'Tis The Season

Just a few fun videos to put you all in the Christmas spirit! :-)

SlutWalk

SlutWalk. Yes, that’s right. It’s a real thing.

You see, back in January, Toronto Police Const. Michael Sanguinetti told a personal security class at York University that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized" and since then the man has been crucified. That one statement set off a tidal wave of angry responses and in turn began a movement called SlutWalk, in which women gathered together in the streets of Toronto, some (though not all) purposely dressed in slutty clothes, some even going as far as scrawling the word “slut” across their bellies, and marched against what they deem to be the misogynistic and archaic mentality of slut-shaming and victim-blaming that the officer had apparently displayed.

Now first of all, call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure that dressing like a slut and putting your goods on display for all to see while carrying around signs that declare “No Means No!” isn’t actually going to send the message “No Means No!” Because what you’re wearing is screaming “Yes!” and that’s EXACTLY what the officer was trying to say. You see, the thing is, though the police officer certainly made a bad decision in using the word “slut,” his advice was still sound, because the way you dress as a woman MATTERS, and it will play a large role in whether or not men actually respect you. What he is quoted as saying was in fact a tip in a long slew of statements he was giving to help women make safe decisions and lower their risk of being raped. He did not by any means say, “If you dress like a slut, you deserve rape.” Nor did he say, “Dressing like a slut causes rape.” He really just made the suggestion, though certainly not very tactfully, to dress modestly because it does factor in to the situation. He wasn’t excusing rape, as these women seem to be portraying him as doing. The fact is that no matter what you wear or what situation you’re in, rape is indeed an inexcusable crime and a violation against humanity that nobody deserves. But the truth is---whether or not you want to admit it---there are many instances (though certainly not all) in which the events leading up to a rape were a string of unwise decisions carried out by a woman, and had she made safe and wise decisions---instead of wild ones---the whole instance could have been avoided. This police officer was honestly trying to help women, and now women everywhere are crucifying him for it.

Yup, EVERYWHERE. That’s right, folks. SlutWalk has gone international. Boston, St. Louis, New Delhi, London, Seoul, and just recently, right here in our own backyard…Kansas City. Here are some fun pics from the event... (Taken from the SlutWalkKC website)

A large task many are taking on is that of taking back the word "slut" and no longer allowing it to have a negative connotation. Why? Because according to this frame of mind, women have suffered from slut-shaming for far too long and should be given the same sexual freedom that men have without any societal consequences...Including the consequence of shame. They demand society to accept immodest and promiscuous behavior as good.

Sorry for the language. I just want you to grasp the extent of the protest. Just imagine how much fun parents had explaining all of these signs and inappropriately dressed women to their kids on September 17th.

Now here's the thing. I get the "no means no" tagline. I understand the point that they're trying to get across. But here's the problem: Over 90% of communication is nonverbal. Only about 7% of communication is done through actual words...the rest is determined by tone, facial expressions, appearance, body language, etc. Don't you think it's a little idiotic, then, for us women to think that the way we behave and dress DOESN'T MATTER? Do you REALLY think that your appearance, your behavior, and even the tone of voice you're speaking to someone in can't possibly play a role in leading up to a scenario even as heinous as rape? Should women not have to be accountable for anything anymore? For example, if you're present at a bar or party or rager or whatever you wanna call it where drinking and drugs and sex are a regular and expected occurrence, should you not take responsibility for the fact that you went there? If you're there, you're already giving the people around you the indication that you are there to do those exact same things. You may not want to do those things, but they don't know that. Though “no means no,” the environment in which you have placed yourself already says “yes.” The same goes for the way you are dressed. If you’re wearing a short, tight dress and fishnet stockings, or perhaps you’ve just got all your goods hangin’ out, what you are wearing also says “yes.” It is ridiculous for you to take on the mentality of “I’m going to dress like a slut, but how DARE men notice that I’m dressed like a slut. I’m going to make the areas of my body that I know men are sexually attracted to clearly visible to them and then get upset when men make it known that they're sexually attracted to me.” The same goes for men’s grabby hands. If you’re on the dance floor rubbing up against a guy, dancing provocatively, then again…your body language is saying “yes.” Don’t be surprised if his hands begin to wander, because as far as he can tell, you’ve given him free reign of your body. No guy in that environment is going to wait for you to say “Okay, you can put your hands here, but not here. And over here, but not there,” because as is the case, no woman ever actually says that. He is going to determine what your boundaries are by the boundaries that you are demonstrating to him.

And if you start touching and making out with a guy, then go to a private place with him, I can guarantee you that you are screaming “yes.” You’re not in the kind of place where guys and girls go off to a closet to discuss the latest in politics or how much you both love Star Wars. No, you’re going there because that’s where people go to have sex. He is expecting and hoping for sex, and you are signaling just by going there with him that you’re going to give it to him.

This isn't to say that men shouldn't be held accountable for THEIR actions, because yes, they absolutely should. They know better than to ogle, grab, make lude comments, push a woman for sex, and especially rape a woman. They shouldn't pursue those situations and they should definitely be punished when they do. But seriously, this feminist crap is getting out of hand. Teaching women to do whatever they want sexually, to dress provocatively, and to send men mixed messages and expect no negative consequences isn't helping women, it is hurting us. There is a reason instances of rape have tripled since the feminist and sexual revolutions of the 1960s...and it's certainly not because society was pushing moral standards upon us women---it's because women rebelled against those moral standards that were already in place and men didn't hesitate to take advantage of it. After all, how many men AREN'T going to support a cause that gets them free sex? And now, after having peaked in the 90s, we're seeing a decrease in rape instances again. But let's not deceive ourselves into thinking it's because rape education is a raving success. It's most likely because younger generations of girls are being taught that it's healthy for them to sleep with whoever they want. We're teaching young boys that "no means no" while teaching young girls that it's good to say "yes," and hey, a greater number of willing women means less instances of rape. And let's not even think about the number of girls who don't even report rape because the lines are so blurred these days. But hey, as long as it looks good on the charts, I guess...

I am so tired of women teaching young girls that it's healthy to give their bodies away as if they have no worth. That it's healthy to behave or dress in a way that demeans them. That it's healthy to stomp on men and strip them of their manhood. That it's healthy to hate and distrust all men because of bad experiences in the past. Really, it's healthy? Eating is healthy. But eating too much isn't. Nor is eating the wrong kind of food. Blowfish is a food that's healthy, but if you eat the wrong part of it you die because it's poisonous. Sex is good...within the boundaries God has given us. Outside of those boundaries, it's poisonous...to our hearts, souls, minds, relationships, and yes, bodies. So no, giving into every sexual desire you have is NOT healthy. What is healthy is healing the scars that are leading you to behave as you are, and giving your body away doesn't bring healing. Sex does not heal. Beauty does not heal. Attention from men does not heal. Hatred and bitterness does not heal. Profanity does not heal. Inappropriate protests do not heal. And trying to change the definition and perception of what is bad to good does not and will not heal.

I wish I would have known this was taking place in Kansas City. I would have loved to create signs that said "God loves sluts...AND rapists" or "God redeems sluts AND rapists. Who are you redeeming today?" I know they're claiming to try to redeem rape victims. To point out that they are in fact victims. But honestly, the way in which they did so only made things worse. It's sad that they took such a good cause and turned it into such a filthy display. But hey, if anything, I hope this whole SlutWalk thing opens our eyes and reveals to us the immense need for us to teach young women that God loves them, has redeemed them with the blood of Christ, and that because He loves them he really does care what they do with their bodies. He created them with worth, and has proven their worth to them on the cross. He gave us boundaries because they're what's best for us. Yes, it's true. Not even science has been able to disprove those boundaries in terms of what is considered physically and emotionally healthy. So if you're a "slut" and proud to be one, know that Christ became a slut in the eyes of God and took on the punishment of being one so that you would no longer be called a slut, but a child of God. Christ's refusal to protest on the cross has accomplished far more than any SlutWalk protest ever could to redeem women. His lack of words puts their plethora of empty words to shame.

So let us learn from 1 Corinthians that just because the world and the law allows such behavior, and just because some twist it and deem it "healthy," does not mean it's BENEFICIAL.

And now I'll just leave you with these three videos. One is coverage from the Toronto SlutWalk and the other two help shed light on the history of feminism and its effects on our culture. I hope the eyes of those who watch it will be opened:

“Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13“Food for the stomach and the stomach for food”—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”b 17But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

18Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

---1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Bad Decision Thursday

In case any of you didn't know this, because I'm sure it's incredibly hard to tell in real life due to my teenaged good looks, but I'm not as young as I appear. I am in fact a ripe---and, ah hem, mature---25 years old. Yup, that's right---a whooooole quarter of a century. And do you know what that means? It means this girl has 25 years of pictorial evidence of really BAD decisions. Yes, it's true. The evidence abounds---bad haircuts, braces, awkward smiles, and fashion that appears to have been inspired by an explosion at the local Goodwill. And on top of that, did I mention that when God was handing out gifts to me, he somehow forgot to bless me with the gift of being photogenic? No angry fists here, though. I'm already too blessed to be upset about not photographing like Tyra Banks, and really, I suppose I can only thank my parents for my misfortune...and be aboundingly thankful that I don't photograph like them. Someday I'll have to share how well THAT goes. So, as it turns out, due to my sad photographic misfortune, the bad decisions continue to be captured even to this very day. But for today, I'll start you off with this gem. Yes, it's true, from the very day of my birth, the world was against me.

It's not that this is a particularly bad picture of me. I'm really a quite adorable newborn, if I do say so myself. But does anyone happen to notice a problem with this picture? Like, oh say, the fact that all my bedding is blue!? Yes, BLUE. You know, the color they swaddled little newborn BOYS in. Not only did I think that MY baby picture was actually my brother's for half my life (because oddly enough, he was swaddled in pink), but on top of that...and here's the clencher...my parents actually got a bill from the hospital for my CIRCUMCISION. Yes, that's right. A circumcision. My dad promptly called the hospital to sort that fiasco out and all was of course made well, but boy is that a story you don't want to hear about. Ever. You can just imagine the thoughts that ran through my crazy, imaginitive mind: "Did they just run out of pink blankets? Was I somehow switched at birth? Do I have a secret twin brother? Was I born a hermaphrodyte?!?" I don't to this day actually know why the hospital staff swaddled me in blue, but I'm just going to assume they ran out of pink blankets, or perhaps blame it on incompetence. Please, though, rest assured that I was, in fact, born a girl and do indeed remain a girl to this very day. Please disregard the picture as evidence to the contrary...and consider me to be but the innocent victim of someone else's bad decision in this case. But oh, trust me, there's plenty more of my own bad decisions to be seen...in time. Enjoy, my friends. Enjoy.

There's No Such Thing As A Good Person

“But I’m a good person.”

I’ve heard it plenty, and thought it myself often enough. Yet here’s the cold, hard truth folks:

There’s no such thing as a good person.

There, I said it. It’s out in the open. Let the hoards of angry comments abound. But let it sink in, and really think about it…because it really is true. There's far more evidence on earth for the existence of bigfoot than there is for the notion that any human being is actually a good person.

One of the most difficult things to convince this generation of is the reality of sin, of just plain human nature in general. You would think it would be fairly easy to prove. After all, what the Bible says about human nature much of philosophy, the sciences, and history agree on. Yet so many have been raised in the church on Biblical morals, and so many who weren’t raised in the church have at least been raised on solid Bible-based moral values, so that they tend to believe they’re good enough to be in a position where they don’t actually need a savior. Apparently we can somehow reach God by being like God (even though we're actually nothing like Him) without the actual help of God. Or perhaps we’ve been taught God doesn’t exist, and that we’re pretty much our own gods, but we should still live moral lives for the sake of the survival of our species, because as it turns out, if we all give in to our nature, we’ll all die. That’s how bad we are.

We are such an “advanced” society, and yet in reality, many of us haven’t even remotely exceeded the ancient Egyptians in our thinking that our entrance into God’s presence depends on some sort of scale in which God measures our hearts by weighing out the good against the bad, where the best you can do is stand there thinking to yourself “Come on, come on. No whammies. No whammies!” and hope that you can come out okay. Still more think that God has some sort of criteria based on the person of someone like Hitler, where if a person’s heart exceeds the goodness of Hitler’s they have somehow merited eternal life. And then there are those who think that God will let them off the hook if they just point out that He never gave them enough evidence that He even existed, or that He was the one, true God among all the others.

When you really put it into perspective, what foolishness this is. God is a good and holy judge, and yet we have made him out as if He is a fool and a crook with little or no expectations of His creation. As if He's too much of an idiot to know the real motives of our hearts. The low expectations we have of him concerning the account of our own lives we would never stand for in the court of law. If a man came on trial for murder in our court system and used the excuses we use before God, the jury wouldn’t even hesitate to convict him, and we would all cry out “Injustice! Corruption!” if they failed to. Just imagine our excuses in a courtroom setting:

“Yes your honor, I did commit murder, but look at all the good things I’ve done.”

“Yes your honor, I killed a man. But that’s nothing in comparison to someone like Hitler.”

“Yes, I did it. But did you SEE what that guy over there did? He killed TWO people. Shouldn’t you let me off and convict him instead?”

“Your honor, you must excuse this offence. After all, I was under the impression that I was getting a different judge. I was hoping for someone a little less…just.”

“Sure I did it. Clearly there’s no hiding it. But surely you can’t hold me accountable for it. After all, you never even gave me enough evidence that you existed. I had no idea there’d be a judge proceeding over the trial! If I knew there was a judge, then I'm sure I would have been completely different from the rest of mankind and wouldn't have done it out of disobedience. So this is all really kind of your fault.”

What lousy excuses. If our defense would never hold up in a court of law, what makes us think it would stand up to the one and only Lawgiver, the one whose very character is the standard by which we are judged? If even Nietszhe and Twain can not deny the sinful nature of man, how is it that we’ve blinded ourselves from it? Twain says, "[M]an is what he is--loving, toward his own, lovable, to his own,--his family, his friends--and, otherwise the buzzing, busy, trivial, enemy of his race--who tarries his little day, does his little dirt, commends himself to God, and then goes out into the darkness, to return no more, and send no messages back--selfish even in death." There is no escape from our selfishness. When we give, it is only so that we will receive---whether it be accolades, a gift in return, or a pat on the back…anything to feed our pride in the humility we have demonstrated. When we love, it is only on the basis that we will in turn be loved. When we forgive, it is only to free ourselves of the burden of a bitter and resentful heart, for a spirit of unforgiveness harms ourselves far more than it harms the one who has offended us. Everything we do and say is motivated by selfishness. Any instances of true selfless love we display are certainly too few and far between for God to ever consider them to be of any merit, and if those instances even do exist, they were most likely the work of God, not us.

It’s easy to fool myself into believing I’m a good person. It’s easy to think I could somehow, someday actually merit God’s love or mercy. After all, I go to church every Sunday, I say my prayers, I serve students, I give to the poor, I’m just an all around nice, moral person by the world’s standards. And yet, if I were to sit down and write every instance of sin in my life from birth till now, the weight of it all would be too great to bear. I would be crushed. When we take account of every lie, every ounce of pride, every hateful and murderous thought, every instance of lust and laziness and gluttony, and every motive that has driven even our “good” deeds, our good deeds become nothing more than filthy rags in the midst of a pile of refuse. I hope you still don’t think you’re a good person…because no matter how moral you are, in the grand scheme of things, and particularly in the presence of a good and holy God, you’re filthy.

I’ve heard far too many people shake their fist at God and ask, “How can a good God allow anyone to go to hell?” It’s a question that is often asked out of a compassionate heart, yet it’s also a question that falsely thinks very highly of humanity. If you take humanity for what it really is, then the question we should all be asking isn’t “How can a good God allow anyone to go to hell?” but instead “How can a good God allow anyone who is less than good into heaven? How can he allow anyone at all? How could He possibly allow ME?”

And that is where the beauty of the God of this universe simply astounds me, for He is so vastly different from any of us. Thank God the fate of the universe is not in our hands. Unlike us, He loves those who do not love Him in return. Unlike us, He gives and asks nothing in return. Everything He has done for us has been done out of a selfess love, and every command He has given us is for our own protection. He shed His own innocent blood to pay for the sins of an undeserving human race, all so that we might be reconciled to Him and know firsthand not just what true, selfless, abiding love is…but WHO it is. We were made to know Him and to live with Him eternally, and He's done everything in His power to pursue us and see that it happens, even if we don't want Him in return. If he were simply just, He would have destroyed us all a long time ago. If He were no more than merciful, He would have never created us at all. Yet because He is also loving, He carried out His mercy by pouring out His justice and wrath upon Himself, so that by believing in Him, our debt would be paid in full. There is no more tarrying for God’s approval when the cross is before us, for it has been given to us through the blood of Jesus Christ. He alone is the evidence of the good and loving God that we all long to know. He is the evidence that we demand of a personal God who cares. He is God’s promises revealed, His faithfulness proven, His character observed, and the hope of eternal life and no condemnation because of what HE has done, not us. Truly there is no one good but God.

If you turn to the natural world to discover truth, you will certainly find truth, but it will be the truth of humanity---a hopeless truth. You will come face to face with your own inescapable selfish nature and the meaninglessness of life without a God. Your origin will be determined by nothing more than an educated guess, your morality will have no solid foundation on which to stand, and unless the dead themselves have spoken to you, your fate lies in the dark abyss of the unknown. The only thing you will ever know with certainty is that you will die, and that you will die a selfish person. There is no hope for anyone apart from God.

But if you turn to the Word of God to discover truth, you are faced with a truth that sets you free. Yes, you are faced with the same selfish nature of man that not even the sciences can overcome, but you are also given hope, worth, love, grace, and eternal life in the midst of it. The filthy, stained, battered and bruised heart that no man, machine, nor religion can repair, God can make anew. He changes us. He declares us good in His sight and it is His love that in turn makes us good. I’ve studied many a religion and irreligion, and I have yet to hear anything better than the Gospel, nor see anything proven more true, and I certainly have yet to have experienced anything greater or more powerful than the love of Christ. Trust me. After all, why shouldn’t you? I’m a filthy, dirty sinner with little credibility to my name...

But I’ve been made new, and have found true freedom in Christ. If you envy me for anything let it be for that, and I beg of you to grasp a hold of it for yourself. Please, take all the grace that you can. I can promise you He’ll lavish you in it. What the world would never forgive, He has forgiven in full.

Nyan Cat Mania

Is it weird that I find Nyan Cat more hilarious than annoying? Yeah, didn't think so. Enjoy!









Even though I've pretty much already decided what I'm gonna be for Halloween this year, I still can't stop considering this costume. Ah-ma-zing.

Exposed.

Last night I spent some time reading Psalm 119 and found myself taken aback by the heart of this unknown and mysterious author. His passion and love for God is demonstrated by his hunger and thirst for His law. He says things like “I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands” (v. 131) and “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” “My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.” "I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them." This man loved the law, and here I am after reading this, the darkness of my own heart exposed to the world, realizing that what this man loves I often despise. I am not panting for the Lord’s commands. If anything, I often resent them, and having had to suffer through reading Leviticus, I especially can’t imagine myself having an attitude of delight towards the laws abounding within it. Oh yes, I do my best to follow the Lord’s commands, but my heart does not always delight in them like this man’s does, especially not to the same extent of his. The words of this Psalmist have laid my heart bare. What good is my obedience if my heart does not delight in it? What good are my works if they’re done only in vain?

This Psalmist prays a prayer that has been mine for months. In verse 34 he pleads a simple request: “Give me understanding.” I’ve been praying this over and over and truly God has given me far more understanding than I had ever anticipated. Understanding of God’s character and faithfulness. Understanding of His love and His constant desire for what is best for me. Understanding of the world around me through study of philosophy, science, history, and religion, and in the end He has given me an intense clarity and the blessed assurance that Jesus Christ truly is the way, the truth, and the life. I know that both in my head and my heart without a shadow of a doubt. And yet I can’t help but think that though God answered my prayer, He has also revealed to me that much of it was in vain. Sure, I prayed for understanding, but look at the rest of this Psalmist’s earnest prayer. Mine was nothing of the sort.

“Give me understanding and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good. How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness.” (34-40)

Trust me, because I’m speaking from a vast amount of experience here---understanding with your mind is completely worthless unless you also understand with your heart, and it is made even more worthless if in your understanding you don’t even seek to obey what God Himself has revealed to you. What good is hearing if you will not listen? What good is knowing if you will not act? Knowing ABOUT God is absolutely worthless in comparison to knowing God, and being able to know God and have a relationship with Him through faith in Christ is what makes Christianity truly unique among all of the other world religions. I’ve met far too many people on a quest for knowledge who have studied anything and everything and yet never realized that if they call upon the name of the Lord, He will reveal Himself to them. They could not fathom that in their search for evidence for God, God has offered them the best evidence of all---Himself. He is always waiting, always pursuing. And yet so many of us use our studies of even Scripture itself as a way to avoid God. And yet truly, I've learned time and time again through my own failings that the character and presence of God is far greater than any amount of head knowledge you could ever possibly possess. The Psalmist understood this, and though I understood this in my head, I did not believe it in my heart. I deceived myself, as I often do, into believing that something other than God Himself would bring me fulfillment.

Hebrews 4:12-13 is absolutely true. “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

God saw the motives of my heart, and yet He answered my prayer anyway, knowing that I too would eventually realize my motives. The power of God’s word never ceases to amaze me. It penetrates my soul, convicts me, and changes me. It is the only literature I have ever read that has such an effect on me, and is evidence of the goodness, power, and active work of God in its ability to do so.

I Am Second

We watched this last night at youth group and I was absolutely astounded. I LOVE hearing others' testimonies. To me, that's the most convincing evidence God could possibly give any of us for the truth of the Gospel. A changed heart and a changed life...the transforming power of Christ within us. If that's not something to shout for joy about then I don't know what is! If you get a chance, go to the I Am Second website and watch some more testimonies. In the meantime I hope you're blown away by ex-Korn band member Brian Welch's story.

The Atheist Creed

I heard this satirical creed while listening to Ravi Zacharias a few months back and was astounded by it. The self-contradictions prevalent in this thinking are made blatantly obvious, and yet it's still such a challenge to convince anyone of the truth of it because of the Postmodern era we live in. Apparently it doesn't matter if you believe two things that are in direct opposition to one another, and it doesn't matter if the evidence doesn't support your position, because according to the world, YOU get to determine what is true. But it just goes to show that unbelief is really not a matter of God refusing to reveal the truth, but rather of man suppressing the truth which God has already revealed.

The Atheist Creed
by Steve Turner

We believe in Marxfreudanddarwin.
We believe everything is OK
as long as you don't hurt anyone,
to the best of your definition of hurt,
and to the best of your knowledge.

We believe in sex before during
and after marriage.
We believe in the therapy of sin.
We believe that adultery is fun.
We believe that sodomy's OK
We believe that taboos are taboo.

We believe that everything's getting better
despite evidence to the contrary.
The evidence must be investigated.
You can prove anything with evidence.

We believe there's something in horoscopes,
UFO's and bent spoons;
Jesus was a good man just like Buddha
Mohammed and ourselves.
He was a good moral teacher, although we think
his good morals were bad.

We believe that all religions are basically the same,
at least the one that we read was.
They all believe in love and goodness.
They only differ on matters of
creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.

We believe that after death comes The Nothing
because when you ask the dead what happens
they say Nothing.
If death is not the end, if the dead have lied,
then it's compulsory heaven for all
excepting perhaps Hitler, Stalin and Genghis Khan.

We believe in Masters and Johnson.
What's selected is average.
What's average is normal.
What's normal is good.

We believe in total disarmament.
We believe there are direct links between
warfare and bloodshed.
Americans should beat their guns into tractors
and the Russians would be sure to follow.

We believe that man is essentially good.
It's only his behaviour that lets him down.
This is the fault of society.
Society is the fault of conditions.
Conditions are the fault of society.

We believe that each man must find the truth
that is right for him.
Reality will adapt accordingly.
The universe will readjust. History will alter.
We believe that there is no absolute truth
excepting the truth that there is no absolute truth.

We believe in the rejection of creeds.

Still Addicted To YouTube...

Just some pretty cool videos for your viewing pleasure. :-)





And can life get any better than both OK Go and The Muppets in one video? No. No it can not.

Beheld.

I'm typically not a huge fan of dramatic readings, but I came across this video today and really liked it. I found it incredibly encouraging and hope you do too. If anything, keep in mind what is written in the "about" section of their blog:

"We have all been told that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Our perception of beauty changes greatly depending on what or who that beholder may be. Whoever you are today, happy or heartbroken, hopeful or hopeless, know this – you are welcome here. You are welcome to read, and rest, and realize that your identity can be redefined. You need not be bound by the things of this world, caught up in its whirlwind of catastrophic vanity. You are free – we are free – from definitions of beauty that purge us of our value as women.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Who is your beholder?
We are made in the image of our Maker. We are the Beheld"

Beheld from Marianne Bach on Vimeo.

Someday I'll Get A Tattoo...Maybe...But Probably Not

If I were to ever get a tattoo, I think this would be it. I. love. it. I do not, however, love being poked repeatedly by a needle. And I think it's imperative that I also consider the fact that by the time I'm 80, this tattoo could very well look more like birds being torpedoed and sucked into a vortex of back fat than anything. But hey, a girl can dream for now, right? :-)

I Still Believe In Fairy Tales...

C.S. Lewis once wisely wrote, "Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."

For many, I hope this to be true. As for me, I never grew out of them in the first place, and I hope I never will. I pity the one who has. I pity the one who can no longer find joy in magic carpet rides, daring sword fights, or a “street rat” rising above his low circumstances, slaying the enemy, and sweeping a beautiful, though stubborn, princess off her feet. I would rather spend hours amidst the story of an average sane man fighting against a mad and dangerous world than be trapped inside the mind of the modern mad protagonist, aimlessly fighting to destroy the sane world in which he lives. There may be no magic carpet ride in the real world. There may be no knight in shining armor. There may be no prince who comes to sweep me off my feet. But in reality, I am still part of a grand story. There is still a Savior. There are still dragons to slay. There is still the joy of being loved and loving in return, and the hope that good will in the end prevail over evil.

One of my favorite stories (at least the Disney story, anyways) has always been “Beauty and the Beast.” It is partly, of course, because I relate so much to Belle. A single woman living with her father. Strong and stubborn on the outside, but gentle and yes, even a little insecure on the inside. Her nose always in a book, her heart always in awe. A misfit, a nerd, and slightly awkward, she doesn’t quite fit in with the world around her. But she doesn’t mind. She is content. She knows that it is better for her to be set apart and ready to embark on the adventure of a higher calling than to live like the rest of the world. Her heart soars, but her life remains grounded for a time. She longs to be loved, yet the men she encounters are not the kind she has particularly dreamed of, for they either seek her only to gratify themselves, like Gaston, or overlook her entirely because she is so different. So she resolves to simply go on with her life. She knows it is far better to wait than to settle for he who is nearest, especially if he who is nearest finds her to be of little worth. So she waits, so she remains content, so she dreams of adventure, and when the time is right…she dives in wholeheartedly.

The love story that unfolds is far greater than any other fairy tale in comparison, for it is exactly what we wouldn’t expect. Our hero is no handsome prince, at least not anymore. He is instead ugly, inside and out. Our hearts initially tell us there is nothing to love about this violent and angry beast, yet as the story unfolds we are taught an important lesson…that a thing must first be loved in order for it to become lovable. It is not that he is in and of himself unlovable, it is simply that we did not make the effort to love him in the first place. But Belle does what we often don’t do to the hideous, ugly, and mean in our lives: she loves, and she loves knowing she has little, if anything at all, to gain from it. As far as she knows, she is trapped in a castle with this beast for all eternity. Like many women often do, she could have hardened her heart or perhaps become passive and aloof, yet instead she casts off all worry about her difficult circumstances and instead pursues the good of a creature who seems to have no good in him. She speaks kind words, makes kind gestures, and rather than hiding her own shortcomings, seeks reconciliation when she has offended. Her love awakens his heart, and in knowing this love he begins to change, for his greatest desire is to no longer serve only himself, but to know the bearer of this love more deeply, and to love the giver of it in return. In the end he gives up his very life for her, and all hope seems lost. Her life has been spared, but their relationship is now severed, torn apart by the sting of death. And it is not heroics that save them in the end as one would expect, but rather the vulnerability and humility of their hearts, for it is but a single tear that restores the beast to life, and to life as it was intended to be, no longer marred by an animal body and soul. They become united in love THROUGH love, and that alone is why I will never be too old to love fairy tales.

There is a reason my soul longs for fairy tales. There is a reason I am filled with awe every time I read them, and there is a reason I believe them to be far more grounded in reality than most realize. Many see only a prince rescuing a princess and a happily ever after. They pay little attention to the presence of good and evil, the battle that ensues, and the promise of hard and difficult trials ahead. Some look ahead and conclude that because they have not yet seen a white knight or known a happily ever after, and instead know only the difficulty of trials, there is simply no such thing as a happily ever after. Yet in reality, the white knight and happily ever after have already come, and have yet to come again. For it is not simply a royal wedding that our human hearts desire, but rather to know the unconditional and enduring love that is so beautifully displayed in a fairy tale such as this. The deepest desire of my heart is not to know a prince and live in a castle, nor is it to know a beast and transform him into a prince, but rather to be loved and love in return as deeply as the characters of these stories do. It is the love that speaks to us far beyond the conditions, characters, and fantasy.

No, I will never be too old for fairy tales, because there is no such thing as being too old for fairy tales. If you truly grasp the message of the story, then you will realize that one is never too young nor too old to know and understand the love of God that is so plainly displayed in them. The love of God---This is why I am able to dwell on fairy tales and not end up disappointed at the fact that there is no knight in shining armor professing his love for me at my doorstep. Because it is not he who I ultimately long to be loved by and to know, it is the Most High King…and He already knows, loves, and pursues me…He has already sacrificed Himself for me, and He has done so knowing full well that in this story I call life, I am not the beauty. It is I who am the beast, and it is He who is making me beautiful.

Saying Goodbye to False Expectations...

I’ve been wondering what to write for weeks. I’ve wanted to share what I’ve discovered in the midst of my ponderings on marriage, and yet no matter how many times I sit down to write, I can’t find the words. I think the easiest thing for me to do at this point is to just copy word for word what I couldn’t have said any better myself. After all, what do I know about marriage? I don’t have a husband. I don’t even have a boyfriend. So instead of me pretending like I have all the answers, I’ll let someone else who does have some tell you. I’m going to be honest with you and just let you know that this isn’t easy to read. It’s brutally honest. It doesn’t hesitate to expose our sinful nature. And for me personally, it’s crushed my every expectation. I’ve read this over and over again and I feel as if I’ve been punched in the stomach, and now I’m left with more questions that when I began. But for now, I’ll just leave you with this: (Taken from here. I hope they don't mind...)

God's Primary Purpose For Marriage
Understanding God's purpose for marriage is of the utmost importance, because to marry and miss it is to enter into a life full of frustration and disappointment -- setting the stage for great marital unrest. Most of us tend to marry with very romanticized ideas of what marriage is going to be. With great excitement we anticipate the relationship that will finally meet our romantic and emotional needs. God's primary intention for marriage however, is not what most of us imagine it to be. He has not designed marriage as a place where we can finally try to get our needs met. He has created it as something much better -- something far more grand than that. God intends to use marriage to accomplish a very important goal -- one that is His primary goal for all Christians. God's primary purpose for marriage is to use it to help shape us into the image of His Son. If we miss out on this we are doomed to a life of anxiety and frustration.

Yes, marriage is God's arrangement for lifetime companionship and the arena for our sexual expression, but like with all that He has created, God uses marriage to direct us towards Himself. The challenges offered in marriage He capitalizes on to help shape and mold us into the image of Jesus. To evaluate our personal success in a marriage we must not then look to see if our needs are being met, but we must ask ourselves, "Am I demonstrating the image and character of Jesus Christ?." We determine our success by how much we are becoming like Christ -- loving and honoring our spouse according to the specific roles God has laid out for us in the Scriptures. Far wiser than us, God knows that as we grow into the image of Jesus our greatest needs are met.
Sadly, most of us have been under that false notion that God means for our mate to meet all of our romantic and emotional needs. We marry, fully intending to have our spouse be all that we ever wanted in a mate. Shortly after the wedding though, we begin to think that our new partner has a lot of changing to do. In fact, it appears they are far from being able to fully meet our needs. Instead of being fully committed to our idea of what a marriage is all about, they entered in with their own ideas of what marriage is to be -- along with their own list of needs they expect us to meet.

The most successful marriages
A study of marriage in history reveals that long-lasting marriages are generally those which are more "role" oriented than "romance" oriented. That is, those Christian couples who marry with a clear understanding of their biblical roles, and have as their primary purpose to carry them out, are generally happier in marriage than those who marry in order to get their needs met. Considering that 20th century America places such emphasis on building marriages on the right romantic "chemistry," it should be no surprise that many are easily disappointed in their marriages. What we have come to believe to be right romantic "chemistry" is actually nothing more than "self-centered" love. Most people are romantically drawn to those who gratify them, so marry with expectations of being fulfilled by their mate. That type of love is not true selfless love, but is self-centered, basing its attraction on personal gratification. It says, "I love you for what you do for me. I am drawn to you for how you make me feel. I know I am in love with you, because I need you so much." Needing someone is not evidence of a selfless, giving love for them -- contrarily, it is evidence that you want them for the emotional fulfillment you will receive from them. It is a reasonable estimate to suggest that 98% of all Christian marriages today are based on this dangerous form of self-serving love. Is it a surprise that so many are unhappy in marriage?

Men and women are different in their unique expressions of self-centered love for each other. A woman frequently marries looking for fulfillment in her relationship with her husband. Her husband, on the other hand, marries looking for fulfillment outside the marriage in his job or in a hobby. In a normal marriage we find a wife trying to get her needs met in her husband and a husband wanting his wife to be with him while he gets his needs met outside the home. Wives tend to want relationship. Husbands tend to want companionship. God, knowing this, puts these two together with the intent that overcoming their differences will help make them more like His Son. He wants neither one to try to get their "needs" met in the other. He put them in the relationship to learn to be givers not takers. God knows that that is our greatest inner need.

One problem in understanding the truth of this is that the wife's needs do sound more noble than her husband's, since she puts so much emphasis on the relationship. Yet God has not called us to commit to a relationship (or even to get anything out of a relationship). He has called us to commit to a person. There is a big difference between loving a person and loving a relationship. A genuine loving commitment to a person requires selflessness -- your goal being to give and get nothing back (1 Cor 13:5). Loving a relationship, on the other hand, feeds selfishness, because it is committing yourself to something you will benefit from. It is an investment in yourself. Impatience, anger, and frustration will flourish in a relationship where the relationship itself is valued more than the other person it involves. Giving to get is never consistently satisfying.
If we are ever to find joy in our marriage we must never lose sight of God's goal for us -- complete selflessness. For only in that kind of submission to God is there joy. Only when we are truly submitting to God and honoring our mate the way He has commanded will we find fulfillment. As the designer of the marriage relationship He knows that our obedience will fulfill far deeper needs in us than any we thought we had. For with that obedience not only do we have the peace that comes from knowing we are right with God, but our spouse thrives on the character of Jesus reflected in our actions and they become a better partner -- making the marriage a more pleasant place to be.

We can learn something about this from the account of Adam and Eve. They were two individuals who thought they knew what their needs were and what it would take to make them happy. Their desires though, when achieved, brought little more than a sweet taste in their mouths. They settled for less, and in doing so, alienated themselves from God and brought a great deal of pain to following generations. What a price to pay for such fleeting happiness! Had they abided by God's perfect plans they would have been able to enjoy real fulfillment.

Like Adam and Eve many of us think that it is possible to achieve happiness by doing that which is appealing to the flesh. We are tempted to believe that if only we can get our spouse to pay the right kind of attention to us or to stop "hassling" us we will be happy. Because that is not God's way though, we can be sure that no matter what we obtain we will never be satisfied. It will be a never-ending, highly stressful search.

Marital difficulties make us more like Jesus.
Those who welcome the difficulties of marriage, become more like Jesus. Those who bail out of marriage, or quietly wish theirs would end, miss the spiritual benefits of enduring trials. Learning to endure trials makes one more holy. Jesus himself was made perfect (mature or complete) through his suffering. Consider:

In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Hebrews 2:10

Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered Hebrews 5:8

Through trials believers are shaped into the image of Christ.

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:3-5

This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'" Zech 13:9

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire -- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 1 Pet 4:1

"Endure hardship as discipline; . . . God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness, . . . it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:7,10,11

God's primary goal for His people is for them to be conformed into the image of Christ. He therefore uses difficulties and challenges to refine our character and strengthen our faith. Without discipline and challenge an athlete never grows stronger or more skilled. Without testing through suffering, a Christian will never grow strong in Christ. Growth, both natural and spiritual, comes only through challenge.

Following Christ means the laying aside of our plans and goals and the adoption of God's. Therefore, if we share God's goal, and wish to become like Christ, then we can rejoice when we encounter the opportunities for growth afforded by suffering. Having a joyful response however, requires that we actually do share Christ's goals for our life. If we are pursuing a trouble-free, happy marriage we will avoid and resist opportunities for suffering, but if we share God's values and crave godliness, we will genuinely find joy in our difficulties.

Many want to avoid the challenge of marriage, because they mistakenly believe that God’s ultimate goal for them is "happiness." They perhaps, made a decision to follow Christ originally because someone told them that if they added Christ to their life he would make things “go better.” They came to Christ for “happiness.” They married to be "happy." They were defrauded. God desires for his people joy, not happiness.

Joy comes from trust in God's love and sovereignty -- it is an inner peace not connected to circumstance (Phil 4:4-9). Happiness is nothing more than feelings of well-being based on happenstance -- it is conditioned completely on what happens or how things go. Like Christ, who was called the "Man of Sorrows" (Isaiah 53:3), those Christians in God's will, find themselves in many unpleasant and unhappy hardships, even in a challenging or difficult marriage. They will however, have great joy if they trust God is in control of the trial, that He is using it to strengthen their faith, and that He will not give them more than they can handle.

Those Christians who forsake their wedding vows and abandon their mates, often justify their action by declaring that God wants them to be happy, and separation is the only thing which will bring them happiness. The error of this type of thinking should be obvious. God wants for us not happiness, but the joy which results from godliness. We grow in godliness by selflessly loving others in the midst of adversity. Leaving an unhappy marriage only shows we didn't allow the trial to drive us to Christ.

Thinking we understand God's plan, some of us also sell ourselves short. We may grasp the need to stick with our marriage, so we do just that. We hang in there. We may even feel we are doing well to handle our mate's disagreeableness, but the truth is that God has not called us to simply "hang in there" or tolerate our husband or wife. The command is not, "Husbands tolerate your wife as Christ tolerates the Church." God's goal is not for us to put up with our mate, but for us to be uncompromisingly devoted to them, seeking to get back nothing in return. There is a world of difference between toleration and commitment -- the one is self-protective and the other is self-sacrificing. One makes us a self-concerned, cautious observer and the other a devoted participant.

What about those for whom it does not work?
There are those who believe that they have tried it God's way and yet feel it did not work. That would, of course, be impossible. If something God designed hasn't worked for us, the problem lies in our approach not with God's design. God is perfect and nothing He does or creates is flawed. In fact, his plans for marriage are not simply OK -- they are wonderful and incredibly brilliant! As we whole-heartedly submit ourselves to God and comply with His master-plan we can be sure our lives will be blessed. If we rest in His perfection and wisdom we can know that obedience to Him will bear good fruit. If we have not found fulfillment in "trying" it God's way, we need to realize that we weren't doing it right. It could very well be that we were hindered in succeeding, because we were doing something to give the devil a foothold in our life. We most probably have been the source of our own failure.

The fact is, we must obey God not because we want to make our spouse change, or because the trial will go away, but because God has spoken. The very fact we make the statement, "I tried that and it didn't work," indicates that we didn't obey God with a pure heart -- our motives were self-serving -- we were obeying in order to get a result. As followers of Jesus, we don't give obedience to God a "try," or follow biblical principles so that we will be blessed -- we obey Christ because He is the Lord.

May all who read these words be willing to trust God and do what is right. Amen!

Addendum
Lest the reader think that God has no interest in romance, it is important to remember that God was the original inventor of romantic love, and in fact, devoted the entire book of Song of Solomon to the subject. (Many even construe that book to be a metaphor of Christ's love for the Church.) Let none be confused -- God does desire his people to enjoy romance in marriage. However, those who enter into marriage with the intention of finding perfect romantic fulfillment, have entered it with self-centered motives and will therefore find great disappointment. The best romantic love is fostered in a marriage in which both partners have served one another selflessly. Their love has grown, because they have been won by the other's devotion. May we all foster great romantic love in our marriages by our selfless service to our mates.

I'd like to know your thoughts on all this. Do you agree or disagree? Was it as hard for you to take to heart as it was for me? If you're married, do you find this to be true? If you're not married, have your expectations changed? Are you disappointed at all? Or perhaps you feel as if a burden has been lifted? What's going through your head and heart?

Mawwiage...Is What Bwings Us Togethaaaa...Today.

I’ve read my fair share of dating books. An embarrassing fact, but a true one nonetheless. I Kissed Dating Goodbye. Date Or Soul Mate. Your Knight In Shining Armor: Discovering Your Lifelong Love. Passion And Purity. When God Writes Your Love Story. Boundaries In Dating. Lady In Waiting. Marriable. For Women Only. And The Bride Wore White. Annndddd….unfortunately, the list goes on. (Please, for the sake of my dignity, realize that these have all been read over a ten year time span.) The saddest part about all this is not that I have read all of these and still remain unmarried, but that I ever had to turn to a book at all to a) know what the ideal I was to aim for should be and to b) have a godly example to follow. Looking back, I can’t help but ask where all the adults were in my life to explain these things. Was I supposed to magically know how to go about dating in a biblical way? Was I supposed to somehow know what a good marriage is supposed to be like despite the fact that my own parents’ marriage, along with countless others around me, dissolved right before my eyes? How could I have known if nobody told me? Why didn’t anybody ever sit me down and just talk with me about these things? I can honestly say that the majority of what I learned about dating, sex, and marriage as a teenager and young adult was learned from television, school, friends, books (Thankfully, the Bible was one of them!), and observation. Not from my parents. Not from my pastors. Not from family members. Not from a mentor of any sort. But mostly from culture. I don’t know if any of you have ever noticed the state of our culture, but this isn’t exactly the best place to get advice from. Truly, I can’t even tell the difference between MTV and Animal Planet anymore, and yet these are the very entities that we are allowing to infiltrate the minds of our young people and teach them what is right from what is wrong, what is true from what is a lie. Television is the very LAST thing that any young person should have to turn to to learn about topics as vastly important as dating, sex, marriage, and family. And yet, it IS where they’re learning about it. And that wouldn’t be so bad if an adult in their life were teaching them what is true from what is a lie, how things are meant to be and how they are not meant to be, and why God’s word and His way is better than the alternative at all. But the sad truth is that they aren’t. No one is taking the time to get to know these young people and no one is making the effort to speak the truth in love, and they are utterly and completely lost as a result.

How do I know this is so? Because I see it in the church. I see it in the schools. I see it in my own friends and family. I see it in myself. From the time we were born, we have most likely been taught not to question. We are taught that this is the way things are, and they are that way because someone says they are. You can ask how, when, where, and who, but don’t you dare ask why. Kid: Why should I clean my room? Parent: Because I said so. Kid: Why does 2 + 2 = 4? Teacher: Because it just does. Kid: Why is stealing wrong? Pastor: Because the Bible says so.

“Why” is a dangerous question. It requires us to think deeply, it requires us to search for answers, and most of all it requires the person we ask to reveal themselves. It requires them to either admit their ignorance, to admit their motives, or to actually take the time to seek and teach understanding. Few are willing to do any of these, including ourselves, and because of this, many of us are left mindlessly pursuing ideals without even knowing the very foundation on which they are built. Just the other day I was discussing marriage with a friend. He was talking about how he had lost all hope in marriage. That he was coming to discover that all the people he thought had good marriages don’t. He wondered how he could possibly fare any better in marriage if even they are barely keeping it together. Upon further discussion, he revealed that he used to think he knew what the purpose of marriage is, but as it turns out he doesn’t. Then, as I attempted to explain what I thought it was, I realized that I barely knew either. How sad. I’ve read countless books on dating and marriage, and I have yet to read one that states plain and simply “This is why God created marriage. This is why it exists. This is why it is good.” Is it just me, or is it pathetic that so little of us even bother to ask such a question before we begin pursuing marriage, or in some cases give up on pursuing it?

So what, then, is the purpose of marriage? Why should I do it at all? Well, the beautiful thing about asking why in this case, is that I get to ask the one who created it, and when he reveals His reasons to me He also reveals Himself. He is the one person I can ask who is not ignorant, not lazy, and does not have impure motives. This is gonna be good. :) But before I post about what God’s purposes are (which will indeed be my next post), as He has revealed them to me thus far, I want to share with you what the world’s purposes are. I searched several forums that asked the same question and was greatly saddened that no one even remotely knew the answer. This is what the world had to say about what the purpose of marriage is:

“It’s been like this for ages and benefits men more than women.......back in the early days of marriage, men would come to villages and steal daughters and make them work on the fields for them, etc. Eventually, this was not tolerated by the fathers of these daughters and sometimes they would run away so it became more civilized.....they would have children so they had labor to work on their fields.
Familia in latin means slave. Did an anthro paper on this.....marriage has always benefitted men more than women.”

“Marriage is just a physical way to 'seal the deal.' It's just for couples to prove their devotion to one another in front of their country and in the eyes of God (depending on whether or not they are religious). The "physical" part of marriage is things like sharing family names and combined finances and assets. Many people may say that marriage is just a piece of paper but it does have a purpose. There is a reason why it is so important to so many people and cultures. The Homosexual society wouldn't be fighting so hard for the right to it if it was not important. Marriage isn't very regarded by people in the 21st century as much as it used to be. It just depends on the kind of person you are and whether you feel that is has a purpose. If a person believes that there is no purpose to marriage it just means that marriage is not a priority for them personally. Finding the purpose in marriage is up to you and your beliefs about love and relationships.”

“It's different for different people and for people in different roles. For me, personally, my marriage is about stating to friends, family, and the world, my commitment to my wife.

The church got involved with marriage a few centuries back as a way of getting more control over people. Governments followed suit as they separated more from the church. I recently read a theory that one of the benefits of marriage to a society is that it gives men a reason to succeed With a wife and kids at home, they're given a drive to get up every morning and go to work. They note that societies which have followed this pattern have advanced quickly where others have not. As you might imagine, some people get royally pissed off by this theory.”

“I really dont know !!!!!!!!!!!”

“The purpose of marriage is to completely fudge yourself over in life.”

“For 2 separate people, (Man & Women) to become 1 in Gods eyes. This way when you create children they are not Bastards. Before I get screamed at for saying that. Look it up. A Bastard is a Child born to a woman who is not Married.”

“Originally, to claim your woman and to make sure that no single guy gets a chance to have all the women and have them shared equally. Kinda like a socialist safety net, except with women counting as property. Then the feminists came and tried making it so that no one would own anyone. Since that failed, the only way to bring equality would be to make it so that the woman would simultaneously claim and own her man as he did her. So now both the man and the woman own each other, which is how equality works. Basically it’s a safety net so that no one ends up being all alone and has a sex partner here and there.”

“To ruin a man's life. People marry because they believe they are "in love" and it is the right thing to do. But look at the divorce rates, it is not love, it is lust and natural instinct to mate. Only true love is between a child and a parent, that is REAL and unconditional. Humans are mammals, we are meant to breed and move on, but society doesn't deem this appropriate.”

“It’s bullsh*t, marriage…I think people should be happy just living together and not having the whole wedding and husband thing...wish i knew that before i got married..but some cultures you cannot live with someone (hence why i got married)..but it’s over now and won't do it again :)”

“Marriage seals a relationship. Safeguards it and secures it. Marriage is very important if you wish to lead a healthy and a faithful life. Why? Because there would always be someone you would have by your side.”

“My guess would be to set up a secure environment for raising children. Plus it is also a rite of passage that sticks in the memories of all the family for decades to come.”

“Traditionally, so that men would have to provide for the children they fathered. Today, it makes no sense to me. I doubt I'll ever marry.”

“So you can be on health insurance plans? ...otherwise it is just a custom, you can live together your whole life and be just as happy, that little piece of paper just entitles you to certain things.”

“To be with the one u love forever, sharing special moments with them and having their company and love all the time. To start a family and begin a life together. Becoming one!”

“idk. happiness, family, home, kids.”

“The purpose of marriage is to bind one another together in love. To help each other perfect themselves and stay on the path that will lead them to the most happiness. However, I think the main purpose of marriage is to have children and raise them up in a loving environment and teach them correct principles and prepare them for the world of tomorrow to start the same cycle. This quest will be done no better than with man and woman working side by side. Women have qualities and roles that man cannot fill. Nor can women fill the qualities and roles that men have. Hense why it's important to have one of each, a man and a woman.”

“For sex.”

“It's different for different people. Some people just want the financial benefits of marriage (joint taxes, health insurance, living wills, etc) and some people want the feel of a "cohesive family unit" when they have kids.”

“Marriage has a number of purposes. The fundamental purpose is to encourage stable family building. Human beings, in their formative stages, respond best to a situation in which there are adult role-models of each gender demonstrating warmth and affection. Marriage is also a legal contract which obligates the two parties to share their material wealth and debts , to file joint income taxes and to provide for any offspring which may result. Marriage is also one of the rites of passage in most religious traditions; the others being birth, adulthood and death. These days, marriage has become primarily an excuse to throw a party, be the centre of attention and receive gifts.”

“Mental cruelty.”

“I think the purpose of marriage is to officialize what the two of you know or feel is a solid relationship. I personally don't think marriage is necessary.”

“I believe that the purpose of marriage is to reinforce the fact that a single person is entitled to all of your love, devotion, and protection. That this person is not only your best friend, but someone who can touch your life in a way that no other could. Someone you would want to be next to even if you could not walk or speak.”

“I will not say ‘Making Love each day and night’ coz this is not the purpose of love.
The true purpose is to fulfill our needs!!!”

“I believe in the Biblical meaning of marriage.
Matthew 19:4-6 states:
"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
The passage above refers to Genesis 2:22-24
Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

And before anyone gets going on same-sex marriage, I believe that interdependent partners should all have the same legal rights (opposite-sex couples, same-sex couples, or interdependent relationships such as a person caring for an elderly parent).”

“Practically: Insurance. Superstitiously: Commitment.”

“I don't think anyone knows the answer to that!”

“Taxes? So it's ok with your church to have sex?
I guess some people want to formally say 'I love you', some one loves me. Some one loves me enough to spend money to buy me a clear rock and some yellow metal. Make themselves feel wanted. I don't know. I know that I expect my girlfriend to be faithful but we can do that without being married. Hey, I'm sorry. I'm being a hypocrite. I wear a ring.”

“To openly unify a man and woman in the eyes of god and the community.”

“To enslave men.”

“So women have a hold on a guy and can lead him around by the ring in his nose.”

“Wow. A lot of different opinions here. No wonder the government cannot make a stand on anything when it comes to two people who love each other.”

Read enough yet? Pretty comforting to know that most people, including those who cite the Bible, are merely guessing and hoping they have the right answer, huh? No, not at all... This is what happens when a “Christian” nation worships the Bible rather than the very One who created it. We are left with no further explanation in anything than “Because the Bible says so.” We lose sight of the very character and promises of God that are written down in it. And this is what happens when so many serve no God at all. We lose all purpose. We are left with only our observations and consequences to determine anything, no ideals or tangible, coherent reasons really exist. And why is it that no one bothers to ask such difficult questions? We do not think about such things because it is difficult to think about, for to think might mean we have to change our minds, and to change our minds might mean we have to change our hearts, and to change our hearts might mean we have to change our behavior, and to do all of this might mean that we would have to admit we were wrong and *gasp* admit that God is right and that we might actually NEED Him to accomplish any ideal at all.

You know what, though? Despite all evidence to the contrary, we do have hope. We do not have to follow in failure’s footsteps. Instead of following in the footsteps of our parents' generation and our own generation, let us in turn follow in the footsteps of He who has never failed at all, of He who has set and met the ideal, of He who renews our strength day by day through the power of the Spirit and whose blood has cleansed us, restored us to Him, and made us new. Let us say “I am able because God is able. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Yes, it’s true. We can actually have an ideal marriage, but not without difficulty. As G.K. Chesterton says, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.” It is actually possible, but alas, we’ll go more into that in the next post…

I Read Blog Posts That Don't Even Exist Yet

These hipster dinosaurs are perhaps one of my favorite internet finds. My greatest regret is that I didn't think to draw them myself! Now, don't get me wrong, I don't dislike hipsters, but I do find these absolutely hilarious. And I hope you do too. If you just end up confused because you don't know what a hipster is...no worries. Just go here for a definition. :-) Enjoy!

Photos taken from here.

Life Is Cute

I don't want ALL of my posts on this blog to be serious, so today I'll share with you some videos that I myself would classify as "heart-meltingly adorable." Some of you may not know this, but I'm slightly addicted to YouTube, so these videos are just a small fraction of the cuteness that I have on YouTube reserve. It's my smile ammo, for those days or moments when I just need a reminder of the many blessings God's given us on this earth. Yes, much of this "ammo" involves cats, but that's beside the point. :-) Anyways, I hope these vids make you smile like I do when I see 'em! And if ever you need a joyful moment, remember these things...

Exhibit A: Children



Exhibit B: Cuddly Kittens



Exhibit C: Slooooooooths

Resources, Resources, Resources!

Just a few resources concerning the initiative below:





Trade In Hope: Fighting Child Sex Slavery In America

Wichita Eagle: Youth Aid Program Has To Turn Away Applicants

Wichita Eagle: Men Charged With Rape, Human Trafficking

Wichita Eagle: Child Sex Crimes Span Sedgwick County

Polaris Project

Sex, Youth, Homelessness, & The City Of Wichita

This is not a happy post. Nor is it a fun post. By the time you read this there will probably not even be a hint of a smile left on your face, and I fully intend to leave anyone who reads this post with a convicted and saddened heart. Why will your heart be saddened? Why would I aim for such a thing? Because I also fully intend to force anyone who reads this to come face to face with reality. So if you would rather turn away and continue to live in a comfortable and happy fantasy world where you can continue to deceive yourself into believing that the world, the country, and the very city that you live in isn’t that bad off and that you are by nature a good person and have fulfilled your obligations to the community by donating a little bit of money here and there during the holidays, then leave now. Go back to perusing facebook. Go back to watching T.V. Go back to your video games and parties. This post is not for the faint of heart. It is only for those who can handle the truth.

This story begins right here in our very city: Wichita, Kansas. Smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt. Right in the midst of middle class America. A city packed full of right-wing, church-going, Christian conservatives. And yet somehow, a city where approximately 600 people also reside every year, void of the basic necessities of food and shelter. Don’t believe me? Just take a midnight stroll down by the river and see for yourself. Last night some friends and I walked right past a group of five people gathered under a bridge, four asleep on the ground covered with blankets, another standing in the corner by himself, gazing at us as we walked past, expecting nothing else from us than to do just that. And the saddest part…is that we did just that. As I walked past I thought about how I’d like to help them. I thought about how I wish I had had cash on me to give to them. I thought about how I should at least stop to talk to them and see if they needed anything. I thought about how I could at least go buy some food for them. And yet I continued walking, because for me to have done any of these things would have required sacrifice. I would have had to distract myself from the fun that I was having with the sadness of reality, and let’s face it…reality just isn’t very enjoyable. Could I have stopped what I was doing to acknowledge them? Could I have learned their names and heard their stories? Could I have gone back to my car, driven to a fast food place, and bought them food? Absolutely. But I did not. And I know that I am not alone in my failure to act, because their very presence on the street last night was evidence of an apathetic city who has daily done just the same.

And yet do you know what the real travesty here is? It is not just the fact that these people are on the streets, but more so the fact that we fellow human beings have rid ourselves of our responsibility to care for them. We cry out for the poor and victimized in our politics, yet the only time we rouse our hands and feet to action is when we head to a voting station and cast our ballot for the newest representative who has promised “change.” Then, of course, when the politician we voted for still fails to make the poor richer (or more realistically so, has failed to make us richer) and still fails to keep the homeless out of our sight and out of our minds as we do indeed clearly wish them to be, we simply cry out against these “lying” politicians and demand new policies that are sure to take care of the problem. After all, surely the solution lies with the government. Surely the best way to care for the poor is to bicker back and forth in Congress, in our city councils, on Fox News and CNN, on Facebook and Twitter and in our blogs and newspaper forums about the failures and successes of the government to care for the poor. Surely this bickering will magically build a roof above their heads, put food in their mouths, and put money in their pockets. Surely.

Dear friends, I welcome you to reality. A world where in order for the poor to have money in their pockets, we must first take money out of ours. A world where in order for the hungry to be fed, we must first physically supply them with food. A world where in order for the homeless to have shelter, we must give them a secure place to comfortably rest their heads. A world where in order for the downcast to rise from the ashes, they must first be given hope. You may not particularly like this reality, but it is in fact what is true. And no matter what belief you hold about the poor and your responsibility to them, no matter what excuses you are currently forming in your head to rid yourself from such responsibilities, I’m telling you here and now that reality is not going to magically adapt itself to fit the stereotypes, excuses, and lies that are currently filling your head to justify your lack of action.

“I don’t have the money” you say? Then I ask you, do you not have the ability to sell any of the possessions you currently have? Do you not have the ability to give food from your pantry or clothes from your closet? Do you not have the ability to sacrifice the money you would have spent on Starbucks, designer clothes, the latest movies, expensive restaurants, and fancy vacations for their sake? Can you truly not sacrifice any of your luxuries for their necessities? If you truly don’t have the money, then do you at least have the time? Do you have the time to volunteer in your community? Do you have the time to work in a soup kitchen, to mentor a child at the Wichita Children’s Home, to deliver sandwiches to a man on the streets? Can you sacrifice an hour spent watching your favorite TV show or 6 straight hours spent playing video games for the sake of another human being? Do you have the time to get to know those who suffer? Do you have the willpower to recognize their value and worth? Do you care to love them at all?

Would it help if I told you that it is not just grown men and women on our streets struggling to survive, but children, teens, and young adults too? Would it spur you to action if I told you that at seventeen years of age, teens who were already initially put into the foster care system due to abandonment and abuse are forced out of the foster care system and are again made vulnerable to the very same things that landed them there? Would it hurt your heart to know that these teens are unable to seek refuge in any local homeless shelters due to a required minimum entry age of 21? On average the Wichita Children’s Home itself only has two to three available beds for these youth, forcing hundreds of youth each year to literally fend for themselves on the streets, leaving many of them exposed to none other than the horrific trade of human trafficking. Truly, these runaways and outcasts are deceived by social piranhas intent on destroying them, who dehumanize them and treat them as commodities. Take this to heart:

“Professionals serving on the Anti-Sexual Exploitation Roundtable for Community Action suggest that 300-400 Wichita youth are at-risk of sexual exploitation each year. To demonstrate this, of 250 youth interviewed at the Wichita Children’s Home between 2007 and 2008, sixty-seven percent reported they had been sexually assaulted or raped; forty-six percent had been asked to strip, go on a date or provide sexual favors in exchange for food, shelter, money or drugs; and forty percent reported that they had “agreed” or had been forced or manipulated to exchange sexual favors for food, shelter, money or drugs. Thus, once pursued, 100 of the 250 young people interviewed were forced, frauded, or coerced into sexual exploitation. This is only including the youth we know about, the children who survived and were lucky enough to make it into safe shelter.” (Quote taken from here.)

We are in the top five of originating cities in the U.S. for sexual exploitation, meaning that traffickers come here, seek out the vulnerable youth in our city, and take them elsewhere to sexually exploit them. This business is often more profitable than even the drug trade, for with drugs, you can only sell the product once. With young children and teens, however, you can sell them for sex again and again and again, acquiring hundreds of thousands of dollars a year per child. And in the process, you can break their spirit and devalue them so much that they will no longer even have the desire to fight back. They indeed become your slave. This is what is taking place in our city. This is what is happening to our---or at least someone’s---sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, students, friends, and neighbors. This is heartbreaking, and we must not merely sit back, read about it, and think “That’s too bad. I’m sure someone will help.” No. We must take the initiative and act. I am asking each and every one of you to offer either your money, your time, or your very home to reach out to these youth. Offer your church, school, or business as a donation or fundraising site. Volunteer at the Wichita Children’s home, offering yourself as a mentor, tutor, babysitter, or just a general helping hand. Offer your creativity and vision to the cause through your own efforts or by joining those like Jennifer White here.

And here…here is where I am on the verge of making a suggestion that many will not enjoy, because I am about to ask much of you. I am about to ask much of the church particularly. It is a concept that many will deem ridiculous and unsafe, but as I say this I ask you to remember that the very God whom we serve has Himself loved us ridiculously and unsafely. Here is what I must ask of you: to take these children, teens, and young adults into your very homes, offering them food, clothing, shelter, safety, security, love and affection. If there are those on the streets without even the basic need of shelter, why do we so easily assume it to be the obligation of a temporary and capacity-limited homeless shelter or orphanage to care for them? Why are we not offering them our own homes? It is understandable if some genuinely do not have room for them, and it is maybe even understandable for those who are concerned for the safety of their children, but what about the safety of these children? And for those of us with even just one empty room, how is it that we have deemed the junk that fills that room to be more worthy of shelter than a man, woman, or child living on the streets? This very matter is the difference between the postmodern church of today and the early church of the New Testament. The early church didn’t just give the poor, the orphaned, or the widowed a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a sandwich and wish them good luck on the streets. They literally took them into their homes. They didn’t just provide the basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter, but the basic necessities of love, security, and family as well. They expressed to those who were deemed the “undeserving” of society the undeserved sacrificial love which Christ Himself has expressed to us. Unlike us, they actually took the Word of God seriously, for it says:

Deut. 15:7. If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.

1 John 3:17. But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

Acts 2:44. All those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began to sell their property and possessions, and share them with all, as anyone might have need.

Mt. 25:31-46. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite you in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' Then they themselves will also answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

I know I am asking much, but I believe it is the duty of the church to take in these young ones, at least for a little while. I know it is risky, I know it will be difficult and messy, and I know that many of us deem ourselves unfit for such a task. Yet I also believe that God uses the weak to shame the strong, and I believe that we the church are able because we serve a God who is able. Let us be the heart and hands and feet of Jesus to those who are in need in our communities. Let us do what He has done for us, not so that He will approve of us---for He already does---but so that the love of Christ will become evident to a world that does not know Him. Let us do this so that others will come to know this incredible God whom we deem worthy to serve even to the extent of sacrificing our very comfortable lives in order to do so. If you are able, I ask you to prayerfully consider either entering the foster care system, particularly making your home available to those aged between 13 and 17 years of age or at least providing your home for some sort of emergency contact list as the need for shelter for these young people arises. If you are interested in helping in any way at all, please do not hesitate to contact me. I understand that many of you are not able to extravagantly give, but even just a little bit of your time or money makes a difference. And I recognize that many of you reading this are probably already involved in some sort of ministry or volunteer work, and I do not dare to ask you to add even more to an already burdensome load. I at least ask anyone reading this to pray for the homeless, orphaned, abandoned, and abused of this city. It is the very least any of us can do.