So excited!

     I am a guest blogger! *squeals* I was hopping up and down when my paper was posted. I hope you guys enjoy it:
 http://heroicendeavors.wordpress.com/2013/03/23/guest-post-shut-up-and-suck-it-up/
     Also, don't forget to check out Hero's blog too while your there. This lovely young lady is such a fantastic writer and has a wonderful sense of humor.

Fine and dandy?

Oh my God

Please help me

Knee deep in the river

Tryin' to get clean.

He says "Wash your hands

Get out the stains

But you best believe

Boy there's hell to pay"

     Not the most heart warming song, right? I've had this song stuck in my head for forever, not just because it has a catchy tune, but because it wouldn't leave me alone. I mean, how many of us have done things that we regretted in the past, asked God for forgiveness, then expected him to make everything better? I know I've done it a few times. Or, maybe you've heard pastors screaming that, after you accept Jesus Christ as your savior, everything will become fine and dandy, no problems ever again?
     Well, let me put this as delicately as I can; anyone who believes that is deluded and brainwashed. It doesn't work like that. Just because you're saved, doesn't mean everything's going to be a-okay. Life with Jesus isn't going to be fluffy and heart-warming and fun all the time. No, riding with Jesus means you are going to get dirty, sweaty and maybe really bloody. It is not for the faint of heart.
   
     “The idea that Jesus will make everything better is a lie. It’s basically biblical theology translated into the language of infomericals.” — Donald Miller, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years."

     So let's start with the first fallacy; because I am saved, I should expect other people to act like Jesus and forgive me.
     When your saved, Jesus does wipe you clean, yes, but the things you did will still have consequences. For example, a man who was cheating on his wife cannot, after apologizing profusely, expect everything to go back to normal. When we are saved by Christ, he forgives and forgets...but man does not. A murderer, after finding Christ, cannot expect a judge to forget his sin, like Christ. He will still pay for his crime, but he is now clean in the eyes of God. Make sense?

     Second; when I'm saved, nothing bad will happen to me.
This is really a no brainer. Just look at Christian martyrs. Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, are persecuted daily for their beliefs.  Why? We stand for truth. Unfortunately  the world despises truth and is going to try it's very hardest to destroy the messengers of that truth. Dark hates Light. Evil hates Good. Deceit hates Truth. If you preach the truth long enough and loud enough, those deep in denial of their sin will  despise and hates you and, quiet frankly, try to make your life a living Hell.

     That then brings us to the ultimate question; why does God let bad things happen to good people? In short, trials change a person.
     There was this story I heard a few years ago (you may have heard different versions of this) but it was about a potter and his piece of clay.

   
     The first thing needed to be done was the kneading. So the Maker kneaded and rubbed the clay between his hands, pushing hard to ensure the clay was soft enough to use. But as he did so, the clay began to complain.
     "Ow! That hurts! Why are you doing to master?"
     But the Maker only said, "You will see in time," and continued to knead.
   
     Next, the Maker began to mold the clay. He pulled and spun and pushed the clay, who again began to complain, louder then before.
     "Master! You are hurting me again! Why are you hurting me? Did I offend you in anyway?"
     But the Master only said, "You will see in time," and continued to mold.
   
     Next, the Maker needed to paint and cook the clay. He spent a very long time painting the clay and it was very uncomfortable for the clay. After the painting was finished, the Maker placed to clay in the oven. No sooner had the oven door closed, then the clay began to scream at the top of it's lungs.
     "Master! Are you trying to kill me? Why are you hurting me so badly? I thought you loved me!"
     The Maker did not reply, but sat by the oven, a solemn look on his face. The clay continued to scream in pain and fear, for it had supposed that it's master had abandoned it. Finally, the Maker pulled the clay out of the oven. But it was no longer clay. It was a beautiful teacup, adorned with gold and blue designs that shone beautifully in the light. The Maker smiled at his creation.
     "You see," said the Maker to the teacup, "Even though you were made uncomfortable, you were hurt, and you thought I had abandoned you (which I didn't) this was all for you. It helped you become this beautiful teacup. Without all the pain and trials you endured, you would not be the teacup you are today. You would still be a piece of clay." (compare the two pictures for the full effect)

   
     As Robert McKee, creative writing instructor, puts it,
     "Writing a story isn't about making your peaceful fantasies come true… You didn't think joy could change a person, did you? Joy is what you feel when the conflict is over. But it’s conflict that changes a person. You put your characters through hell. That’s the only way we change."
   
     There is no other way. We change and learn through pain. We become better people, we grow closer to God, our faith is strengthened. It hurts, yes, but God does it for your own good. Pain either makes or beaks you.  
     So, I guess I kind of went on a bunny trail and hopped everywhere. However, I hope what I said is clear; God will not make everything better just because you are saved. Get that out of your head now or it will be a painful lesson to learn later.

Wait, who?

  Oblivion: The state of being forgotten, especially by the public. 

     What would that feel like? To be forgotten by virtually everybody? I've thought about this quiet a lot, lately. Most people wonder, what kind of legacy they will leave behind when they die, but I wonder, will anyone remember me, much less any "legacy" I leave.
     Do you want to be forgotten? Do you want to be unknown? When someone asks, "Hey, do you know so-and-so?"
     They'll say, "Wait, who?"
     Is that your dream? Or do you want to do something that stands apart from all others? To have an unmarked tomb, or to have a beautiful epitaph?
     You want to be remembered? I thought so. But remember, because of the path you have chosen, you will need to think wisely abut your next steps. How do you want to be remembered? As a first-class criminal? The next mother Theresa? Maybe as the world's strongest person?
   

"Who am I? I could be anyone."

     This is a line from the movie "Rango", in which the main character (Rango) contemplates who he is. He has no goals, no plan for his life, no friends or family, and when suddenly asked who he was, he was speechless. He had friends on Facebook, he was working on plays and novels, he had snazzy clothes...but who was he? Do objects define you? How about your goals? Friends?
     Who are and what are you trying to accomplish, if anything? And don't wait until the last minute to figure this out, because you don't want to be the person who does nothing for half their life, then find out they have 4 months to live and most that time will be in the hospital stuck to an IV tube. A withering skeleton wishing they had done something with their life and they then die a forgotten man, who's last hours were filled with regret and pain for not making something of themselves.

"The unexamined life is not worth living."

Socrates

     Does this hurt? Did I ruffle a few feathers? Good, now go do something with yourself.
Life is sacred, and it is a shame to see anyone throw it away, either because the person did nothing with it, or because the person didn't like life and decided to leave. No one will remember you, or care to, if you don't give them a reason to.

“I maybe here for a short while, gone tomorrow into oblivion or until the days come to take me away. But, in whatever part you play, be remembered as part of a legacy...of sharing dreams and changing humanity for the better. It's that legacy that never dies”

Anonymous

A capitalist super hero?

 
     Okay, so I've been going through a Batman phase (in case you couldn't already tell) It happens every time a Batman movie came out. I like to uncover tidbits and what not's of Batman and I recently had a good laugh over this article. Ridiculous, but highly amusing.

     And then, of course comes the question, how much would it cost to be Batman. Which of course, someone went and found out for us nerds.;P

Are you a Batman?

 WARNING: This post does NOT contain spoilers for TDKR...except for a line from the movie...but that's it I SWEAR.

    
     My mind goes in weird directions some days and they just stick with me. One weird thought I've had is, "Am I a Batman?" And I don't mean, "Do I have the skills to kick criminal butt?" (In case you were wondering, yes, I do.) What I mean is, am I willing to sacrifice things for others, including my enemies?

     Enemy is defined by dictionary.com as "A person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent." In other words, enemies are people continually working against you to bring you down. This can count towards, siblings, parents, random people, drug lords, etc. but this only counts if they are CONTINUALLY trying to knock you over or stand in your way. It's a game. Your opponent is working against you to beat you. Not sometimes, ALL the time. That's the difference between a person who OCCASIONALLY annoys you and your enemy. One does it all the time, the other sometimes.

     You probably see where I'm going with this by now. Batman sacrificed everything for his friends AND his enemies...people who hated him and wanted him behind bars. But, there's something deeper then that.
     Are you ready for it? It's pretty heavy stuff? You sure?

He LOVED them. 

 

      That's what sacrifice is.Willing to give up everything, including your life, for people you love and care for. I mean, you cannot sacrifice for someone, if you don't love them. Would you be ready to sell everything you had in order to send money to some guy you hate who burned his house down because he was drunk? Of course not! It all has to do with the heart and whether you truly love that person or not. I ask myself this question daily with everything from "should I share my iPad" to "should I not play a video game today because my sister hasn't all week" to "maybe I shouldn't make meatloaf today since everyone but me hates it". 

    

      It wasn't until recently that I really started to think about how much I was willing to sacrifice. 

      

     July 20. A gunman sneaks into the midnight showing of TDKR in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 58. Hearing about this the day after the shooting made me sick to my stomach. I thought a lot of horrible things about that man, things I shouldn't have thought. But I was angry. How could this happen? Why? What the heck was he thinking when he stormed into the theaters, armed with three different types of guns and smoke grenades? Such questions will probably never really be answered...and I don't know if I want them to. 

     

     Then I started to think; what would I do if I was in that theater? Would I push my friends and family out of the way and try and get out? Would I drop to the floor, trying to dodge the shooters bullets? Would I stay with my group and help others try to get out? Would I protect someone? Would I be like this young man, ready to lay down my life for the one I loved? My heart tells me I would gladly lay down my life for the people around me. 

     But what if it was someone who I didn't like? What if it was someone you had hurt me in the past and hated my guts. What if this person was my enemy? (personally, I don't KNOW if I have any enemies...I'm kind of oblivious in that way) This isn't so much a question for me as it is for you? What would you do? Do you love your enemies? Do you show them kindness when they spit in your face? From a Christian perspective,they are my brothers and sisters in Christ and my answer is yes. I do. And I am willing to lay down my life for them. 

     In TDKR, Selina Kyle speaks with Batman before he goes to face Bane, the films antagonist. 

     "You don't owe these people anymore," she whispers through gritted teeth, "You've given them everything." 

     After a pause, Batman replies, "Not everything...not yet." 

     My absolute favorite verse in the bible is John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." 

     Now, I may not be able to rock the cape and cowl very well;

      But I can be a Batman...

.....or better yet, I can be like Christ, who came into this world, knowing full well he was to be crucified for his friends AND his enemies. Christ, who was perfect in every way, came down and died for me, that I might have everlasting life. If you hate Christ, you are enemy to him and God. But guess what? HE DIED FOR YOU TOO! He sacrificed his life FOR YOU! He has a place prepared for those who have accepted his gift. He has a place for those who know full well why he sacrificed himself. He loves you and he wants you to come home with him when you die. I cannot begin to comprehend that, and you probably won't be able to either. Sacrifice. It cannot be done without love. 

So are you ready? Think you're up to the challenge? 

 Are you a Batman?

A world without children...

     Once upon a time, there was a town that was overrun with rats. The townsfolk had tried everything to get rid of the rats; cats, traps, and exterminators, but nothing worked. They were just about to give up hope, when a stranger entered into the scene and claimed he could rid the town of rats...permanently. Desperate, the people agreed, but promised to pay AFTER the rats were disposed of. With that, the Piper put his pipe to his lips and began to play.
     Soon, rats began to come out, intrigued by the music. They followed the Piper, trying to get to the music. The Piper led them out of the town to a nearby river, where every rats was drowned. However, the people (for reasons unknown) refused to pay the Piper for his work. Angry, the Piper asked agin for his money, vowing he would do horrible things if they didn't pay. Laughing, the townsfolk refused. The Piper put the pipe to his lips and began to play a song. However, instead of rats coming to his side, the village children did instead, and no matter how loud or how much they called, the children continued to pursue to Piper as he strode out of the town. The children and the Piper were never seen again.

      Many historians believe the children died, whether from sickness or drowning in the river, no one really knows. The pied piper was believed to be death, since death was usually decked in pied (motley) clothing. But whether these children died or ran away, we do know one thing; In the year 1384, these words were written, "It's been 100 years since our children left." (Wikipedia.)

What would it be like to live in a world without children? What would it feel like? 

     I recently watched a movie called "Children of Men". It was about a dystopian world being torn apart by war and terrorism. The year is 2027, and the women of the world have been plagued with infertility for 18 years and so the human race is dying out. No children, no future, no hope. That was one of the promotional logos for the movie. The world was one lacking in hope and joy, and it wasn't just because of war, but because the knew that if they died, no one could take their place. The end of humanity is at hand.

      

How close our we to that world? Not necessarily a world of infertility, but a world without children. We live in a world that "empowers" women to "take charge" of their body and go live their dream. Large families are laughed at and mocked for their huge size. We try to build a Utopian society built on the pursuit of choice and "happiness". But what happens when they are gone? What happens when they are taken away?

What if I told you it's already happening?

   
     Mark Steyn discusses what he calls a "demographic death spiral",

     "[There] (Japan) the rising sun has already passed into the next phase of its long sunset: net population loss. 2005 was the first year since records began in which the country had more deaths than births. Japan offers the chance to observe the demographic death spiral in its purest form. It’s a country with no immigration, no significant minorities and no desire for any: just the Japanese, aging and dwindling."

     As the number of children born every year dwindles, couples, either elderly, unable to have children or they just refuse, are trying to find other ways to satisfy their desire to care for "something". You've seen couples treating their pets like babies right? Apparently, these aren't good enough. (surprisingly *sarcasm*) Some toy makers have begun production of a doll, the Yumel doll, that can speak about 1,200 phrases for those who want a child...and yet don't. I wonder if people would still buy them if they started to have to change diapers...

     All across Europe, the number of children born every year are taking a drastic drop...and they don't show any sure signs of stopping. And it's not just infertility that is to blame. Abortions, contraceptives, or just wanting to put it off because "I'm not ready".  What people fail to realize, is that, as our children begin to disappear, so does our will to live.

     Why are we trying to make a better world? Why do they tell us to clean up our garbage, pay off the national debt and help build a stronger community? For the next generation. Even if you aren't a Christian, everyone feels an obligation to clean up at least a little bit for those coming after. And for those who couldn't care less about it? Well, we're all going to end up like them soon;

     "Without the hope of posterity, for our race if not for ourselves, without the assurance that we being dead yet live, all pleasures of the mind and senses sometimes seem no more than pathetic and crumbling defences shored up against our ruins." (Children Of Men)

      Children bring joy, laughter and smiles. They bring color and creativity. They ask questions adults are afraid to ask and (sometimes) posses wisdom beyond their years. They take work, yes, but so does everything else.
 
     "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:3-5

     Unfortunately, many forget this or say its a lie. They refuse to believe that children could ever be a blessing to themselves and others. Jeff Jacoby, in his article, "A World Without Children", ends his paper with this though-provoking quote,

     "A world without children will be a poorer world - grayer, lonelier, less creative, less confidant. Children are a great blessing, but it may take their disappearance for the world to remember why."

Christians and Homosexuality

A friend of mine gave a fantastic speech on Christians and Homosexuality. This speech won first place at the National speech and Debate tournament this year. Couldn't have said it any better, Kasey.