging friend of mine who disagrees with me completely on cursing in Christian books that she couldn't believe I was recommending a movie with cursing. :-) And yes, "A", if you're reading this, I consider you a blogging friend despite our differene in opinion on that........ But anyway, I still think the cursing unneccesary in any case, but it is a great movie. Moving on......

One of my first thoughts was "that could have been me". I was picked on a lot in school, bullied even by some of my cousins. That still affects me today. Suicide never entered my mind in those days, but what if it had? I felt no one liked me. It was so bad that when I was even in a store, I felt people looked at me and disliked me on sight. For real. I was well into my twenties before I realized that wasn't true. A side note here - never let your kid be a bully, or be bullied. The scars can last a life time.

My next thought, and this could get me into trouble, but bring it on, baby...... is that I am still that kid, but instead of school, the setting is church. I moved back to this area after being away for two years. I have now been back for two years, and feel my church has changed. Part of it is the new youth focus - it seems no one else in the church matters. Only the youth.

Since I moved back, I have been suffering from severe depression, and even more severe discouragement. I have had so many doubts, been teetering on the verge of giving up, and no one notices. I used to be outspoken in church, had a great sense of humor. I am no longer that person. I used to testify in church fairly often. I haven't done so once since moving back. Does no one wonder? Does no one care?

My Sunday School teacher has been talking to me some, so I am not dissing what he has done, but what about the rest of the church? The church has become like the school in the movie. We have our cliques. We gravitate toward the popular, the talented. We have the same small circle of people to our house, we talk to the same small circle of people before and after church. We email the same small circle of friends, comment on their facebook page, etc, and the rest of the church doesn't even enter our minds. They don't matter. Because they aren't as beautiful, as desirable, as fun.

I wonder how many people in my church, in your church, pray for others they go to church with. My church averages 200-250 people, not an enormous amount. It wouldn't take that long to take the church directory and pray for everyone in the church at least once a week. How many do? Other than the pastor, maybe none.

We sing the Gaither song, The Family of God at church a lot. It is a great song, but I don't feel like I am part of the Family of God. I don't even feel like I am part of my church. I feel like an outsider. Like if I quit or died, that not many people would even notice. How many others in the church - in your church - feel the same way?

In the movie, To Save A Life, the star of the movie starts seeking out the friendless, hanging around with kids no one else hangs out with. His old friends quit hanging with him, they think he is weird and extreme. What if we did that at church? Asked someone over to our house that we never have before? Asked someone how they are REALLY doing and care about how they are doing? Talk to someone at church we don't usually talk to. Find out where they work, what their interests are?

Its true that we can't be nursemaids, and it is also true that one shouldn't crticize unless they are innocent themself..... so if you truly want to know why I am not setting about to make a change, email me and ask me, but beware..... I will be honest with you, and if you go to my church, you might not be able to handle my honesty.

I talked about masks in a post a while back. Wearing them, wishing I could take my own off. Incidentally, my Sunday School teacher used that post when he spoke recently in church - how cool is that?! Anyway.... is anyone else like me, that wishes they could be real at church? I do wish I could, but I don't think I ever could. There would be consequences I am not sure I could handle. Judging. People who would avoid me. I just wish when people asked me how I am doing, that I could throw aside the "fine", or similar repsonse, and tell them how I am REALLY doing. But people don't really want to know. That question has become just a greeting. They want you to say "fine", not "Life doesn't seem worth living. I feel God is a million miles away. I'm on the verge of giving up" - or anything like that. They don't want to hear that.

Too many in church want to sit in their padded pews, and leave feeling happy and pious. They don't want to deal with people who have messy lives, ugliness inside.

In the movie, the main character gets upset with  the youth group for their insincerity, lack of caring, and how apathetic they are. He has an outburts where he throws in a few curse words - which I am not voicing approval of. Then later, it is discovered that his girlfriend is pregnant - the sex was before he became a Christian. The pastor of the church met with the youth pastor and suggested that they stop the kid from coming to church, as he wasn't the kind of person they wanted there. Meanwhile, the pastor's own son was smoking marijuana. The youth pastor replied that Jake should be the one preaching, that he was living what they should all be living.

I said that to say this: I am afraid most of the people in our church have the same attitude. How would they act if a drunk started coming to church? A drug addict? A homosexual? What if my own personal struggle were made known? Sometimes, I have the attitude "I don't give a rip about what people at church think of me." And do I? Maybe I do, since I wish they did care about me..... yet on the other hand, I want people in my life to love and like me in spite of this ugliness inside, this "curse" from God Himself, as I sometimes feel about it. After all, if we judge people's worth by what they are, by their scars.... are we truly Christian and God-like? If we only care about a few certain people in church, are we Christ-like?

I once made the statement that if this is the family of God, I want new siblings. That is true. I want a church where people truly care about others in the church - not just about me, but about everyone. I honestly don't feel like my church is doing that. And can a church be what God wants them to be if they are failing in that area?

My church believes differently than many churches. We believe in true modesty in dress, and a definite difference in appearance between men and women - not saying that to preach or put down anyone, but to preface my next statement: I have wondered if I need to get several tattoos, some piercings, and show up in a muscle shirt and boxer shorts for people to look at me and figure I need help. Why is that? Are we so blind to others in the church that the only way we know something is wrong is if they do something extreme against our beliefs?

I titled this post "To save a life..... to save a church". I hope my meaning has come through on the latter part. In a way, my church needs saved. Yours might too. We need to be more than a place where people go, sing some nice songs, hear a nice sermon, then go home and live our life without thinking about our Christian brothers and sisters at church. We need to be more than a place for the spiritually healthy. We need to be a "hospital" for the sick, the sinner, the struggling Christian. We need to truly care.

In closing, some have suggested I change churches. I don't feel that is the answer. For one, I don't make friends easily - I truly am backward about that. For another, until I can change and try to do something myself, what difference would a different church make? Not enough.

Again, some may comment and ask why I don't do like Jake in the movie.... set out to make some changes myself. I have some reasons, and I make the offer again: Don't just comment and tell me I need to do something myself - email me and ask me, and I promise I will tell you.

And to my fellow church goers at Salem Wesleyan Methodist Church...... let us all get out of our comfort zone - make new friends at church, and start really caring about everyone, not just a few select ones.

Is youth group the answer?

I am not anti-youth group. Honestly. My church took a different approach with their youth a few years ago. Up to that point, the youth group was ages 13-40. We would have a weekly service in the main sanctuary, which anyone could attend, and then monthly we would have an outside activity for the teens, and every 2 months or so, something for the younger married couples or singles my age.

Then some people decided that needed changed. They put the teens through age 22 or so downstairs in a cramped room. They made a Bible study for everyone else in the sanctuary. The new group is called "youth focus"...... and focus is exactly what it is. It seems to someone like me who was away and moved back, that that is all the church cares about - the youth. And yes, they are important, but what about the rest of us? Outside of making me feel that way, I have  another issue with it. One of the reasons put forth by the supporters of it was that we are losing too many of our youth and the church needs to do more. My dad got up at that point and said people need to quit blaming the church. That the parents are at fault, not the church. His remarks were not met with much reception, but I think he is right. You can't just dump your kids in a youth group and expect them to sail into heaven. The parents need to do more. Show a better example, be more careful who their kids hang out with, what their kids see and are exposed to.

A friend of mine sent me the following email after seeing the movie "To Save A Life". Names have been changed to protect the innocent. :-)

"it saddened me because it is NORMAL in this day and age for 1 out of every 10 or so kids or even less... I don't know the statistics... has to deal with that kind of a life.



I experienced it in the church I attended b/c of the Youth Group. Even as a teenager I knew that it would hurt our little Independent Baptist church.


I voiced my opinion and the Youth leader (who was barely over his teens himself) acted like I was an idiot.


He took us out of Wednesday service downstairs to play stupid, childish games instead of getting real spiritual nourishment. Honestly, I probably should have just stayed upstairs and listened to our wise pastor.


Yeah our youth group grew in numbers (because of the "fun"), but it also went downhill morally. I struggled too after awhile.


Youth group (at least the way most churches do it) really isn't the answer in my honest opinion. Young people need the love and nurturing of their parents. And pastors need to be teaching FATHERS how to disciple their own children instead of parents turning their parenting over to the church. It doesn't work and it's unbiblical. Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord


John Smith, (who teaches our teen SS class) was talking about doing outings with the teenagers and said he needed chaperones. I said, "That would be great if the parents could come too." His response was, " I doubt if any of the parents would want to come." To me that was discouraging!


My thing is that families should be building relationships so close that teenagers love their parents instead of wanting to be away from them.


It is sad that it doesn't happen this way. If parents knew what was going on and LISTENED to their children, these problems would virtually disappear.


I think about the Johnsons.... they are prime examples of close relationships with their children. I want to be like that.


O.k,. Off the soapbox and back to work. :-)"

I think she raised some good points. Yes, we need something for our youth, but it DOES need to be more than fun and games, and sometimes it is just a place for bad influence. What IS the answer? I think parents do need to be more involved. Not with just their kids, but with the youth group. Go to it occasionally, see what is going on, who your kids are hanging out with. We get one chance with raising kids in this life, we can't just throw the responsibility off on the church and youth group. Step up to the plate and take charge.

Tyler

There is a young boy who comes into the store a lot where I work. His name is Tyler, age 14, though I had put him at 12, as he is small for his age. Cute kid. He seems like a great kid... and honest. Recently, the coke maching outside gave him a pop and his money back. He came inside and gave it to us instead of keeping it. He often comes in and helps my co-worker out by putting bagged groceries in a cart for her. One day as I was filling the ice box outside, he walked up and asked if I needed help. It is a one-man job, so I thanked him and said I had it covered.

Last night, my co-worker, Shelly, paged me to the front. When I got up there, I saw Tyler and his mom waiting. He smiled and waved at me. I walked over to see what Shelly wanted. She said that Tyler wanted to tell me something. He proudly informed me that he had placed third place in an art contest in this week-end's Johnny Appleseed Festival. I patted him on the shoulder and congratulated him. His mother informed me that he was also keeping his grades up and was getting straight A's.

After they left, I commented to Shelly what a great kid he is. She replied "Yes, but he doesn't have a chance."

Why not? His homelife. His real dad isn't even in the picture. He has had several stepfathers.... how, I'm not sure after seeing his mother. They live in a small appartment with some other people. People who smoke, drink, do drugs. His mother is a chain smoker on food stamps, who has complained more than once about hardly having any groceries in the house.... yet can afford cigerettes and most likely beer.

What chance DOES a kid like that have? By age 16, he will most likely be smoking himself, drinking, and doing drugs. What chance does he have of becoming a normal upstanding, moral guy? And all across this nation, across our neighborhoods are tons of kids just like him.

I would like to try to get the kid into church, but am not sure about it. What if he has no interest, plus..... I am a single guy. What if my insterest in him is misconstrued. If you read this, pray about it. And meanwhile, let us pray and see what God wants us to do about the countless Tylers across this great nation of ours.

To Save A Life

I have heard a lot about this movie, so I rented it from Amazon yesterday morning and watched it. My reaction? Wow! More on that after the premise. (My description).

Jake Taylor is a senior heading for college with a promising basketball scholarship. He lives a rather wild life, partying, drinking, sex... until that fateful day. His former best friend, feeling no one cares, puts a gun to his own head and kills himself in front of several school mates.

Jake is riddled with guilt. Guilt for pushing his friend aside for cooler and more popular kids. Guilt for not being able to stop the suicide.

If you haven't seen it, I don't want to give too much away. I will say that God and church plays a huge part in Jake finding his way, and that this is definitely a Christian movie. Gritty, but Christian. There is some cursing.... no "f" word, but a few others. There is a scene where the main character whips off his shirt and has sex with his girlfriend. Nothing is shown except for him removing his shirt and kissing her, and afterward him lying in bed covered up - no sex scene at all. This is a great movie for teens, but not younger kids. Though it has some of the above mentioned elements, it is truly an excellent movie, and truly moved me. Watch it.

My favorite soapbox, and bringing sex along this time......

Anyone who pays attention to my blog knows that I am totally against cursing in a Christian book. There is absoultely no reason for it. Beside the fact that a Christian should not be using those words, they sure shouldn't put them in a Christian book and subject others to it. Anyway, I have had this idea running through my head, and decided to throw it out there. First off, let me start off with a recap of a discussion on facebook by Christia fiction author Eric Wilson. I like his books, his writing style, but was diappointed in his stance on this - for two reasons, actually.

#1 That he, a Christian, feels it is ok to use curse words. He stated there are some types of books he would probably use them in. Why? We as Christians are supposed to be different. But I am not out to slam him in this post. The second reason is actually what has brought about my newest post on this subject......

#2 I cannot remember if he first stated this, or if someone else in the discussion did, and he agreed. Regardless, there was an agreement between he and some others that sometimes, depending on the fictional character, it is more real to have the person curse. And that saying "he cursed" can take away from the realism.

Wow. Have we come so far as Christians that an absence of cursing in a book doesn't seem real to us? Newsflash: compared to the world, what we believe isn't real, so why should we view the absence of cursing as an absence of being real?

I have said all that to get to my point. I know. I tend to ramble. My point is sex. Go into a bookstore and buy a romance book. A general market romance novel. There is a 99.999999% chance that there will be at least one sex scene in the book. A graphic sex scene. (I digress here, but we hear so much about men and pornography, but I believe women have just as much of a problem with their porn - romance novels with sex in them). Also, not as prevalent as romance novels, there are some Westerns, usually series Westerns, that also have graphic sex scenes in them. How do I know this? I have not always been a good little boy......

Anyway - if it doesn't seem real to read a book where the character would curse, and does not - then does that same rule not apply to sex? That if the character is loos morally, and has sex and it isn't described out in detail, then that does not seem real? Or if there is a married couple in the book and they have a passionate moment, and the sex scene is not described, then it also is not real?

Don't roll your eyes. I have a good point. No one needs to curse. No Christian book should have a curse word in it. People have sex. People need to have sex if they are married. No book needs a description of the sex act. But, if we are going to say cursing is necessary in a book for the scene/character to be real, then if sex is implied or a love scene, then the sex act should be described as in a general market novel. A far stretch? Only if you are a supporter of cursing in Christian books and don't like to hear the truth. :-)

I have been working on a book. I have not worked on it for some time due to a couple of reasons, one being a certain friend of mine is supposed to help me, and has not........ :-) - anyway, the book is fiction, a tale of love and redemption. For part of the book, the main character is very immoral, and I show that in non-graphic ways. But...... if we hold the "real" argument up to it as has been held to cursing, then I should describe in graphic detail every sex act.

I really don't think that, but get real people....... we are supposed to be different. Live like Christ. Focus on what is pure, holy, good, etc. We are commanded not to offend our brothers. So what business does a Christian have of putting curse words in a Christian book and offending people? None. Let us leave sex and cursing to the general market books. If people want it, they can go there for it.

OK, getting off of my soap box for now.

Muslims & Liberals

If you pay any attention to the news, it has become glaringly obvious that the liberal media and the Democrats bend overboard to paint Muslims in the best possible light. Just are a few examples of many:

The Fort Hood shooting - the media and Democrats insist on painting tha shooter's actions as post tramautic war syndrome and many in the media refused to call him a Muslim for the longest time.

The Time Square bomber - some in the media actually voiced concern that people would hear the man's name and immediately assume he was a Muslim terrorist - which he was.

And more recently, the Ground Zero Mosque - the same liberals who fight against our religious freedoms are suddenly worried about the freedom of Muslims concering their right to build a mosque at Ground Zero. The Associated Press gas gone so far as to issue a memo to their reporters to avoid the words "ground zero" when talking about the story. Nancy Pelosi is calling for investigations into anyone who oppose the mosque being built there.

Yet this same media and these same Democrats try as hard as they can to pin any kind of attack on a Christian or conservative, and seem to delight when they can.

Many may disagree with me, but I have read a lot, heard a lot, and I believe most Muslims want us dead. They want to take over the USA, and if things keep going the way they are going, the day could very well come that we are forced to become a Muslim or die. Not here in America? It could happen. We have a pro-Muslim president, and the media and Democrats are all pro-Muslim - so yes, it could happen.

My reason for this post is to ask what I think is a really good question. First off, keep in mind how the Muslims treat their women. Not too great. The women have no rights. Second, how the Muslims treat gay people - they kill them. Now put that up against the Democrat/liberal view of women's and gay rights - thet fight for them - ferociously. So here is the million dollar question:

Why do the liberals fight so hard to defend Muslims and paint them in the best light when the Muslims are so anti-woman and anti-gay - 2 things that are so important and big to the liberals? Do they not realize if the US became Muslim that they won't be fighing for gay marriage - the gays will be executed right and left - and Nancy will not be Speaker of the House, she will be wearing a burqua and be treated like a slave? So why fight for this religion with so much intensity?!

I was talking to my friend Steven about this, and his theory is that they hate Christianity so much, that they embrace anything that is anti-Christian, or the opposite of...... that could be, but still... what about the women and gays?

Any thoughts on this?

The Sin of Gluttony.........

It has happened more than once. I point something out as being wrong, cigarette smoking, cursing, for example - and someone starts harping about gluttony being a sin. They point out that there are even overweight preachers. News flash: Just because something else is wrong, does not make the first thing ok. Now onto gluttony. I have a couple of questions for thought:

1) Does gluttony only involve food?

2) Can a skinny person be a glutton with food?

And.... Just because someone is overweight, can it automatically be assumed that they are a glutton?

Now, here is what I think, and I welcome input.

1) Gluttony can involve an excess in ANYTHING. The dictionary has two definitions for gluttony:
 a person who eats and drinks excessively or voraciously - and
a person with a remarkably great desire or capacity for something

Ironically, one of the people who threw this gluttony argument at me is a glutton themself. In DVDs. This person over the years has spent untold money in DVDs. Movies, TV series on DVD - which are not cheap - not to mention untold trips to the movie theater. Needless to say, they have always had money problems. Is it a stretch to say they are gluttonous with DVD buying? I don't think so.

The possiblities are endless: Internet, CDs, books, sex, facebook..... TV, and of course food. So yes, gluttony can involve far more than food.

2) Yes, a skinny person can be gluttonous with food, and no, just because someone is overweight does not mean they are a glutton.

One big word: metabolism. It plays a big part in body weight. Some people can eat like a horse and look like a fence post. Someone else can eat the exact same amount and look like the horse. There are other factors too - lifestyle, thyroid, and more.

I was off work for several months, but got a job in February. I work in a grocery store, putting stock away, and running all over the store. Without dieting, I have lost 26 pounds since February by a lifestyle change. Was I a glutton then, and not now since I have lost weight?

I love to read. I love books. Seeing them, feeling them - and that is why I can't see how a true book lover could buy into the electronic book readers. What sacrelige! You are not a true book lover if you buy one of those!!!!  :-) - Anyway, I have a lot of books. Am I a glutton with books? I don't know. There have been times in my life where I spent way too much $$ on books. That isn't an issue anymore. Since I get so many books to review, there aren't many that I buy. I enjoy sharing my books, as long as the borrower takes good care of them, so I guess the question remains if I am a glutton in books. ;-) I have a dream: That one day my children will be judged not by the color of their skin....... oops, wrong dream
:-) Seriously..... I do dream of having a large room filled with bookcases, filled with books. The room has a fireplace, a comfortable recliner, a small table to set a drink on. A stereo to play music...... A place where I can take my gluttonous self and enjoy my books......

Jimmy Carter Cake

Several years back, one of my aunts experiemented with a dessert, added stuff, took stuff out, etc, and came up with the following awesome dessert. She gave it the dubious name of Jimmy Carter Cake. My mom submitted it to a recipe book under some other name that had pudding in the name, but not Jimmy Carter. Anyway, I had to type it up to email to a co-worker, so decided I'd share it here. And fat free/sugar free ingredients can be used.

Ingredients (fat free and sugar free things can be used)


First layer:
1 3/4 cups of flour

1 1/2 sticks of oleo

3/4 cup of crushed/chopped peanuts

Second layer:
1 cup of powdered sugar

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened

1 small container of Cool Whip

2/3 cup of peanut butter

Third layer:
1 package of instant chocolate pudding

1 package of vanilla instant pudding

3 cups of milk

Fourth layer:

1 small Cool Whip

1 Hershey Bar, or other chocolate

Instructions:

First layer:
Mix together and spread in a 9 by 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Cool completely.

Second layer:
Mix sugar, cream cheese, and Cool Whip, and peanut butter. Spread on the crust.

Third layer:
Beat the 2 puddings together with the 3 cups of milk. Spread on top of the last layer.

Fourth layer:
Spread one small Cool Whip on top and sprinkle with grated chocolate.

Refrigerate 2-3 hours.