I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've heard this question over the last few months. And I always feel strange answering it because I'm not sure how honest people want me to be about it. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that people are interested enough to ask, but at the same time it gets repetitive when every single person you talk to asks the exact same question. I know people are just being kind and I don't hold it against them, but well, I'm just tired of the question...mostly because there's a lot more going on in my life than just planning a wedding. Back in the first three months of engagement I was your typical giddy engaged girl who was excited to pick out her dress and find her venue and make all of her d.i.y. decorations and now, 7 months later and about 3 1/2 months till the wedding day the giddiness has most certainly worn off. Now when people ask me this question all I want to say is...
They're not going anywhere fast, that's for sure.
No, Martha Stewart Weddings will not be covering my wedding, nor will any wedding blog.
Pinterest is a lie, and I'm deeply disappointed in the false expectations it gave me.
D.I.Y. is not for the faint of heart, nor is it cheaper in the long run.
Getting married, as it turns out, is not a good enough motivation to lose weight for those of us who are stress eaters.
Wedding dress shopping is only magical for those size 8 and below...you know, the ones who actually fit into the sample dresses.
Planning isn't actually as much fun as I imagined.
EVERYTHING having to do with a wedding is expensive and overpriced.
I'm having serious misgivings about my parents pouring thousands of dollars into ONE DAY.
I miss my bridesmaids and wish I could actually see them more than twice before the wedding.
And lastly...I'm tired of being engaged and just wanna marry my best friend already!
Instead of people asking "How are the wedding plans going?" sometimes I wish people would just get straight to the heart and ask "So, how are you doing with the fact that your ENTIRE LIFE is about to change?!?" Because amidst all of the excitement of getting to marry Seth, there's also a plethora of anxiety and even sadness that I wasn't prepared for. Pinterest certainly didn't mention it, nor Glamour magazine, nor the marriage prep books, nor all the older women in my life offering up advice about how to properly plan for and decorate a wedding. I never expected that so much "junk" would come up in what is supposed to be the happiest time of my life. And the thing is, it's hard to talk about because people will assume that I'm unhappy with Seth or that things aren't going well in our relationship and that couldn't be further from the truth. I'm not having "cold feet" nor am I making a mistake. Seth and I are literally a match made in heaven, brought together by God Himself, and the best of friends. We can't wait to marry each other! But the truth is that all this anxiety and sadness have absolutely nothing to do with him and everything to do with me.
I never thought that I would actually mourn my singleness before I was even married. I never thought that, even though I am gaining a husband and an entire family, I would also feel like I am losing my own. I didn't expect to be in an identity crisis before I even take on a new last name, as I will no longer be just a daughter or sister or friend or youth worker, but also a wife. I never realized all the anxieties and doubt that I had buried deep inside of me about being a good wife, about doing a good job of supporting my husband and loving him and cooking and cleaning and planning and working and someday being a mother and the list goes on and on. I never realized how selfish and independent I was until I started having to plan for the fact that nothing will really be "mine" anymore. I will no longer be able to spend money on whatever I want whenever I want, but I'll actually have to discuss it ahead of time and always have someone else to think of. I can never just go out with friends without having to tell anyone where I'm at, nor can I just plan to go off for a weekend and visit some friends in a faraway state. I can never again think only of myself and my plans and my desires and my needs. I'm not even married yet and I'm already dying to self more than I've ever had to before, and I'm not gonna lie, it's incredibly painful.
And yet I'm reminded that this is the call of the Christian---to die to self. To take up your cross and follow Him. God chose marriage as a symbol of His relationship to us, the church, and I'm seeing more and more why He did so. There is no "me" in marriage just as there is no "me" in my relationship with Christ, because life isn't all about me and it was never meant to be. Growing up in a divorced home, I never really got to see this played out. I saw my parents "die to self" in many other ways---particularly as parents---but I didn't get to see it in their marriage and I find myself starting from scratch, walking blindly into a married life that is not only statistically doomed, but that will no doubt be a target for a devil who will do anything to keep me and my spouse from carrying out a marriage that depends on God, seeks Him, and honors Him.
So really, how am I doing in all of this marriage prep business?
Hi, I'm Tiffany Johnson, and I'm teriffied.
On a daily basis, I have to keep reminding myself of God's faithfulness. I have to keep guarding myself against false expectations of engagement and marriage. I have to keep reminding myself that where I fail, there will always be grace. I have to keep reminding myself that my God is bigger than any marriage statistic. I have to keep reminding myself that I am not my parents and that my marriage will not be theirs. I have to keep reminding myself that this is God's plan for my life, and every single bit of it---even the painful process of dying to self---serves a purpose. And I have to keep reminding myself that the man I'm marrying loves Jesus, is full of grace, is kind, compassionate, joyful, easy-going, fun, passionate, intelligent, funny, creative, and has so many wonderful qualities that are a true GIFT to me, and that he will not someday just stop being the wonderful man that he is and stop offering me his love and forgiveness when I need it. I have to keep reminding myself that my identity is in CHRIST, not as a wife or daughter or sister or youth worker or anything else. And I have to keep reminding myself that marriage is more than me getting MY needs met and whether or not I feel loved, but it is more about me loving my husband and seeking to meet HIS needs, and above all glorifying God.
Marriage ain't easy. If it were, there wouldn't be a fifty percent divorce rate. People would never cheat on each other. And an entire generation wouldn't be so afraid of a failed marriage that they don't even bother getting married. So this post isn't just for me to get out all of my frustrations and conflicted feelings, but also to give all these other unmarried girls a big smack on the head and tell them that there's more to marriage than planning a wedding. If your expectations for marriage don't involve anything other than a white dress, an aisle, a honeymoon, and a happily ever after, then it's time you got a big dose of reality. Marriage isn't all about you and your husband isn't just a means to get what you want in life. So please, I beg of you, no matter how "prepared" you think you are for marriage, seek the wisdom of others in preparing for marriage, whether it be through several months of pre-marital and post-marital counseling, through books such as "The Meaning of Marriage" or "When Sinners Say I Do," through hours of endless prayer and Bible study, or through advice from loved ones in your life who can offer up practical and loving advice. I can guarantee you that even though you think you're "prepared," you're not, even in just the engagement stage. Trust me, I'm living proof. ;)
Now, don't get me wrong. There are many joys that come with being engaged. And that is what you read about all the time in magazines and on blogs. That is what you see on T.V. and in movies. Those are the stories you hear from your friends and family as they plan a wedding and get hitched. But there is another side that you don't see---a side that is almost taboo---and if you are engaged and experiencing anxiety, fear, doubt, and sadness, I hope you know that you are not alone and that nothing's wrong with you for feeling the way you feel. It's just part of growing up, of dying to self and being refined by fire. Your whole life is about to change, and because of that it's pretty normal to feel the way you do. So in the meantime, just pray a lot, be honest to yourself about how you're feeling, have conversations about it with your fiancee instead of trying to hide it, identify any lies you're believing, hold fiercely to God's truths, and rely on Him wholly to get you through. I promise He will. :-) And remember, marriage is a beautiful, God-given covenant and will be worth the endeavor even amidst all the trials you will face together. And that fiancee of yours that you love so much---he's definitely worth loving for the rest of your life. I know mine is! :-D
Monday, December 17, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
A Very Long and Politically Incorrect Post On Homosexuality
This is something that’s been on my heart for a while, and even though I’m taking a lot of risk in posting it (because there are people in my life who I pray will not be angered or driven away by this), I feel like it needs to be addressed. If you’re a homosexual, please just know that I love you (you know who you are!) and that this is not a personal attack, but rather a concern that the world never seems to address, and all I really want to do is point out truth and to hear truth from others. So after you read this, whether you’re gay or straight, please give me your honest feedback (in a loving way, please) as to what I’ve written here. I’d love to hear your story, or if I’m wrong in something I’d love to be corrected with the truth. This is just my attempt to speak the truth in love and to question what I’ve been told for most of my life from the media, schools, and the like.
Time and time again, I see the homosexual community and the world at large insisting that being gay is “who they are.” What bothers me about this statement is that gay men and women and the people around them are believing that that’s their SOLE identity---that that’s ALL that they are. Now, I can’t even possibly fathom the struggles that come with being gay, but as a straight person this perspective is hard for me to understand because my sexuality has never been a large part of my identity. It’s a small part of who I am, miniscule even, but it’s certainly not nor has it ever been my entire identity. So if people expected me to act or look a certain way because I’m straight, or to listen to a certain kind of music, or to go to specific clubs, or to talk and dress a certain way, I would be incredibly offended. I mean, excuse me, there’s more to me than the fact that I’m straight. So why is it okay to treat the homosexual community like there’s nothing more to them than their sexuality---as if that’s the most important thing we could possibly learn about them---as if there couldn’t possibly be more depth to them than the stereotype that is broadcast to us in every single t.v. show and movie with a homosexual as part of the cast. Why does Oscar in accounting have to be referred to as the gay guy in the office? Why can’t he just be Oscar the accountant? After all, no one would ever refer to me as Tiffany the straight girl in the office, would they? No, I would just be Tiffany.
So are we really doing the gay community any favors by saying that their sexuality encompasses “who they are?” I really don’t think so. And as a Christian, I think this mentality is only hurting my friends and loved ones---because who they are is first and foremost a beloved child of God. There is more to them than just being gay.
Which brings me to ask a question that just really breaks my heart: What if in affirming the gay community’s identity as solely their sexuality we are actually keeping them from healing? I don’t believe people are born gay, nor do I believe they choose to be gay. In fact, I think there are multiple factors that can lead up to a person adopting a gay identity and lifestyle, and I believe they’re more common than anyone would like to admit. For example, sexual abuse has a major role in homosexuality. I read a testimony the other day on thepinkcross.org of a young man who was molested multiple times by another man at the age of 9 and who eventually got into the gay porn business because sex with a man was all he ever knew. And honestly, it only makes sense that a boy who was sexually abused by another man would respond in such a way, just as it makes sense that a young girl who was molested or raped by a man would eventually become a lesbian and display an utter inability to be attracted to a man or to ever be able to trust a man. The same goes for someone who grew up in a home with an overbearing and unloving mother or father. If a man grows up with a bitter, nagging mother and witnesses an unhappy marriage between his parents where his mother essentially emasculates his father, why would he ever want to be in a relationship with a woman and especially get married? That’s all he’s ever known. The same goes for a girl with a controlling or abusive father who has never seen anything but a destructive male-female relationship. Why would she want that? It’s easy to believe that the brokenness that you grew up in is all that you’ll ever know---it’s easy to believe that there’s not something better out there for you, and unless someone gives you hope either by example or through words of truth, you’re never going to aim for something that you believe can’t be attained. And last, what if you grew up in a family where your masculinity or femininity was never affirmed? Where your father constantly called you a sissy because you weren’t athletic enough or big and strong enough or your mother constantly fretted because you weren’t in cheerleading or beauty pageants, but rather basketball and softball? What does that do to a child other than to lead them to the conclusion that there’s something wrong with them, that they’re not man enough for a woman to want to be with them or woman enough for a man to want to be with them.
Now I couldn’t possibly know if this is the case for all homosexuals, but I know that it is for some, and that is enough for me to be completely brokenhearted at the fact that instead of bringing them to a place of healing and wholeness, we’re only affirming the lies that they already believe about themselves. It just makes me wonder, how many people are living a lifestyle that they don’t even WANT to be living? How many people are feeling trapped because they’re told that that’s who they are, and that instead of seeking help they should take pride in it? How many people are actually feeling so much pressure from the homosexual community to take pride in their homosexuality, that they are actually repressing any attraction that they really do have towards the opposite sex? And if sexual abuse really is a large factor, then how sad is it that so many people aren’t getting the help that they need? I mean, have you seen our current sexual abuse statistics? It is not pretty, people, and it’s only gotten worse over the last few decades. A little over 40% of incidents happen under the age of 18---when they are CHILDREN---and over half of all incidents are never reported. 1 in every 6 women is sexually abused in their lifetime. 1 in 6. If 1 in 6 women ended up becoming a lesbian, I wouldn’t be surprised nor would I blame them, because if I had to go through that hell I’d never want to trust a man again either. And as for men, they only make up 3% of the statistic, but let’s face it, it’s probably a much larger number simply because men are going to be a lot less likely to report it because of the stigma attached to it. If it happened in your childhood, why would you report something that happened so long ago that it can’t even be tried in court anymore, and even if it were, you’d probably lose the case. And if you’re a grown man, you’re already humiliated enough by the fact that you were raped, why go humiliate yourself further by calling the police? So what if in all of this, being gay is neither a matter of being born gay nor of choosing to be, but rather a matter of, in many cases, healing the wounds of the past?
The reason I write this is so that people will merely question what they’re being told and what they believe. After all, as a Christian, society is CONSTANTLY telling me to question what I believe, so why can’t I question what the world is telling YOU to believe without being dubbed a judgmental, bigoted, hateful person? What if there is more to homosexuality than simply being born that way, as we’re all often told? What if a person’s sexuality ISN’T their identity? What if by encouraging the present lives of some we’re refusing them healing from the past? What if a gay person who doesn’t want to be gay really doesn’t have to be gay forever? And for the Christian community, what if some of the sins we are so apt to point our finger at are really not an intentional choice, but rather the result of being sinned against? What if no one’s ever told that gay person in your life that God really can heal all wounds and that through Christ you really can overcome all sin? What if no one’s ever told them that they’re first and foremost a child of God, that they are loved by God, and that there is no sin that God can not forgive---that He hasn’t ALREADY forgiven through the blood of Jesus? What if no one’s ever told them that they can have new life in Christ? Or that there is simply HOPE? Or that whether you’re gay or straight, God still wants to have a relationship with you? That you don’t have to stop being gay for Him to love you?
There is a passage in the Bible that many Christians try to throw in the face of homosexuals to cast further judgment on them. That verse is 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, which says “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” But I ask my fellow Christians, have we forgotten what the next two verses say? Are those no longer important in your quest to prove to them that they’re in sin? Why aren’t you reading the part where it says, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Have we forgotten the hope that is in this passage? Have we forgotten that there is now no condemnation through our Lord Jesus Christ? Why spend so much time trying to prove to the world that homosexuality is a sin when you could easily prove that whether you are gay or straight, we are ALL sinners in need of saving. That is the very point of the verse you’re throwing in their faces. Every single human being on this planet falls into one of the categories of those who will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. In our hearts, each and every one of use either now or in the past has at some point been sexually immoral, an idolater, an adulterer, a prostitute, a homosexual offender, a thief, greedy, a drunkard, a slanderer, or a swindler. All you’re doing is telling people to clean themselves up so that God will love them and completely missing the Gospel message, which is that God ALREADY loves you and took it upon Himself to pay for YOUR sins so that you can have a relationship with Him. That through Christ you can have new life. Everything that you used to be you will no longer be in the eyes of God---He will do the cleaning up in your life. He will do the transforming. And as you come to understand His love and grace more and more, you will be compelled by your love for God to obey His commands. When you come to know Jesus, the only outcome is for you to be completely and utterly changed---that’s just what naturally happens when you enter into a relationship with the God of the universe. So please, I beg of you Christians, stop blocking people from eternal life and a fulfilling and all-encompassing relationship with God with your out of context passages and false stipulations and your judgment. Just stop it. The only people who you are given biblical permission to hold accountable for their sins (aside from bringing justice through the governmental law) are your fellow believers---the people who already know Christ. And if someone who is a Christian is struggling through this, then pointing your finger at them won't help them, will it?
So whoever is reading this, I hope the last thing that is communicated in this is judgment. This is really just an instance in which the psychologist part of me and the Christian whole of me are trying to converge and truly understand homosexuality. Sometimes God gives me a burning desire to speak the truth in love about issues and if I don't courageously speak out---or write it out in this instance---it will gnaw at me until I do. This post has already been gnawing at me for months and it's time for it to "come out." Please understand that to obey God in this instance and post something like this comes at great cost to me---there are friends in my life who are very important to me and that I care very deeply for who could easily take offense at this, but I pray they do not. I pray that they are already able to see that I must stand firm in my faith no matter what the issue, and I pray that they will be just as accepting of me as a person despite my beliefs as they would be of anyone else. Even more so, I pray that my life is already enough of a testimony of God's love and acceptance that this post doesn't even bother them. So if you are gay, I hope you know that God loves you and that I love and care for you as well, and that that love and care is not dependent on your sexuality but rather on God's love and grace. If I can communicate only one thing to you in this, I hope it is this---that you are loved and accepted by God through Christ. That is the most important thing that could possibly be communicated to you in this entire world, but I do also hope that this post gets people to question what they’re being told---to just stop and think that if there are indeed evil forces in the world, what better way to keep people from knowing God than by abusing them, making sure that they never heal, misplacing their identity, making them feel as though they are trapped, and in turn dashing all hope from their lives that God has something better for them. And if they are already a Christian, what better way to keep them from living the full Christian life than to make them believe that God isn't powerful enough to heal their hearts and overcome their struggles and sins. I pray that eyes are opened---and that includes my own eyes---to the truth of this much-debated issue, and I invite anybody to comment or personally message me their thoughts and feelings.
Time and time again, I see the homosexual community and the world at large insisting that being gay is “who they are.” What bothers me about this statement is that gay men and women and the people around them are believing that that’s their SOLE identity---that that’s ALL that they are. Now, I can’t even possibly fathom the struggles that come with being gay, but as a straight person this perspective is hard for me to understand because my sexuality has never been a large part of my identity. It’s a small part of who I am, miniscule even, but it’s certainly not nor has it ever been my entire identity. So if people expected me to act or look a certain way because I’m straight, or to listen to a certain kind of music, or to go to specific clubs, or to talk and dress a certain way, I would be incredibly offended. I mean, excuse me, there’s more to me than the fact that I’m straight. So why is it okay to treat the homosexual community like there’s nothing more to them than their sexuality---as if that’s the most important thing we could possibly learn about them---as if there couldn’t possibly be more depth to them than the stereotype that is broadcast to us in every single t.v. show and movie with a homosexual as part of the cast. Why does Oscar in accounting have to be referred to as the gay guy in the office? Why can’t he just be Oscar the accountant? After all, no one would ever refer to me as Tiffany the straight girl in the office, would they? No, I would just be Tiffany.
So are we really doing the gay community any favors by saying that their sexuality encompasses “who they are?” I really don’t think so. And as a Christian, I think this mentality is only hurting my friends and loved ones---because who they are is first and foremost a beloved child of God. There is more to them than just being gay.
Which brings me to ask a question that just really breaks my heart: What if in affirming the gay community’s identity as solely their sexuality we are actually keeping them from healing? I don’t believe people are born gay, nor do I believe they choose to be gay. In fact, I think there are multiple factors that can lead up to a person adopting a gay identity and lifestyle, and I believe they’re more common than anyone would like to admit. For example, sexual abuse has a major role in homosexuality. I read a testimony the other day on thepinkcross.org of a young man who was molested multiple times by another man at the age of 9 and who eventually got into the gay porn business because sex with a man was all he ever knew. And honestly, it only makes sense that a boy who was sexually abused by another man would respond in such a way, just as it makes sense that a young girl who was molested or raped by a man would eventually become a lesbian and display an utter inability to be attracted to a man or to ever be able to trust a man. The same goes for someone who grew up in a home with an overbearing and unloving mother or father. If a man grows up with a bitter, nagging mother and witnesses an unhappy marriage between his parents where his mother essentially emasculates his father, why would he ever want to be in a relationship with a woman and especially get married? That’s all he’s ever known. The same goes for a girl with a controlling or abusive father who has never seen anything but a destructive male-female relationship. Why would she want that? It’s easy to believe that the brokenness that you grew up in is all that you’ll ever know---it’s easy to believe that there’s not something better out there for you, and unless someone gives you hope either by example or through words of truth, you’re never going to aim for something that you believe can’t be attained. And last, what if you grew up in a family where your masculinity or femininity was never affirmed? Where your father constantly called you a sissy because you weren’t athletic enough or big and strong enough or your mother constantly fretted because you weren’t in cheerleading or beauty pageants, but rather basketball and softball? What does that do to a child other than to lead them to the conclusion that there’s something wrong with them, that they’re not man enough for a woman to want to be with them or woman enough for a man to want to be with them.
Now I couldn’t possibly know if this is the case for all homosexuals, but I know that it is for some, and that is enough for me to be completely brokenhearted at the fact that instead of bringing them to a place of healing and wholeness, we’re only affirming the lies that they already believe about themselves. It just makes me wonder, how many people are living a lifestyle that they don’t even WANT to be living? How many people are feeling trapped because they’re told that that’s who they are, and that instead of seeking help they should take pride in it? How many people are actually feeling so much pressure from the homosexual community to take pride in their homosexuality, that they are actually repressing any attraction that they really do have towards the opposite sex? And if sexual abuse really is a large factor, then how sad is it that so many people aren’t getting the help that they need? I mean, have you seen our current sexual abuse statistics? It is not pretty, people, and it’s only gotten worse over the last few decades. A little over 40% of incidents happen under the age of 18---when they are CHILDREN---and over half of all incidents are never reported. 1 in every 6 women is sexually abused in their lifetime. 1 in 6. If 1 in 6 women ended up becoming a lesbian, I wouldn’t be surprised nor would I blame them, because if I had to go through that hell I’d never want to trust a man again either. And as for men, they only make up 3% of the statistic, but let’s face it, it’s probably a much larger number simply because men are going to be a lot less likely to report it because of the stigma attached to it. If it happened in your childhood, why would you report something that happened so long ago that it can’t even be tried in court anymore, and even if it were, you’d probably lose the case. And if you’re a grown man, you’re already humiliated enough by the fact that you were raped, why go humiliate yourself further by calling the police? So what if in all of this, being gay is neither a matter of being born gay nor of choosing to be, but rather a matter of, in many cases, healing the wounds of the past?
The reason I write this is so that people will merely question what they’re being told and what they believe. After all, as a Christian, society is CONSTANTLY telling me to question what I believe, so why can’t I question what the world is telling YOU to believe without being dubbed a judgmental, bigoted, hateful person? What if there is more to homosexuality than simply being born that way, as we’re all often told? What if a person’s sexuality ISN’T their identity? What if by encouraging the present lives of some we’re refusing them healing from the past? What if a gay person who doesn’t want to be gay really doesn’t have to be gay forever? And for the Christian community, what if some of the sins we are so apt to point our finger at are really not an intentional choice, but rather the result of being sinned against? What if no one’s ever told that gay person in your life that God really can heal all wounds and that through Christ you really can overcome all sin? What if no one’s ever told them that they’re first and foremost a child of God, that they are loved by God, and that there is no sin that God can not forgive---that He hasn’t ALREADY forgiven through the blood of Jesus? What if no one’s ever told them that they can have new life in Christ? Or that there is simply HOPE? Or that whether you’re gay or straight, God still wants to have a relationship with you? That you don’t have to stop being gay for Him to love you?
There is a passage in the Bible that many Christians try to throw in the face of homosexuals to cast further judgment on them. That verse is 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, which says “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” But I ask my fellow Christians, have we forgotten what the next two verses say? Are those no longer important in your quest to prove to them that they’re in sin? Why aren’t you reading the part where it says, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Have we forgotten the hope that is in this passage? Have we forgotten that there is now no condemnation through our Lord Jesus Christ? Why spend so much time trying to prove to the world that homosexuality is a sin when you could easily prove that whether you are gay or straight, we are ALL sinners in need of saving. That is the very point of the verse you’re throwing in their faces. Every single human being on this planet falls into one of the categories of those who will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. In our hearts, each and every one of use either now or in the past has at some point been sexually immoral, an idolater, an adulterer, a prostitute, a homosexual offender, a thief, greedy, a drunkard, a slanderer, or a swindler. All you’re doing is telling people to clean themselves up so that God will love them and completely missing the Gospel message, which is that God ALREADY loves you and took it upon Himself to pay for YOUR sins so that you can have a relationship with Him. That through Christ you can have new life. Everything that you used to be you will no longer be in the eyes of God---He will do the cleaning up in your life. He will do the transforming. And as you come to understand His love and grace more and more, you will be compelled by your love for God to obey His commands. When you come to know Jesus, the only outcome is for you to be completely and utterly changed---that’s just what naturally happens when you enter into a relationship with the God of the universe. So please, I beg of you Christians, stop blocking people from eternal life and a fulfilling and all-encompassing relationship with God with your out of context passages and false stipulations and your judgment. Just stop it. The only people who you are given biblical permission to hold accountable for their sins (aside from bringing justice through the governmental law) are your fellow believers---the people who already know Christ. And if someone who is a Christian is struggling through this, then pointing your finger at them won't help them, will it?
So whoever is reading this, I hope the last thing that is communicated in this is judgment. This is really just an instance in which the psychologist part of me and the Christian whole of me are trying to converge and truly understand homosexuality. Sometimes God gives me a burning desire to speak the truth in love about issues and if I don't courageously speak out---or write it out in this instance---it will gnaw at me until I do. This post has already been gnawing at me for months and it's time for it to "come out." Please understand that to obey God in this instance and post something like this comes at great cost to me---there are friends in my life who are very important to me and that I care very deeply for who could easily take offense at this, but I pray they do not. I pray that they are already able to see that I must stand firm in my faith no matter what the issue, and I pray that they will be just as accepting of me as a person despite my beliefs as they would be of anyone else. Even more so, I pray that my life is already enough of a testimony of God's love and acceptance that this post doesn't even bother them. So if you are gay, I hope you know that God loves you and that I love and care for you as well, and that that love and care is not dependent on your sexuality but rather on God's love and grace. If I can communicate only one thing to you in this, I hope it is this---that you are loved and accepted by God through Christ. That is the most important thing that could possibly be communicated to you in this entire world, but I do also hope that this post gets people to question what they’re being told---to just stop and think that if there are indeed evil forces in the world, what better way to keep people from knowing God than by abusing them, making sure that they never heal, misplacing their identity, making them feel as though they are trapped, and in turn dashing all hope from their lives that God has something better for them. And if they are already a Christian, what better way to keep them from living the full Christian life than to make them believe that God isn't powerful enough to heal their hearts and overcome their struggles and sins. I pray that eyes are opened---and that includes my own eyes---to the truth of this much-debated issue, and I invite anybody to comment or personally message me their thoughts and feelings.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Spoken Word Awesomeness
Wow, it's been a long time since I've been on here. A very looooooong time. And no, I have no fancy update. I really just wanted to share some videos of a spoken word poet named Jefferson Bethke. You may have already seen some of these around Facebook (I may have even already posted one on here), but these are just too good not to share. This guy PREACHES the GOSPEL, and he does it beautifully and passionately in poetic form. How much more awesome can you get than that? At first I was going to just post the most recent one, but now I've decided to post all my favorites, because yes---they're that good and that impacting. So I hope you all enjoy these videos, and even more so I hope they make you think, I hope they make you examine your heart, I hope they lead you to change, and I hope they make you jump for joy and celebrate all that Jesus has done for you on the cross!!!
Over and Out, Tiffany
Over and Out, Tiffany
Thursday, May 17, 2012
My Chaotic Life As Of Late
These past two months have been a whirlwind. Lots of ups and downs, and well, I figure I might as well do a little catch-up on life with all that's happened. So here ya go, peeps. My life as of late. You'll be amazed at all that can happen within a span of a couple months.
On March 2nd, I had to say goodbye to my sweet little kitty, Tiger, whom I loved very much.
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He was 12 years old, but I had only had him for four. He went blind and his kidneys were failing, so at the vet's recommendation it was time for him to go. He was seriously the sweetest and cuddliest cat ever, and I miss him so much. I still think about him sometimes, but the good news is I don't cry when I do anymore. You are missed, Tiger!
Then at the end of March, Mary and I flew out to Phoenix to visit our friends/her family, Johnny & Jen. Jen and I FINALLY got to see the Grand Canyon!
Then from there we all drove up to see the Hoover Dam.Surprisingly enough, we spent nearly all day there, and we all absolutely loved it!
Two places at once!
From the Hoover Dam we drove up to Vegas for the night. We walked around, saw the fountains at the Bellagio, ate, then went to bed. I think we were the only tourists to be in bed by midnight!
A couple weeks later---April 15, to be exact---my apartment complex got hit by a tornado. Thank the Lord my apartment has only had water damage, but the apartment above mine wasn't so fortunate, as you can see. One of my maintenance men told me my elderly upstairs neighbor was actually IN his apartment when it hit...I'm so glad he's okay! And from now on, I'll definitely be knocking on neighbors' doors and inviting them to my parents' when tornadoes are on their way.
My car port didn't fare so well, either. :-/
Nor did the building across from mine. As you can imagine, they all moved to different apartments in the complex.
A week and a half later---April 24th---my boyfriend, Seth, suddenly lost his dad, Earl. What a wonderful man he was! It hurts my heart so much to think of all the memories I won't get to make with him, but I'm so glad I got to know him for the few months I did. Please pray for Seth and his family as they continue to grieve.
God's timing couldn't have been more perfect when he provided a vacation to Disney World just a few days after Earl's passing. We had already planned to go with my family and some family friends, and I'm so glad Seth decided to still come along, because it was such a nice getaway after the whirlwind, emotional week we had experienced before.
We went to Universal Studios as well and got to see Hogwarts, which was one of the things Seth and I were both SUPER excited to go to. And yes, Seth did indeed get his very own Harry Potter wand. :-)
One of our fave rides!
And as of last week---May 11th---I have a brand new addition to my family. Meet...Cleocatra! Cleo for short. I didn't make it very long after Tiger died, I know. But my apartment felt so empty without a cat around, and Cleo is soooo adorable. I'm pretty sure God handpicks my cats, because they couldn't possibly end up being more wonderful.
Hehe. Love this crazy face!
And that, folks, is my life. Tornados, goodbyes, vacations---through it all, God is still good.
Monday, April 23, 2012
My Love/Hate Relationship With Blogging
I love to write, and I love to blog. But over the last year blogging has really begun to ware on me. Not just my blog---after all, I've hardly written on here at all---but just the whole concept of it. I can't help but feel that blogging has become yet another step towards narcissism. I mean, it's already strange enough that I have an entire Facebook page dedicated to myself, complete with over a thousand tagged pictures, far too much personal information, and practically every band, movie, book, and board game I've ever liked listed for all to critique. And now they think I need a life-sized cover photo of myself across the top of the page? How on earth can I take this seriously anymore? (Hence the reason I pasted my face on to the body of a woman in a flowy red dress riding a unicorn.) And now when I turn to the blogging world I see the same sort of thing. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of far away family and friends being able to see family grow on a blog, and I love all of the great craft, food, fashion, and party ideas, but at the same time it's a little overwhelming. After all, we're only seeing the GOOD things. We're essentially photoshopping our lives for the public eye. All I can think is "Wow, what a cute apartment! Must be nice, cuz in my apartment my trash is currently overflowing, there's a leak in my dining room, my sink is full of dishes, I have leftover food from a month ago in my fridge, and I'm not home enough to actually maintain a clean living environment." We keep seeing everyone else's best and assuming it's their normal, then feel like a failure when we can't seem to find the time to make a wreath out of coffee filters, throw a homemade themed birthday party, find perfectly fitting clothes at a thrift store to photograph ourselves in, and let's not forget those new gourmet recipes we still have to try! And heck, blogs sure make motherhood look like a breeze, too! After all, it's just pretty nurseries, craft projects, photo sessions, cute outfits, and baby smiles, right? Because that's all I'm seeing anymore. As if the unrealistic physical expectations aren't enough for us women, now we all have to be domestic goddesses as well? So you're telling me I need to have a boob job, liposuction, highlights, fake nails, and a truckload of makeup on my face in order to be considered beautiful in this world AND I have to master the arts of wifedom, child-rearing, home decorating, cooking, cleaning, sewing, gardening, wreath-making, basket-weaving, and family photography as well? AND work a full-time job? AND volunteer in the community?
Yeah, no thanks.
As a fellow blogger, let me just go ahead and tell you how incredibly UN-glorious and UN-impressive my life is:
Exhibit A) As mentioned before, my apartment looks like it got hit by a tornado. (Oh wait, it DID get hit by a tornado. But that's another story for another day...)Dirty laundry is scattered across my bedroom floor (the floor is the biggest shelf in the room, I always say), dirty dishes have nearly hidden my kitchen sink from view, and my dining room carpet looks to be growing its own colony of mold due to the recent leak that's taken up residence. Is my decor cute? You betcha! But the rest of it sure ain't!
Exhibit B)As much as I would love to be able to cook gourmet meals and desserts every day like the apparent rest of the blogging world and post recipes and pictures for all to ogle, that ain't gonna happen. How about I post pictures of leftover Thai food instead? Or the salad I just had at Old Chicago? Yes, it's true. I end up eating out a lot. Why? Because a) I get home late b) I'm a terrible cook c) I'm too tired to cook d) It feels pointless to cook for one or e) I don't have food in my apt. to cook with. First world problems, I know. But for me, on a GOOD day, I might make spaghetti. That's gourmet in my life.
Exhibit C)When it comes to me and weight loss, I'm a complete and total failure and I'm a steady size 12. No, I didn't accidentally enter an extra digit in there. I said 12. Why do I fail so often at dieting? Because salads get really old really fast, and as much as I'd like to spend two hours every day running on a treadmill in a gym so that I can look like a Victoria's Secret model who probably spends more time with her finger down her throat than actually exercising, I'd much rather spend my free time doing something other than running in place. So no, you won't be seeing me post pictures of me in my newly acquired cute outfits on this blog, and the day I start making posts dedicated to how cute I look in my new outfits...someone please shoot me.
Exhibit D) Every day I fight feeling like a failure in my ministry. Every. Single. Day. Ministry is utterly exhausting. Not physically (most of the time), but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually it takes a toll and burns you out in a mere matter of months. I don't know how pastors do it. In case no one realized, the church is FULL of sinners, and every week we're dealing with the consequences of that sin and trying so desperately to lead people to Jesus and hang on to the hope we have in him. Most jobs have a sense of closure and you can physically see the fruit of your labor, but in ministry all you're left thinking most of the time is "Is anybody even listening to this?" In ministry (well, all of life...because your life is a ministry), all you can depend on is Jesus, and the second you try to depend on yourself...BAM! Another crisis. So you turn back to Jesus and pray, pray, pray for him to work in their hearts and do all of the things that you have clearly demonstrated you're NOT capable of. Unlike the rest of the world, I can't leave my work at the office. I carry it around with me every single day in my heart and in my constant prayers for God to please save these kids, and help them make wise decisions, and keep them from harm, and help their families, and the list goes on and on and on. Do I love my job? Absolutely. I wouldn't trade it for the world! But it's exhausting and not as pretty and easy as most people think it is.
Exhibit E) I SUCK at staying in touch with friends. Whether they live near or far away, I still suck at it. And it always seems that as soon as I get in touch with one friend there's another friend getting frustrated that I'm NOT in touch with them. I got so exhausted trying to please everyone that I instead opted for the please no one option, which still sucks by the way. Has anyone actually communicated that they're frustrated with my lack of communication with them? Only one out of the many. But I'm pretty sure they're all frustrated with me. I could post happy, smiley pictures of us when we're together, but what you don't see is the months spent apart and the many failures in communication.
Exhibit F) Today I tried on swimsuits at the mall and literally looked like a stuffed sausage. Not only that, it looked like cottage cheese had spilled out of my stuffed sausage body and permanently into my thighs. I ended up buying a one-piece, skirted swimsuit at SEARS. I'm 26 years-old. It does not get much worse than that, people. For any woman...that is the lowest of lows. But instead of curling up with a gallon of ice cream and watching "Cutting Edge" three times in a row, I'm instead going to just declare it my "vintage" swim look and move on with my life. Besides, while the bikini-clad girls are constantly picking wedgies and adjusting their tops, I'll be carelessly flipping into the pool not having to worry about any wardrobe malfunctions...so take that, bikinis!
And there you have it. My completely UNglorious, UNimpressive, and UNblogworthy life. Odds are I won't be sharing any craft ideas on here, unless I just colored a picture from a My Little Pony coloring book and want to brag about how I stayed in the lines this time. You probably won't be seeing very many recipes on here either, unless I share a cupcake recipe I got from someone ELSE's blog. There won't be many pictures of myself, though I may some day decide to do an actual update of my life, in which case the world can observe how fat I've gotten. I might share some home decorating photos, but that will require some intense cleaning sessions...so personally, I wouldn't count on it. So what WILL you see on here? Probably some cat pictures, funny YouTube videos, and lots and lots of Jesus...and let's be honest, I'll probably complain about how messed up this world is, too...which will in turn lead to more Jesus. More than anything, I want this blog to be a place that glorifies God, that speaks the truth in love, that sees the world through God's eyes, encourages others, and points them towards Him. So for all you readers out there (all two of you), I hope this is a blessing to you as I try to write more on here. And to all you women out there in bloggy-blog land, remember that whether you're a size 2 or 20, a domestic failure or domestic goddess...you are loved more than you could ever possibly imagine by the God of this universe. Don't let yourself get caught up in believing that your worth as a woman depends on the way you look or what you do...God Himself has already given you value and confirmed it when He bore the punishment for your sins on the cross. You don't have to prove anything to Him for Him to love you...He already does, always has, and always will...that's more than we can say for any precious blog followers. :-)
Yeah, no thanks.
As a fellow blogger, let me just go ahead and tell you how incredibly UN-glorious and UN-impressive my life is:
Exhibit A) As mentioned before, my apartment looks like it got hit by a tornado. (Oh wait, it DID get hit by a tornado. But that's another story for another day...)Dirty laundry is scattered across my bedroom floor (the floor is the biggest shelf in the room, I always say), dirty dishes have nearly hidden my kitchen sink from view, and my dining room carpet looks to be growing its own colony of mold due to the recent leak that's taken up residence. Is my decor cute? You betcha! But the rest of it sure ain't!
Exhibit B)As much as I would love to be able to cook gourmet meals and desserts every day like the apparent rest of the blogging world and post recipes and pictures for all to ogle, that ain't gonna happen. How about I post pictures of leftover Thai food instead? Or the salad I just had at Old Chicago? Yes, it's true. I end up eating out a lot. Why? Because a) I get home late b) I'm a terrible cook c) I'm too tired to cook d) It feels pointless to cook for one or e) I don't have food in my apt. to cook with. First world problems, I know. But for me, on a GOOD day, I might make spaghetti. That's gourmet in my life.
Exhibit C)When it comes to me and weight loss, I'm a complete and total failure and I'm a steady size 12. No, I didn't accidentally enter an extra digit in there. I said 12. Why do I fail so often at dieting? Because salads get really old really fast, and as much as I'd like to spend two hours every day running on a treadmill in a gym so that I can look like a Victoria's Secret model who probably spends more time with her finger down her throat than actually exercising, I'd much rather spend my free time doing something other than running in place. So no, you won't be seeing me post pictures of me in my newly acquired cute outfits on this blog, and the day I start making posts dedicated to how cute I look in my new outfits...someone please shoot me.
Exhibit D) Every day I fight feeling like a failure in my ministry. Every. Single. Day. Ministry is utterly exhausting. Not physically (most of the time), but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually it takes a toll and burns you out in a mere matter of months. I don't know how pastors do it. In case no one realized, the church is FULL of sinners, and every week we're dealing with the consequences of that sin and trying so desperately to lead people to Jesus and hang on to the hope we have in him. Most jobs have a sense of closure and you can physically see the fruit of your labor, but in ministry all you're left thinking most of the time is "Is anybody even listening to this?" In ministry (well, all of life...because your life is a ministry), all you can depend on is Jesus, and the second you try to depend on yourself...BAM! Another crisis. So you turn back to Jesus and pray, pray, pray for him to work in their hearts and do all of the things that you have clearly demonstrated you're NOT capable of. Unlike the rest of the world, I can't leave my work at the office. I carry it around with me every single day in my heart and in my constant prayers for God to please save these kids, and help them make wise decisions, and keep them from harm, and help their families, and the list goes on and on and on. Do I love my job? Absolutely. I wouldn't trade it for the world! But it's exhausting and not as pretty and easy as most people think it is.
Exhibit E) I SUCK at staying in touch with friends. Whether they live near or far away, I still suck at it. And it always seems that as soon as I get in touch with one friend there's another friend getting frustrated that I'm NOT in touch with them. I got so exhausted trying to please everyone that I instead opted for the please no one option, which still sucks by the way. Has anyone actually communicated that they're frustrated with my lack of communication with them? Only one out of the many. But I'm pretty sure they're all frustrated with me. I could post happy, smiley pictures of us when we're together, but what you don't see is the months spent apart and the many failures in communication.
Exhibit F) Today I tried on swimsuits at the mall and literally looked like a stuffed sausage. Not only that, it looked like cottage cheese had spilled out of my stuffed sausage body and permanently into my thighs. I ended up buying a one-piece, skirted swimsuit at SEARS. I'm 26 years-old. It does not get much worse than that, people. For any woman...that is the lowest of lows. But instead of curling up with a gallon of ice cream and watching "Cutting Edge" three times in a row, I'm instead going to just declare it my "vintage" swim look and move on with my life. Besides, while the bikini-clad girls are constantly picking wedgies and adjusting their tops, I'll be carelessly flipping into the pool not having to worry about any wardrobe malfunctions...so take that, bikinis!
And there you have it. My completely UNglorious, UNimpressive, and UNblogworthy life. Odds are I won't be sharing any craft ideas on here, unless I just colored a picture from a My Little Pony coloring book and want to brag about how I stayed in the lines this time. You probably won't be seeing very many recipes on here either, unless I share a cupcake recipe I got from someone ELSE's blog. There won't be many pictures of myself, though I may some day decide to do an actual update of my life, in which case the world can observe how fat I've gotten. I might share some home decorating photos, but that will require some intense cleaning sessions...so personally, I wouldn't count on it. So what WILL you see on here? Probably some cat pictures, funny YouTube videos, and lots and lots of Jesus...and let's be honest, I'll probably complain about how messed up this world is, too...which will in turn lead to more Jesus. More than anything, I want this blog to be a place that glorifies God, that speaks the truth in love, that sees the world through God's eyes, encourages others, and points them towards Him. So for all you readers out there (all two of you), I hope this is a blessing to you as I try to write more on here. And to all you women out there in bloggy-blog land, remember that whether you're a size 2 or 20, a domestic failure or domestic goddess...you are loved more than you could ever possibly imagine by the God of this universe. Don't let yourself get caught up in believing that your worth as a woman depends on the way you look or what you do...God Himself has already given you value and confirmed it when He bore the punishment for your sins on the cross. You don't have to prove anything to Him for Him to love you...He already does, always has, and always will...that's more than we can say for any precious blog followers. :-)
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Good Reads
I love to read. But over the past few years my love seemed to dwindle in the midst of all the college textbooks and articles that took up the majority of my reading time life. Those of you who have been through college understand how painful the reading can be. No matter how hard you try, you can never read any of it with anything other than a droll, lifeless monotone that makes you want to just curl up and die, or at least take a 2 hour nap. It's just the way they're written---there's no escaping it.
However, since the recent download of the Kindle app to my iPad, my love has been rekindled (Baha. Did you catch my totally awesome pun?) I never knew I would love e-readers so much. In fact, as a library degree holder I thought my allegiance would always be to the paperback, but as it turns out the iPad is just too convenient for me not to give it the credit it's due. I can have hundreds of books on one device, plus they're so much cheaper! Not only are all classic books FREE, but every month Amazon has a collection of 100 Kindle books for under $3.99 here. Holy moly, this is stupendous.
Anyways, the POINT of this post was to share two really great books I recently read in the hopes that you would enjoy them too. So without further adieu, I give you some good reads:
First up is "When A Nation Forgets God: 7 Lessons We Must Learn From Nazi Germany" by Erwin Lutzer. If you want an eye-opener, this book is it. And the scary part is, after reading this book I realized that I myself might have actually voted for Hitler. He was a nation's dream, and incredibly well-liked by the German people. He revived a collapsed post-war economy in just four years, instituted nationalized health care, began a vacation program, established training schools and brought the nation to full employment, brought crime under control, built freeways, and returned national pride to the German people. He was a prime candidate and just like Americans, the people voted with their pocketbooks. Economy, economy, economy---that's all that mattered, and unfortunately the democracy that they once cherished eventually became the doorway to a dictatorship that would later slaughter millions. In the midst of prosperity, the German people forgot God, just as America has. Would a booming economy be nice? Of course. But perhaps we should consider the moral character and personal beliefs of the person we're putting into power, and let us hope and pray for the best.
Here are a few quotes pulled from the book to further entice you to read this: :-)
"As long as the economy was strong, people didn't care whether they had freedom of speech, freedom of travel, or freedom of elections. Under the Republic, people were starving in the big cities; they agreed that bread on the table was more important than a ballot at a voting booth. The people were willing to forgive Hitler's purges and his ruthless massacres in return for the right to live."
"Today we should be wary of the promise that if we will only accept the bridle, the government will deliver us from our economic woes."
"After Hitler was defeated, war crime trials were held in Nuremberg to judge the guilt of Hitler's henchmen. But a dispute arose as to what laws should be used to try the accused. after all, Hitler's cronies agreed, quite plausibly, that they had not broken any laws; their actions were carried out within the protection of their own legal system. They could not be accused of murder because personhood had been redefined to exclude Jews and other undesirables. These men were simply following the laws handed down by the courts of their day."
"The experience of Nuremberg and the silent holocaust in our abortion clinics bear eloquent witness to the fact that when a state is accountable to no one except itself, it simply assumes that whatever is legal is moral."
"Yes, it is possible for ordinary people to commit atrocities they never thought possible when they are swept up into a cultural current where everyone is both expected to fall in line and be rewarded for it. In such a climate, anyone who swims against the stream is demonized by misrepresentations, false evidence and ridicule. With such pressure, even rational and decent people who refuse to be co-opted begin to question their own sanity. Can they alone be right when everyone else is wrong?"
"Rome did not mind if people believed in Jesus; Rome had many gods and if Jesus were just one among many, that was of no concern to the Roman authorities. What Rome could not tolerate was the idea that Jesus was the ONLY way---that He was unique as the Son of God."
"It is not how loud we can shout but how well we can suffer that will convince the world of the integrity of our message."
Okay, so by a few quotes I guess I meant half the book. :-) But seriously, I would copy this entire book onto this blog if it meant more people would read it. I didn't even touch on the influence of propaganda in our society and the public education of our children in these quotes. Now THOSE chapters will make you uncomfortable. But nonetheless, I am incredibly thankful that I stumbled upon this book, because not only have my eyes been opened to the world in which I live, but I feel as though God has used this book to prepare me for persecution, something which I will be more than glad to endure if it means that the truth of Jesus Christ (The REAL Gospel, not the prosperity one) will be spread across our nation. And believe me, after reading this, I truly believe persecution is coming to America. In small ways it's already here, but it will get worse...and in many ways that's a gift---it's God's way of telling us to get our butts in gear and firmly believe, preach, and live out the Gospel.
Next up is "Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage" by Kay Bratt, a midwest native! It's based on journal entries Kay had written during her time living in Shenxhi as expatriates, and more specifically during her time volunteering in a local orphanage. The title gives it away, because this book is seriously a tear jerker. Children being abandoned because of the one-child policy, little girls and children with deformities being seen as having little or no worth, babies dying in an orphanage on a constant basis, children being abused and neglected...sometimes only experiencing the sensation of touch for their quick, cold, weekly bathing. For the majority of the book you're wondering if the hope suggested in the title even exists. But more and more you begin to see it as Kay continuously perseveres on behalf of the children, gathering volunteers and donations to love on the children and help provide, food, supplies, surgeries, foster families, and even adoptions for the little ones. Your heart towards the orphanage workers even softens by the end of the book as you begin to understand the difficult world they are caught in the middle of, and how emotionally distancing themselves from the children is more a matter of survival when you've seen what they've seen on a daily basis. I would provide quotes for this one, but alas, my iPad has just run out of battery, so perhaps I'll put some on here later. Nonetheless, if you've adopted a child from China, want to adopt a child from China, or would never on earth consider such a possibility (you'll change your mind), this is an inspiring read that serves as an example that we really can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. As for me, I think I'll go adopt a Chinese child...or two or three...or ten. ;-)
However, since the recent download of the Kindle app to my iPad, my love has been rekindled (Baha. Did you catch my totally awesome pun?) I never knew I would love e-readers so much. In fact, as a library degree holder I thought my allegiance would always be to the paperback, but as it turns out the iPad is just too convenient for me not to give it the credit it's due. I can have hundreds of books on one device, plus they're so much cheaper! Not only are all classic books FREE, but every month Amazon has a collection of 100 Kindle books for under $3.99 here. Holy moly, this is stupendous.
Anyways, the POINT of this post was to share two really great books I recently read in the hopes that you would enjoy them too. So without further adieu, I give you some good reads:
First up is "When A Nation Forgets God: 7 Lessons We Must Learn From Nazi Germany" by Erwin Lutzer. If you want an eye-opener, this book is it. And the scary part is, after reading this book I realized that I myself might have actually voted for Hitler. He was a nation's dream, and incredibly well-liked by the German people. He revived a collapsed post-war economy in just four years, instituted nationalized health care, began a vacation program, established training schools and brought the nation to full employment, brought crime under control, built freeways, and returned national pride to the German people. He was a prime candidate and just like Americans, the people voted with their pocketbooks. Economy, economy, economy---that's all that mattered, and unfortunately the democracy that they once cherished eventually became the doorway to a dictatorship that would later slaughter millions. In the midst of prosperity, the German people forgot God, just as America has. Would a booming economy be nice? Of course. But perhaps we should consider the moral character and personal beliefs of the person we're putting into power, and let us hope and pray for the best.
Here are a few quotes pulled from the book to further entice you to read this: :-)
"As long as the economy was strong, people didn't care whether they had freedom of speech, freedom of travel, or freedom of elections. Under the Republic, people were starving in the big cities; they agreed that bread on the table was more important than a ballot at a voting booth. The people were willing to forgive Hitler's purges and his ruthless massacres in return for the right to live."
"Today we should be wary of the promise that if we will only accept the bridle, the government will deliver us from our economic woes."
"After Hitler was defeated, war crime trials were held in Nuremberg to judge the guilt of Hitler's henchmen. But a dispute arose as to what laws should be used to try the accused. after all, Hitler's cronies agreed, quite plausibly, that they had not broken any laws; their actions were carried out within the protection of their own legal system. They could not be accused of murder because personhood had been redefined to exclude Jews and other undesirables. These men were simply following the laws handed down by the courts of their day."
"The experience of Nuremberg and the silent holocaust in our abortion clinics bear eloquent witness to the fact that when a state is accountable to no one except itself, it simply assumes that whatever is legal is moral."
"Yes, it is possible for ordinary people to commit atrocities they never thought possible when they are swept up into a cultural current where everyone is both expected to fall in line and be rewarded for it. In such a climate, anyone who swims against the stream is demonized by misrepresentations, false evidence and ridicule. With such pressure, even rational and decent people who refuse to be co-opted begin to question their own sanity. Can they alone be right when everyone else is wrong?"
"Rome did not mind if people believed in Jesus; Rome had many gods and if Jesus were just one among many, that was of no concern to the Roman authorities. What Rome could not tolerate was the idea that Jesus was the ONLY way---that He was unique as the Son of God."
"It is not how loud we can shout but how well we can suffer that will convince the world of the integrity of our message."
Okay, so by a few quotes I guess I meant half the book. :-) But seriously, I would copy this entire book onto this blog if it meant more people would read it. I didn't even touch on the influence of propaganda in our society and the public education of our children in these quotes. Now THOSE chapters will make you uncomfortable. But nonetheless, I am incredibly thankful that I stumbled upon this book, because not only have my eyes been opened to the world in which I live, but I feel as though God has used this book to prepare me for persecution, something which I will be more than glad to endure if it means that the truth of Jesus Christ (The REAL Gospel, not the prosperity one) will be spread across our nation. And believe me, after reading this, I truly believe persecution is coming to America. In small ways it's already here, but it will get worse...and in many ways that's a gift---it's God's way of telling us to get our butts in gear and firmly believe, preach, and live out the Gospel.
Next up is "Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage" by Kay Bratt, a midwest native! It's based on journal entries Kay had written during her time living in Shenxhi as expatriates, and more specifically during her time volunteering in a local orphanage. The title gives it away, because this book is seriously a tear jerker. Children being abandoned because of the one-child policy, little girls and children with deformities being seen as having little or no worth, babies dying in an orphanage on a constant basis, children being abused and neglected...sometimes only experiencing the sensation of touch for their quick, cold, weekly bathing. For the majority of the book you're wondering if the hope suggested in the title even exists. But more and more you begin to see it as Kay continuously perseveres on behalf of the children, gathering volunteers and donations to love on the children and help provide, food, supplies, surgeries, foster families, and even adoptions for the little ones. Your heart towards the orphanage workers even softens by the end of the book as you begin to understand the difficult world they are caught in the middle of, and how emotionally distancing themselves from the children is more a matter of survival when you've seen what they've seen on a daily basis. I would provide quotes for this one, but alas, my iPad has just run out of battery, so perhaps I'll put some on here later. Nonetheless, if you've adopted a child from China, want to adopt a child from China, or would never on earth consider such a possibility (you'll change your mind), this is an inspiring read that serves as an example that we really can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. As for me, I think I'll go adopt a Chinese child...or two or three...or ten. ;-)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Just Because...
Nothing makes me happier than to share the gift of laughter and awesomeness that abounds from YouTube...so here you are, friends...enjoy!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
My New Years' Resolutions...And How I'll Actually Keep Them
***Warning: This post contains EXTREME sarcasm.
Every year droves of people make a list of inspiring new years’ resolutions, and every year I join the crowd and jot down about one or two. And every year I fail miserably like every other person on the face of the planet…within the first week. So this year I’ve taken a different approach. I’ve made a list of resolutions that I know I’ll be able to accomplish beyond a shadow of a doubt, and here I am to share it with the world. Behold, world.
1. Gain 5 lbs.
I accomplish it every year, so there’s no need to think I won’t accomplish it again this year. Sure, I’ll lose weight too. But then I’ll just gain it all right back again within that horrendous two month span of October to December. If you need any advice on how to gain weight, feel free to ask. I can give you plenty of advice, because this is one thing I’m really, REALLY good at.
2. Bake my troubles away.
I’ve discovered baking to be quite therapeutic over the past year and I intend on using it for therapy this year, especially now that I have my very own Kitchen Aid mixer. The only problem with baking your troubles away, however, is that you end up eating your troubles after you bake them…which just leads to more trouble (see #1)
3. Not accomplish crafts I’ve pinned on Pinterest.
I can accomplish recipes, no problem, but those crafts…they’re just too time consuming. Would I like to do that awesome project where you melt crayons onto canvas? Absolutely! Am I going to? Hiiiiighly doubt it. And would I love to create my own inspirational art for my bare living room walls? You bet! But am I going to? Noooooope. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that this girl does NOT have time to become a master crafter, and when I do have time, I’d much rather spend it napping or vegging on the couch…or better yet, napping. So for this year, I’m going to let my definition of crafting refer more to coloring a page in a coloring book than spending two months on a single project that I’ll never actually finish. And as for those bare living room walls of mine…that’s what Etsy’s for. Let the people who actually ARE master crafters furnish my walls.
4. Hit the snooze button approximately 365 times.
Now there’s something I can accomplish. I do it every. Single. Morning. The only things I wake up on time for are flights, meetings, and dentist appointments. You know, the things that actually keep you from sleeping the night before because you’re afraid you’ll miss them and then wake you in a panic because you think you’ve missed them? Every other thing in the world…I wake up for you at 8. Which used to be 7:30. And before that was 7. And before that was 6:30. Have I mentioned I’m not a morning person?
5. Have my phone die at the most inopportune time, always.
Have an emergency and need to make a call? Don’t ask me for my phone, because it’s probably dead. Need to wake up in the morning but don’t have an alarm clock? Don’t depend on my phone, because it’ll probably die in the middle of the night without me noticing. On the road and had a change of plans? Don’t expect me to call you to tell you, because my phone is probably dead. On the bright side of things, it only took me a year to finally crack down and buy what I would deem the best purchases of my year: a car charger…and an actual alarm clock. But odds are, they won’t make a difference. My phone will still be dead.
6. Drink lots of pop. Or soda. Or Coke. Or whatever you wanna call it.
Everyone else is giving it up, but I shall strive to continue. I’m gonna drink it, and I’m gonna like it. And then I’m gonna regret it and spend every day feeling fat because of all the carbonation that will currently be giving my belly the illusion of pregnancy. And then I’m gonna regret the five pounds on top of the five pounds that will be gained because of it. And yes, in years to come, I will no doubt regret the cancer that will no doubt take up residence within my body. But boy will that Diet Coke be delicious when I drink it with that burger and fries.
7. Set a goal to run a 5k, then not run a 5k and quit running altogether. Gosh, this year is already looking good. I love setting goals I know I can accomplish. What can I say? I’m just so darn good at quitting. Remember that time I took up running then got utterly bored out of my mind once I made it up to 3 miles? Remember how that was every single year for the last five years? Let’s just face it: Running is seriously the most boring sport on the face of the planet and setting a goal beyond two miles is just begging me to quit. I mean, seriously, how about I find a sport that doesn’t require me to focus on the fact that my side hurts, my legs are throbbing, and I can’t breathe for every minute that I'm participating in that said sport? But no worries, I have a solution, and here’s what it is. How about I hire a masked stranger to chase me around the track at the Y with a knife in hand, screaming that they’re going to kill me the entire time, for a distance of up to five miles? Or better yet, maybe someone should hire ME to chase THEM with a knife in hand. Now THAT would get me to run, and you, for that matter. This way I’d actually run AND I’d make a little extra money on the side. Gosh I’m a genius. I guess running really CAN be fun after all. All you need is a little creativity.
8. Quit smoking. It’s especially easy when you’ve only taken two puffs of a cigarette in your entire life. Done….and done.
9. Not use a planner. Almost every year I buy a planner with the intent of being more organized, seeing as how I tend to be quite the scatterbrained moron, and almost every year I don’t use it and yet again fail at becoming more organized. This year, I’m gonna save myself the money and simply not buy one. I’m just gonna be my disorganized self and let it bite me in the butt when I miss my dentist appointment, forget to go to a party I said I’d go to, and send out my Christmas cards three weeks late. Disorganization is a way of life, and this year, I’m going to embrace it.
10. Facebook just as much as I did last year. Let’s be honest, disabling a Facebook is just a way of saying “I’ll be back in three weeks.” And complaining about Facebook is just a way of saying that you wish you had a life (as I so often demonstrate). This year, I’m just going to accept it as a way of life. Do I care that Billy Bob just had a Diet Coke but regrets it and wishes he got a Coke Zero? Do I actually want to see a picture of Susie’s dinner on a daily basis? Do I want to see the cliché song lyrics that have spoken to every newly single person in the depths of despair’s heart in a status update? Do I want to see every other girl's profile picture that's been edited to make them look like Cindy Crawford and then feel obligated to comment about how beautiful they are? No. No I do not. In fact, I would much rather gauge my eyes out. But alas, this year I’ll just accept the fact that I’m STILL going to read about it nonetheless. I’m still going to look at pictures of people I barely know. I’m still going to read the endless stream of passive aggressive status updates. And I’m still going to read about what a great time you just had in Vegas while I’m stuck reading about it here in Kansas. And why will I do all this? Not because I don't care (because if I didn't care at all, I wouldn't read it), but more so because I’m too lazy to call, that’s why. And because it’s a whole lot easier to keep up with 800 “friends” by reading about them instead of asking them. Did I mention brutal honesty is also a new years resolution? I would feel worse about writing it if I didn't already know that it's just as true for everyone else...
And there ya have it: the new years resolutions of a painfully honest, slightly irresponsible, selfish, silly, awkard, and creepy cat-loving weirdo. They may be bad resolutions, but hey, at least this year I’ll have the opportunity to boast about actually keeping them.
Every year droves of people make a list of inspiring new years’ resolutions, and every year I join the crowd and jot down about one or two. And every year I fail miserably like every other person on the face of the planet…within the first week. So this year I’ve taken a different approach. I’ve made a list of resolutions that I know I’ll be able to accomplish beyond a shadow of a doubt, and here I am to share it with the world. Behold, world.
1. Gain 5 lbs.
I accomplish it every year, so there’s no need to think I won’t accomplish it again this year. Sure, I’ll lose weight too. But then I’ll just gain it all right back again within that horrendous two month span of October to December. If you need any advice on how to gain weight, feel free to ask. I can give you plenty of advice, because this is one thing I’m really, REALLY good at.
2. Bake my troubles away.
I’ve discovered baking to be quite therapeutic over the past year and I intend on using it for therapy this year, especially now that I have my very own Kitchen Aid mixer. The only problem with baking your troubles away, however, is that you end up eating your troubles after you bake them…which just leads to more trouble (see #1)
3. Not accomplish crafts I’ve pinned on Pinterest.
I can accomplish recipes, no problem, but those crafts…they’re just too time consuming. Would I like to do that awesome project where you melt crayons onto canvas? Absolutely! Am I going to? Hiiiiighly doubt it. And would I love to create my own inspirational art for my bare living room walls? You bet! But am I going to? Noooooope. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that this girl does NOT have time to become a master crafter, and when I do have time, I’d much rather spend it napping or vegging on the couch…or better yet, napping. So for this year, I’m going to let my definition of crafting refer more to coloring a page in a coloring book than spending two months on a single project that I’ll never actually finish. And as for those bare living room walls of mine…that’s what Etsy’s for. Let the people who actually ARE master crafters furnish my walls.
4. Hit the snooze button approximately 365 times.
Now there’s something I can accomplish. I do it every. Single. Morning. The only things I wake up on time for are flights, meetings, and dentist appointments. You know, the things that actually keep you from sleeping the night before because you’re afraid you’ll miss them and then wake you in a panic because you think you’ve missed them? Every other thing in the world…I wake up for you at 8. Which used to be 7:30. And before that was 7. And before that was 6:30. Have I mentioned I’m not a morning person?
5. Have my phone die at the most inopportune time, always.
Have an emergency and need to make a call? Don’t ask me for my phone, because it’s probably dead. Need to wake up in the morning but don’t have an alarm clock? Don’t depend on my phone, because it’ll probably die in the middle of the night without me noticing. On the road and had a change of plans? Don’t expect me to call you to tell you, because my phone is probably dead. On the bright side of things, it only took me a year to finally crack down and buy what I would deem the best purchases of my year: a car charger…and an actual alarm clock. But odds are, they won’t make a difference. My phone will still be dead.
6. Drink lots of pop. Or soda. Or Coke. Or whatever you wanna call it.
Everyone else is giving it up, but I shall strive to continue. I’m gonna drink it, and I’m gonna like it. And then I’m gonna regret it and spend every day feeling fat because of all the carbonation that will currently be giving my belly the illusion of pregnancy. And then I’m gonna regret the five pounds on top of the five pounds that will be gained because of it. And yes, in years to come, I will no doubt regret the cancer that will no doubt take up residence within my body. But boy will that Diet Coke be delicious when I drink it with that burger and fries.
7. Set a goal to run a 5k, then not run a 5k and quit running altogether. Gosh, this year is already looking good. I love setting goals I know I can accomplish. What can I say? I’m just so darn good at quitting. Remember that time I took up running then got utterly bored out of my mind once I made it up to 3 miles? Remember how that was every single year for the last five years? Let’s just face it: Running is seriously the most boring sport on the face of the planet and setting a goal beyond two miles is just begging me to quit. I mean, seriously, how about I find a sport that doesn’t require me to focus on the fact that my side hurts, my legs are throbbing, and I can’t breathe for every minute that I'm participating in that said sport? But no worries, I have a solution, and here’s what it is. How about I hire a masked stranger to chase me around the track at the Y with a knife in hand, screaming that they’re going to kill me the entire time, for a distance of up to five miles? Or better yet, maybe someone should hire ME to chase THEM with a knife in hand. Now THAT would get me to run, and you, for that matter. This way I’d actually run AND I’d make a little extra money on the side. Gosh I’m a genius. I guess running really CAN be fun after all. All you need is a little creativity.
8. Quit smoking. It’s especially easy when you’ve only taken two puffs of a cigarette in your entire life. Done….and done.
9. Not use a planner. Almost every year I buy a planner with the intent of being more organized, seeing as how I tend to be quite the scatterbrained moron, and almost every year I don’t use it and yet again fail at becoming more organized. This year, I’m gonna save myself the money and simply not buy one. I’m just gonna be my disorganized self and let it bite me in the butt when I miss my dentist appointment, forget to go to a party I said I’d go to, and send out my Christmas cards three weeks late. Disorganization is a way of life, and this year, I’m going to embrace it.
10. Facebook just as much as I did last year. Let’s be honest, disabling a Facebook is just a way of saying “I’ll be back in three weeks.” And complaining about Facebook is just a way of saying that you wish you had a life (as I so often demonstrate). This year, I’m just going to accept it as a way of life. Do I care that Billy Bob just had a Diet Coke but regrets it and wishes he got a Coke Zero? Do I actually want to see a picture of Susie’s dinner on a daily basis? Do I want to see the cliché song lyrics that have spoken to every newly single person in the depths of despair’s heart in a status update? Do I want to see every other girl's profile picture that's been edited to make them look like Cindy Crawford and then feel obligated to comment about how beautiful they are? No. No I do not. In fact, I would much rather gauge my eyes out. But alas, this year I’ll just accept the fact that I’m STILL going to read about it nonetheless. I’m still going to look at pictures of people I barely know. I’m still going to read the endless stream of passive aggressive status updates. And I’m still going to read about what a great time you just had in Vegas while I’m stuck reading about it here in Kansas. And why will I do all this? Not because I don't care (because if I didn't care at all, I wouldn't read it), but more so because I’m too lazy to call, that’s why. And because it’s a whole lot easier to keep up with 800 “friends” by reading about them instead of asking them. Did I mention brutal honesty is also a new years resolution? I would feel worse about writing it if I didn't already know that it's just as true for everyone else...
And there ya have it: the new years resolutions of a painfully honest, slightly irresponsible, selfish, silly, awkard, and creepy cat-loving weirdo. They may be bad resolutions, but hey, at least this year I’ll have the opportunity to boast about actually keeping them.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Voice of the Martyrs
Sometimes I almost let people convince me that Christians suffer no more when it comes to persecution than any other religion does. And then I read the Voice of the Martyrs Blog...
Nepal - "Buddhists Force Christians From Village"
India - "Pastor Released From Prison"
Laos - "Christians Arrested During Christmas Eve Service"
Uganda - "Muslim Extremists Throw Acid On Bishop"
Nigeria - "Nigeria Fears More Church Attacks"
Israel - "O Little Town: Christians Vacating Bethlehem
Iraq - "14 Car Bombs in Iraq: Remaining Christians Fear for Their Lives"
China - "Gao Zhisheng Given Three Year Prison Term"
Uzbekistan - "Christians Warned To Stop Evangelism"
Burma - "Christmas Goes Forward Despite A Time Bomb In Burma"
U.S.A. - "InterVarsity Suspended From New York University"
Vietnam - "Gang Attacks Church Heads"
Pakistan - "Muslims In Pakistan Beat, Shoot At Christians In Land Grab"
These are just a fraction of the headlines in the last month. Yes, I said MONTH.
Jesus wasn't lyin' when He said we would be hated simply because of Him. As of right now, He is illegal in 53 countries, restricted in 38, and hostile in 14. People all over the
world are being beaten, raped, pillaged, imprisoned, and murdered simply because they worship Him. It is a life of faith most of us know little about, but let us pray for our brothers and sisters who are suffering for His name. We simply can not forget about them.
Matthew 10:22 "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."
Nepal - "Buddhists Force Christians From Village"
India - "Pastor Released From Prison"
Laos - "Christians Arrested During Christmas Eve Service"
Uganda - "Muslim Extremists Throw Acid On Bishop"
Nigeria - "Nigeria Fears More Church Attacks"
Israel - "O Little Town: Christians Vacating Bethlehem
Iraq - "14 Car Bombs in Iraq: Remaining Christians Fear for Their Lives"
China - "Gao Zhisheng Given Three Year Prison Term"
Uzbekistan - "Christians Warned To Stop Evangelism"
Burma - "Christmas Goes Forward Despite A Time Bomb In Burma"
U.S.A. - "InterVarsity Suspended From New York University"
Vietnam - "Gang Attacks Church Heads"
Pakistan - "Muslims In Pakistan Beat, Shoot At Christians In Land Grab"
These are just a fraction of the headlines in the last month. Yes, I said MONTH.
Jesus wasn't lyin' when He said we would be hated simply because of Him. As of right now, He is illegal in 53 countries, restricted in 38, and hostile in 14. People all over the
world are being beaten, raped, pillaged, imprisoned, and murdered simply because they worship Him. It is a life of faith most of us know little about, but let us pray for our brothers and sisters who are suffering for His name. We simply can not forget about them.
Matthew 10:22 "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."
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