Why Spiritual Experiences Can Ruin You

Spiritual experiences can confuse us greatly. No, spiritual experiences are not a bad thing. Heck, they're really, really, REALLY frikkin' awesome. It is a HUGE blessing and has an addicting effect on souls, and can change any life forever. Soooo then... why is it we go on retreats, start speaking in tongues, prophesying, gettin' drunk in the Spirit, then we go home and life isn't very exciting anymore? Where have the spiritual fireworks gone? Why does our spiritual life feel so... boring again?

Perhaps because we rely too much on our senses than we think.


When we feel God's presence, it's super easy to believe in Him, right? When we have the proof right in front of us, God feels so much more real to us. That's human nature. However, to really prove that you're serious about following God, He wants you to prove it by going beyond your natural human borders and discover the deeper side of love, despite the fact that you might not "sense" Him there all the time.


I heard this true story once of a formerly Catholic woman telling someone about her leaving the church because she felt like she wasn't getting anything out of it. The man then responds by saying, "Let me get this straight... You're saying that you've been consuming the literal body and blood of Christ, listening to the entire Bible plus teachings of it for years, and receiving absolution, and you haven't been getting anything out of it?"

This lady is a prime example of how the human heart can become obsessed with the stimuli of the senses. If all we really need is a spiritual experience, we can go to a Buddhist temple and be totally satisfied after that. Our reliance on experiences is what's caused all those "wars"and is why the body of Christ keeps splitting up, it is certainly not because of religion itself. It's just like our general idea of love, how gooshy feelings, soulmates, and making out and "woohooing" our weekends means romance. Or  even more commonly how in movies we know that two characters are in love because of that big kiss scene.

This is why divorce rates are so high, especially among Christians, because we worship our feelings, not the actual God Himself, which is love. Love isn't an emotion, it's an action that we choose. Love is when we choose not to yell foul words or accusations at someone, even though they've wronged us. Love is forgiving and forgetting. Love is cleaning up after the other person even when you're worn out from work. Love is laying down your life for your friends. Again, love is NOT based on feelings!!! In fact, oftentimes, true acts of love are done when the other person doesn't even want to do it.  

That is what makes the Eucharist so wonderful. It looks like a wafer, it tastes like a wafer, but we know in our hearts and minds that it is the body of Christ. There's more "magic" and power in that than any sort of feeling we may find, because we are denying ourselves and letting Jesus in physically. We may not fall to the ground crying from it, but despite that we just know that it's really truly Him. This is what faith is all about. 

Now let me say this again, spiritual highs are really sweet, and this isn't to say you won't or that you're not supposed to get "high" from taking communion, I'm just saying that love and faith is beyond us. And there is no doubt in that at all. 

Quitting? ME??? Nevah!

I highly doubt that anyone is going to reply to my WordPress post. I mean, why should they?

Don't worry, I'm not going to get all depresso on ya with why that is.

So uh, heh, *blushes* guys? About that last post.... NO NO no, not the WordPress one, the OTHER one! I was eh, just kidding! Eh heh heh... ahem....

I just wanted to point out something: My posts have been too serious lately. I've been flippin' through all my older posts from last year, since I was a pretty active blogger throughout 2012, and something occurred to me: Those posts stay more true to my characteristics than my current ones do.

I am a joyful human being. I am optimistic. Outgoing. Sometimes goofy. A sanguine. That's just me.

I kinda want those old posts back, now. I mean, quitting?? What was I even thinking?

To sympathize with myself, I did have someone die, I did move out on my own for the first time, and I did forgo some intense realizations, life lessons, and inner changes over a very short period of time. Yes, that was very rough, but I'm still alive!

I can now still be who I was born to be, but something is different from me now than before: maturity. I also have a much stronger passion to defend what I believe in and stand for. If someone, anyone, offends that, I can get pretty defensive. I am loyal, persistent, and I don't like to quit. That's why I was surprised at myself to even read that post I had written about quitting. Poo.

I can take my suffering and learn from it. I can grow with it. I have changed. A lot. But I am still the same ol' cheery Bethany somehow. I turned 19 yesterday. My 18th year is officially over. The end of that chapter was hard, again, I can sympathize, but that's all over and done with. Now it's ADVENTURE TIME! *Raises Crystal Sword* Thanks, God. You da bestest!

So even though I have fallen, I am back up now, and not giving up.

Yeah dats cliche. But many never even learn that. 

Peace out, Honey Babes!!!

In Defense of Christian Music Part 2

Alright, I caused a stir with this post! I got people to react, people to agree with me, people to disagree, and lots of discussion on specific/possible issues. How awesome!

Now, this post is simply to clear up/answer any question that many people have from this. I have noticed some recurring things in response to my post, and I'm going to now state them in a FAQ format!




Q: What do you think about Christian music?

A: Well, like with any genre, it depends on the artist, the song, and whether or not I like what I hear or not!



Q: So, you side with Christian music? Does this mean you are "Pro-Christian Music"?

A: No, I am definitely NOT "Pro-Christian Music", and no I don't necessarily "side" with it, either. In case you missed it, I wrote in one of my first paragraphs that "yeah, I am not too crazy about [Christian music] myself". There is no black and white to this. Next...


Q: Then why are you so defensive of it?

A: Perhaps my post was incorrectly named... What it SHOULD have been called was "In Defense of People Whom I Love Dearly, Do Not Know, and Never Will Know Who Like Christian Music." or "BadCatholic Incorrectly Wrote a Post so Now I'm About to Point Out What's Wrong With It". I was mostly sticking up for those who really do love Christian music. Although I knew most (namely my three best friends) would most likely side with the other guy, this is what I felt in my heart and so I spoke anyway.

 I could stick up for Miley Cyrus, for example, for she is a human being who suffers from fame, but not like what she does or what she sings about. Doesn't mean that because she is overly franchised, talked about, problematic, or cheesy, she isn't as valuable as the rest of us. She's human, humans are sacred, thus I defend her even when other people disagree with her. (Why I made the connection between her and Christian music, I don't really know...)

But I digress.

If I defend something, it's usually because of a deeper reason than "I just like this thing a lot". As long as something hits home, I'm ALL over it.


Q: What is your opinion of BadCatholic now?

A: Still love him. Because we're called to love each other. Especially our enemies... *ahem*


Q: What IS wrong with Christian music?

A: I think people who don't really listen to Christian music tend to stereotype. Or judge it based on the dj's. But a "problem" that is very evident is relevance. It's like we're diluting Jesus or something so He's easier to swallow by making him current:

Chillax, man. Don't worry bout nothing. Just call me up homie and just forget all your probz. Give me your wishlist and it shall all be yours cuz I love to spoil you rotten. Cuz I luvva, dude. Phillipians 4:6


But EVERY music industry does this (indie people have nothing to worry about *Josh Garrells, cough, cough*), so it's not surprising that Christian media would do so. But it's disappointing. And unnecessary. But this is a whole other topic I'd rather not get into (it'll take WAY too long) so I'm going to recommend the book "Jesus Shock" to you instead.


Q: What IS Christian music, then?

A: A genre that wanted to be different from the other music that had crappy messages? Perhaps. Or is it separate because society wanted Christianity to stay out of the mainstream world? Very possible. It is true that music is of God, but because we have original sin, our talents have gone through corruption. That is why there seems to be a split.


Q:  But what IS Christian music?

A: Ask God.


Q: What IS music?

A: Go away.



Q: What IS MUSIC????

A: An art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions insignificant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color. 

Origin: God



Q: Since hearing replies and input from others, have you changed your mind at all?

A: Heck no.



Bye.

In Defense of Christian Music

Man I've been wanting to say this for a LONG time, and there hasn't come a perfect time to unleash my fury than now.... It's been itching, screaming, and clawing it's way out of my heart. A lot of people don't know this, but when I hear this I may look totally normal on the outside, but inside I am all

You guys have no idea

The topic is Christian music. Ah, yes, the musically formulated "Christian" cheese whiz for your ears. The rip-offs of famous hits with "Jesus is Lord" sprinkled throughout. The kind of music that ALWAYS gets played at the emotional parts of movies or TV shows. The thing that Christians and atheists alike love to criticize. Yeah, I'm not too crazy about it myself.

This isn't everyone's favorite topic to pick apart, but tonight I am going to whole-heartedly defend it's cause! A bit of a shocker, considering that I seem to be the type who wouldn't do that. But what I'm about to write about is something I am quite hardcore about. *Lawlz I used the word 'about' three times in that sentence*

Let's start by addressing a very problematic article on the internets:

I know darn well how Marc Barnes (AKA the Bad Catholic) pushes the envelope when blogging... Heck, that's his specialty, if he got paid for doing that he'd be a millionaire. Usually his articles are well-written and, being as brilliant as he is, he generally constructs very solid, well-grounded points throughout. Sometimes I disagree with him, but..... asdfghjklqeixzzcmnbx..... ARGH. I mean, sure he was right about a few things, but the whole core of the article was screwed up and I don't think I've ever disagreed with him 100% before. I'm talking about one of his more recent articles titled, 5 Reasons to Kill Christian Music. *Yeah, you can see where this is going already...*

His #1 reason was "Writing a “Christian” song reduces Christianity to a modifying adjective".

Opinionated, much? The word "Christian" is an adjective... And that'sssssssssssss...... bad? 

That point was lame to begin with. Anyway, moving on.

My mother made an excellent point when she reacted to this page, notably over Marc's second reason to "kill" Christian music. She said that there's always gonna be that woman or man (and you know who I'm talking about) who has a house full of made-in-China Jesus statues everywhere, or cliched inspirational posters, or "Jesus Rox" shirts, etc, and they're living all out for God, but why put that person down? Marc's point is basically the same thing as saying it is better to have a pornographic image on your wall than a cheap plastic Jesus statue because it's "real art", and God made "real art". Again, another lamazoid and surprisingly not-well-thought-out conclusion.  

I remember a friend of mine poking fun at the over-joyous-and-fake-laughs-over-every-caller's-comments DJ on KLove, how annoying it was that they were pushing the whole "positivity and smiles all around" message. Well, what if, just imagine with me for a minute, that that message actually means something to someone? And *big shocker* it DOES. Lemme tell you something:

Once there was a little girl whose family was experiencing a nasty divorce. Because of this, the family wasn't going to church at the time. She got made fun of at school. The girl felt so much pain, confusion, and sadness that it was indescribable. Who could she turn to? What was the only encouraging thing she had in her time of suffering? Christian radio. That was the closest thing to church she could get. She would listen to that, listen to the messages, and pray with it...

While I have friends who roll their eyes when that Casting Crowns song comes on the radio, I have other friends who sing it worshipfully, remembering and thanking God for the moment He spoke to them through the music. Ok, maybe I am more likely to listen to a "secular" radio station over a "Christian" one, but I can't help think of what good it has done to people. I have had a friend who was very close to my heart whose life was turned around just because she decided to listen to Christian music one day. Her views had changed, everything had, and she was became serious about her faith. All because she had tuned into Spirit. God spoke that day, and it was in a way that she could hear and understand.

The Catholic church also teaches that even if the motives are wrong, the pith, the core, is valid even so. For example, if a priest was secretly living a totally messed up life, that doesn't mean that the root of the mass he is leading was dug up. The Eucharist, the sacraments, the blessings, were all still holy. The same can be said about Christian music. 

Besides that, everyone's walk with Christ is completely different from each other. Different things matter to different people. For guys like Marc Barnes, Christian music simply isn't going to cut it, but for others, like my good friend, Christian music is vital. And that is perfectly alright whether you agree with it or not. It'd be equally wrong if a Christian music fan said that people like Marc Barnes should "kill" their Mumford and Sons because it isn't explicitly Christian. See? 

Still aren't convinced? Here's SCRIPTURE for you that makes the EXACT SAME POINT...

Philippians 1:18:

New International Version (©2011)

But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice...

In yo FACE, suckahs.

If Christ is being preached, that's all that matters, in every way. 

YES Christian music is cheesy! YES a lot of Christian artists are simply in it for the money! I completely agree with that, BUT THE GOSPEL MESSAGES AND PRAISES ARE STILL VALID. Before you make fun of the fakey-ness of it and use it as the scapegoat, or rather, the excuse, to listen to Ozzy, stop and think for a second. Look at the whole picture, not just your opinionated one. Those are real people, telling real messages, whether they're actually in it for the message or not. There is a fine line between pointing something out and being flat out judgmental. Sometimes our own opinions can seem like the strongest truth in us, but no matter how you slice it, truth is... truth! Thus let's not say we "should stop making Christian music", and let's certainly not kill it. OK? Game over. 

STILL don't agree? 

Fine then.

Pinkie?

God bless you all.

PS: All the stories about those people that I talked about are 100% real. I just didn't include all their names so that I may respect their privacy. 

My Amazing Announcement

I have not posted a post on my blog in what feels like several years. OK, I sadly have nothing to say at this point, I'm just going to "announce" a short fiction that I am currently writing about a suicidal 15-year-old girl named Rosaline. It was really weird writing it, because it all just kindof fell onto the page without me thinking about it. It just kindof, happened. It's rather depressing and quirky at the same time, and it strangely coincides with things that God has been trying to tell me and a few other people I know. It's a message about love and not losing yourself. Hopefully you will get something out of my story somehow. I know I am.

Chill til then!

Bethany

Death By iPod

So my iPod touch died just a couple days ago. It was pretty sad, but it was expected. I got it in the summer before my trip to Rome three years ago... I guess three years is a pretty long life for an iPod. My ancient white iPod video however still RUNS ok, even though that thing is seven years old. It has a couple quirks that I am probably going to pay to get fixed before I dive into buying a new itouch.

Lead us not into temptation.
Must........ resist...... the wondrous... beauty!!!

But my ancient iPod isn't the only reason why I am not getting myself a new sleek iDevice. No, the main reason is because, well, I think God does not WANT me too....

Lately I've been hearing the message about waking up spiritually, specifically becoming more aware of God's voice and when He's speaking to you. I feel like I desperately need to grasp and understand the meaning of that message! Really though, all of us do, but sometimes the messages that are meant for everyone are the ones we ignore the most. 

With our ears constantly clogged with music from earphones, our eyes on instant streaming movies from our mobile devices, and there being so many inescapable words and images flashed at us from virtually everywhere, it's no wonder so many of us are having a hard time hearing God. I may sound like someone from the 1800's right now, but if you really look at how digital we are, you have to be a little freaked out. It's not the technology in it of itself that's scary necessarily, but rather how involved and consumed humans are with it.  

OK, back to me and the whole iPod thing... 

Here is an interesting pattern that I was partially unaware of until after the death of my iPod. One day a couple months ago I felt like God was telling me to "unplug" myself from my iPod for a whole week in order to focus more on Him. I obeyed, and found that I was closer to Him than before! Even though it was wonderful, after that week was up, I felt like God wanted me to give up iPod time for longer. Being the human being that I am, I ignored Him and reattached myself to that thing immediately. 

I always knew I was a music fanatic, even when I was very small I knew music. But plugging my iPod into my laptop and viewing how many times I had played songs off it was quite alarming. For example, I had listened to my favorite song nearly 2000 times, when I had purchased it just a few months ago... listening to that song ALONE was 5 and a half full days long... and that was only 1 song out of the other 600.

Simply put, and I confess publicly on the internet, I loved that square of plastic, metal, and wires more than my own Father and creator. Sure I didn't pray to it and I didn't have an intimate relationship with it, but I was with it more than I was with Him. I would use that thing for my own desires and pleasure rather than for His glory, which is possible, believe me, with the awesome free Bible apps and all... But I relied on it too much. I began to want it, to need it. I was addicted, and I had no clue what harm it was doing to me.

Wasting time is probably the most dangerous thing you can do yourself or anybody else because, literally, it is the easiest way to steal LIFE out of yourself. Our lives are determined by how much time is given to us. No one can ever know how many years they are going to spend here on earth, and when you die, THAT'S IT. No more time will be granted to you. Your life is gone when your time is up. 

It's amazing how limited a human's knowledge is. We can know everything there is to know about the universe but know nothing of our souls, our time, and our hearts. Here is something for YOU to consider: what do you place higher than God? C'mon, we all do it. It could be technology, people, food, money, even habits; anything that is earthly. Think about that one thing and try a week long fast like I did and see if your relationship with God has improved at all. If it has, perhaps God has been calling you to give a little more, and all this time you didn't even notice. 

This post was written with a heavy heart and is dedicated to Angela Faddis, who died today, September 21, 2012. I am heartily sorry, Angela, for what I've done, and I pray to God with you in mind for mercy for my soul, for I am in desperate need for mercy. You have touched my heart, Angela, and I give God the praise for your painful sacrifice and what it has done for me. Thank you. May you be forever at peace with your eternal lover in Heaven. I love you.

For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

How Far is Too Far?

If you are like me (and everyone else in America for that matter), I can be a bit of a media junky. I am especially geeky over American superheroes, clever TV shows, cult classics, and comic books. One thing I, and some others, have noticed is that our standards on what is safe as far as content goes in the media has shot waaaaay down over time. So here are two important questions:

How far can we go without getting hurt? How close can we get to fire without being burned?

Here's an easier question to answer:

Have you ever seen a film that felt so intense the first time, but the more you watched it the less intense it became?

Just last week I got to re-watch the movie The Dark Knight and the first thing I noticed is that it strangely seemed less disturbing than the first time I saw it. Sure this movie isn't "Saw", but it doesn't take a genius or "spiritual" person to recognize just how evil the Joker is. But scarily enough, people actually admire the Joker and think he's the coolest thing ever... even though he's more than just sinister, he's demonic. So how does this dude and others seem less "bad" the more we see them?

Repetition is key. Doesn't matter how gradual the process, eventually you will become used to it. The more you allow one thing into your minds, the more involved you become with it, even if it's involuntary. The more involved you are in something the more your mind shapes around it. If we are diligent about praying and speaking with our Lord on a very regular basis, wouldn't our hearts and minds gradually become more inviting for God's love to shape and change our hearts? In this same way we can also allow other things in and easily become "used to" something dreadful.

Desensitization affects all of the senses and your spirit. It's that serious.

As long as we cannot understand or even realize why something is "wrong", then we can no longer sense when something is "right".

So all this begs these questions: "WHAT is the reason behind the enforcement of desensitization? HOW is it so easily being done and WHY?"

Well, the obvious reason is money. Human beings like money, and media can be an easy way to rake in the dough. If you want your show to grab viewers, you sometimes need to do a bit more than just try to entertain them. You want to hit at something that will keep them coming for more, for men that can mean alluring them with sex, and with females; false, impossible, and oh-so-mooshy relationships. There are several other ways, but you get the idea. Money talks. Sin sells. Simple.

And for the big, fiery, evil red guy that reeks of sulfur with the horns? Yeah, he loves desensitization because he'd do anything to keep us from "joining sides" with his arch-enemy. If we lose our abilities to tell the difference between right and wrong, then we won't be able to tell who's talking to us, God or Satan, or if anyone is talking at all. Because media is so so so so SO SO SO SO SO huge in this age, it only makes sense that Satan would try out for the big leagues.


Many people right now are fully aware of the subtle yet dark effects of modern media (especially with the whole crazy Illuminati theory breaking out), but sadly many Christians either don't agree that media has that sort of power, or they simply don't think it's such a big deal and ignore it. And sometimes using the excuse that because God is in their hearts thus they will be automatically forgiven, as if God is the official forgiveness vending machine.

And even if the problem media is posing really is mild, it doesn't really matter, does it? If it has something that does not reflect God's love, then what is the point? This doesn't mean you should drop every single show or automatically hate every movie you used to think were cool. This just means to be more careful, aware, and able to say no.

On that note, God Himself can be evident in media too! Sometimes you just gotta look out for Him.

Isaiah 55:6

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.

Biblegateway

The most exciting thing ever

Ok so I'm going to talk about stuff that happened earlier this very day.

Uh oh, it's another "a day in the life" post! Quick, everybody leave this page and watch Gangnam Style instead!!!!!!!!

Actually please don't. I mean, mostly what I have to say isn't that interesting and it won't add to your life but hey, I wanna blog just to blog every once in a while.

So in case you guys didn't know I was invited a few weeks back to go to an orientation about joining the PHI THETA KAPPA International Honors Society, which is an organization that recognizes academic excellence in students at small colleges. That was exciting! The staff were fun and the meeting actually wasn't boring. Moving on.

Before that my dad and two of my little bros were just killing time, and one of the places we stopped at was Sam's where I stared at the amazing new Apple products and Hobby Lobby (which is like my candy store, I could stay there for hours). I got a robot charm and a chain and made this!

And I got some canvases and paint and stickers etc. I would've purchased metal wall art too but I didn't have enough time to look at them and choose.
 Yeah, I already got a lot of stuff of course, but one thing I didn't get which I strongly regret is this epic duct tape. UNOME. I guess I shouldn't feel too bad about my foolish mistake, perhaps because it is not something that I need. But it wouldn't have been completely pointless, I could've made a wallet or a rose or a pen or a necktie for a cat !!!!!!!!!!!!

Well after all that I studied and hung out and ate a s'more.

The end.

I don't even

There are many things that everyone doesn't have to agree on. 

Take Christian music for example, I grew up listening to the Christian music station and I oftentimes find it encouraging and the lightweight beats are catchy and fun. I have a friend who strongly dislikes music from this genre, even though she is a Christian herself. She thinks the music is cheesy and that the encouragement is fake. I disagree with her, yet I can see why she might think that. 

Or, as another example, social networking. I personally like using Twitter and Facebook even though almost all my closest friends do not have either one of them. I think having a Facebook increases your connectivity with important people like your boss, your classmates, or your parents (call them for once, you fool). Plus for all my long distance friends, it's a convenient way to stay in touch since I never get to see them. There are my many friends who wish to stay old-fashioned and not join with the new forms of communication out of fear or dislike. Others find it pointless and a waste of time when you could be communicating in real life. Again, I see where there are coming from, and though I disagree, I still understand. 

Morally speaking, however, people will try to influence, sway, or impose things on you that you simply shouldn't believe in. 

Take the coexist groupies, they are a not-for-profit organization that wants to "promote, encourage and support engagement between Jews, Christians and Muslims both individually and through their respective communities through dialogue, education and research." Getting along would be nice now, wouldn't it? And sure, improving the relationships between different religions in this way seems like a good idea, but the problem is that most of these dudes think that there could be more than one right answer in life, or rather, multiples paths, to finding truth. Another way of saying this is that no one can really know what is true, thus the possibility that we could all somehow be right may indeed be a fact! 

Um, the deal with that logic is that that would mean, well, a lot of things that don't make any sense. 

For example; the atheists are right about God being inside our heads and that the church is just a system set up to trap as many people as possible, yet Christians are right because there really is a God and we aren't "trapped", we are set free. Wait, how can we BOTH be right...? 

But the vast majority of coexisters have the thought that we can believe what we wanna believe and we should leave each other alone and not fight over it. A lot of Christians lately have been saying that, too. Well, as a Christian myself, here's my scoop on that opinion:


The Bible says that God has granted us free will. That means He will not force us to make the decision to follow Him, we are fully free and able to make that choice for ourselves. Why does God do this? Because He doesn't want the people of the world acting like robots - pre-programmed bags of bolts with no mind of their own. Yet we are His children (that He loves so dearly), so why would a loving God not make us love Him? How could He allow His children to go astray? 

Because that wouldn't be the loving God we're always talking about; that would be a selfish god!!!

When it comes to things we are free enough to decide what we think is hot or not. But when it comes to truth, we really can't decide that. No matter what we say, teach, do, think, or believe, we cannot change what is true. 

So if Jesus really does offer eternal salvation (Luke 13:3) that rescues us from the tortures of a fiery Hell, then believers should have the duty to tell others about Christ! If this is true, we should be actively and urgently telling others that our God isn't dead, He's alive, and He doesn't want them to suffer for an eternity!! 

We are not here to pick fights with others who believe things differently than we do. We are also not here to sit back, do nothing, and be ignorant. There will be persecution! There will be people who are upset with the good news! There will be people who want to fight! But we are here to love, and if we want to be like Christ we are to love others, spread truth, and not force it upon them.   

So to all o' my coexist peeps, I do want to get along with Jews, Muslims, and other Christians. But that's not going to stop me from accepting Jesus' mission: to help lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. 

Speak of the Devil

This morning I had the pleasure of sitting on a wood chair on a large hill looking over at the gorgeous rolling hills, pine trees, wildlife, colorful fields, and cute little country houses in Bastrop Texas. When you are bogged down by things like work, school, everyday funk, and/or social networks, outside is the place to go. There's almost no better remedy than sitting in silence before a beautiful, natural scene. Mine wasn't necessarily in silence, I mean, I was singing, but it was silent for me, ha.

Anyway, lately I've been thinking about our modern world's standards and how they basically suck big time. Yeah. I've come to realize that what my mom said about how the corruption in this world  affects us is way too true. She said for us believers there are two traps the Devil tries to force on us. One is we can look at sin and become so exposed and used to it that we become desensitized and eventually join with the others. This way we won't be able to hear what it is God's telling us to do because we become deaf and we won't be able to tell the difference between right and wrong. The second trick is to cause us Christians to fall into despair. We are so saddened and depressed at where the world is  that we are constantly focused on the negativity and the works of the Devil. It will strip away the liberating joy that only God can give. Through this we eventually become blind because our mindset is way off track.

Both of these tactics are equally dangerous. They will make us totally unaware and unable to recognize what is good. No matter what happens, remember that there is still good in this world. God doesn't want to put on some sort of big show like Satan, but just because it seems like God isn't quite as "out there" as the Devil doesn't mean that He's silent or not there at all. In fact, God is more "there" than anything!! Hey, it doesn't have to be complicated, you just need to learn to see and hear. If you're not sure how, just begin by noticing the small things, like when someone smiles or helps someone else. You can also do small things. After all, St. Therese (the little flower) said herself: "I can do small things with great love". There is also humor, laughter, and hope. These things are so simple, but they do wonders for the soul. 

He is everywhere. He is with you. You just have to be with Him. If the Devil doesn't like it, well, he can sit on a tack. :P

 R.I.P. Johnny Hart. Hope you're laughing hard up there in Heaven.

My Annoying Little Brother is Awesome

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in like, what, a whole week? Ah well. Here's a post for you guys. *begins writing*

I remember when I was 14 years old and I started the my first year of high school at a very small school in Elgin, Texas. The presidential elections were coming up and one day my principal was talking about how great it would be if Barack Obama were in office.  My little brother who, at the time, was only 8 years old stands up and interjects, "But Barack Obama supports abortion!" You can only imagine the shock on Ms. Principal's face. Needless to say, our mom was going to be hearing about this.

Long before that my older brother Davis was being teased and made fun of by another kid his size at a swimming pool. Davis has autism, so it sadly made him an easy target for bullies. Five year old Sam on the other hand, realizes his brother is in trouble and rushes in front of him and yells, "LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE" while thrashing his arms around in the water. The kid backed off. Who wins in a fight? Shorty does.

He didn't hesitate to witness to an atheist kid at library club despite that he knew there was probably going to be criticism or mocking.

He won't listen to the hot new pop song because he knows lyrically it's really gross.

During the Olympics this year my brother pointed out how women do not necessarily need to be wearing bikinis while playing beach volleyball. Yes ladies, bikinis sure feel liberating, but they don't "liberate" a male creature's mind. He also hates the unavoidable fact that several women on tv have their boobs bulging out of their shirts (OK, he didn't say it like that, but that's literally how it is).

He also hates it, and I mean HATES it, when guys take advantage of girls, and he has reminded me several times not to let any fool do that to me. He's done that way more than my dad, actually.

What can I say? This kid tells it like it is. 

Right now he is only 13 years old, and he's got a hard head. But he's also got a really good head on his shoulders.

Aaaaand sometimes that drives me to insanity.

Sometimes I feel like this guy:

But sometimes I am jealous. I know when I was younger I had problems with standing up for what was right because well, I let my fear get in the way. Sometimes I didn't tell it like it was, I just kind of slurred what I had to say or blended it with something relevant in order that it may not come across so black-and-white, just because I didn't want people to do anything to hurt me. Sometimes I just didn't know right from wrong. Yeah yeah, I know this is like, what, EVERYONE'S story?? But alas, tis true. So when I see Sam use his natural talents and knowledge for God's greater glory??? Mentally I'm all:

Perhaps I need to tell him this stuff out loud more often, no? After all the older kids certainly do shape and influence the younger folks. But lately I've been learning that it is also the other way around.

Look, my little brother drives me crazy. He really does, but what little brother doesn't? Whenever he'd get on my nerves I'd just wanna yell at him to grow up and mature. It does amazes me however just how strong and mature he really is for his age. That's something this generation needs, someone with just a little more, who says what is right even when others will wrong him for it. Who knew that the young ones would be the dudes to look up to? Certainly not I, 'till I got to understand Sam a little better. Seems like I was the one who needed to do some maturing, and perhaps take to heart that Bible verses about faith like a child and not looking down upon people cuz they are young. Well, I'm still young, but he's younger.

OK Sam is not evil nor is he trying to kill everyone including me, just fyi. 

If there's one good thing that being all nerdy about superhero or action flicks has taught me it's show me a thing or two about being a good big sister. Take Thor, a not only incredibly handsome guy but a true hero. In both movies The Avengers and Thor, for example, Thor's younger brother Loki betrays him, his family, and his country by killing hundreds of people and trying to take over the world using his powers for evil. Thor probably had every right to hate his brother and want to put an end to his destructive life. Instead, Thor chooses to love his brother and continually invite him back home to start all over again. 

 Even though Loki almost killed Thor twice, Thor didn't change how he loves his brother. That's kind of like how Jesus sacrificed his life to save ALL of his brothers and sisters, despite the fact that we DID indeed kill him. Only Jesus is obviously way more awesomer than Thor, because he came back from the dead, promised us eternal life, loved us as we were, and offered us forgiveness of all our sins. So what do we do? Follow his example. No, more than that, be like him.  I want to be the best big sister ever, and I know the only way to do that is to be like Jesus. 

Perhaps my little brother's character is a reflection of me? Who knows! :) 

It'S AlmOST 2 Am!!!111!1!!11!!!!!

Yeah and I'm still awake. I'm WIDE awake. Darn it, this would be the perfect night for me to do a night watch with the Lord, but unfortunately I have my daily duties as a daughter and a big sister so I must be energetic and alert for my folks when I wake up tomorrow (oh wait, it IS tomorrow...today).

But I thought I would make a very short post (well, short for me since I tend to rattle on) about a realization I had an hour ago. I was just here on my bed making dance music on my Macbook Pro when suddenly, out of the grey, I sat up, looked onward, struck an epic pose as if I were in a hero flick, and thought to myself, "I am so blessed to be single right now. I am so glad that I am single."

YEH.

OK, I mostly just continued fiddling around on my mac when I realized that, I didn't actually move at all, but I really am glad to be single! God has me right now. No, that doesn't mean that I am going to join a convent right now or be living alone for the rest of my life, that just means I am exclusively with God right now. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is cool.

And if you are single and happen to be feeling the single blues right now?

It's amazing how so many people fall into deep and udder despair over not having a partner to love on at all times. Love does crazy things to you. Makes you depressed,

it can make you sad,

or..... hee hee.... *snicker, snort*......

                                                     

                                                         Internet meme faces make me laugh.

I saw this cheesy little glittery animated graphic on a friend's website at the age of twelve that I still remember. It said something like, "When you are single, all you notice are the happy couples. When you are in a relationship, all you notice are the happy single people." Now I just know that, for the most part, this statement isn't true, but it does help me remember how happy I could be that I am not "taken"... Taken away from my father in Heaven, no way Jose! 

Welp.

I ain't going to bed. I'm going to read a book. Good night!!!! Or not.

PS:

Some random photo I just found surfing Google. My search wasn't even related to
the fact that I am awake. God speaks in strange ways!! 

ANIMALISTIC part 2: Why we love celebs

Why do we like celebs so much? Let's start small and work our way up. (CLAIRE I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE)

First and most arguably the easiest identified reason is that celebs are entertaining. They make us laugh, cry, and they keep us engaged. They intrigue us, inspire us, and keep us wanting more of them. Simple

Celebrities are also unrealistically sexy. Good-looking. We think they're cute. Oddly enough we can be attracted to someone without ever meeting them or seeing them in person. We then can get to know them and understand their personality without them ever knowing who we are. We can fall for them as a person or fall for their performance, either way, once we figure out that we like them (or how in love with them we are) we'll daydream about them and think about them, because after all we do "know" them.

If only I could meet them, we'd be such good friends. 

Some of us pursue a celeb because of a crush we may have on them, others because they admire that particular person's work, some because, well, the bottom line is that celebs (or their works) are, simply put, appealing.













Celebs are always under the eyes of a critic. They can be publicly reported for anything. They are praised or brought-down by the world because they either excel or screw up. Either way, celebs are a hot topic for what they do.

Celebs have status. They are well-known, thus it is fun to know who they are along with everyone else. A celebrity's job is attract as many eyes toward them as possible. They've got to look good and do good to "be" good. The public's opinion matters to them. They are fun to talk about.

The way so-and-so portrayed that character? What an excellent performance. His new single is so fun to dance to. That guy is so talented, he's got a good voice. Her performance on America's got Talent just blew me away! How entertaining! 

But there is also a backwards method of gaining attention that is just as (if not more) effective than the latter. And that is being the bad guy. If you are bad enough, you'll be talked about enough. This could be the playboy with a million girls on him or the girl who's known for sleeping around. It is cool to be bad, to break boundaries, to be a rebel, to appeal to the crowd sexually. It sets a statement, and it brings forth the unfortunate general fact that girls like the bad boys and that guys like the bad girls. 

The other side to that is being a total jerk. They screw up so we don't have to.

What she did was so scandalous! I can't believe that guy did that to his wife. Last night's performance was terrible, he ought to be kicked off the show. She got so drunk at that party she was dancing in the streets in her lingerie. How embarrassing!

Celebrities also happen to also be very influential. Why? Well, because they are the action figures in the media industry. There will always be the writers, directors, coordinators, etc., but there has to be someone there to stage it, to sing it, to bring it. Those who bring it are the ones who are seen. The ones who are seen are the ones who are followed. The ones who are followed then get paid. The ones who are paid have status. The ones who have status are living the dream. We are always encouraged to chase our dreams, could chasing a celebrity be linked to that? Think about it. We are fueled by envy in a way.

We also look up to celebs because of our own selfish desires to be sexy and have all the money and be loved by others. We want what they have. It keeps us wondering, wishing...

She's so pretty, I wish I looked like her. He's got all the ladies, I wish more girls liked me. What is it they have that I do not?

They are also perfect for influencing the government. When they support a certain cause, politician, or organization, and they gain much praise from the public for it, it is easy to gather up the votes, support, and money needed to get things launched. (Money makes the world go round, eh? eh?)

It is exceedingly rare nowadays for one person to NOT have thoughts cross their mind about being famous. Whether we necessarily want fame or not, we desire it. It is in our nature to be well respected and looked up at for who we are. With all this influencing, money-making, selfish-thought provoking, and makeup applying going on, you gotta think, what an effective and successful system America has constructed! It subtly digs into our innermost desires and lets out what we want to see happen! In the meantime we 'normal' everyday folk go about doing everyday jobs. Making everyday life what it is. Those in the high life hear from us and are lifted up for it. So what does this all mean for believers?



King Solomon in the Bible had it all, man. He was probably the guy who experienced the high life better than anyone else ever in HISTORY. But even he knew that none of it could satisfy. And he had it ALL. Or, so he thought. Our hearts constantly desire fulfillment and satisfaction through it. Worldly satisfactions therefore seem like fulfillment. It's not. It is like "chasing wind". When we don't know the Lord, the world is literally all we've got. We can't even stretch our arms around the world! It just doesn't work for us like salt replacing sugar in a cake. I believe chasing celebrities has to do with that.

PS

Personally I continually pray for celebrities that I like (or dislike) because well, I love em. Not the way the world does, but the way Jesus does. They are people, just like you and me, and instead of bashing and mindlessly praising, let's love em. The way God would. That's what celebrities don't get a lot of: love. We can do that, can't we? Let's lose the fluff and get lovin'.

Oh and , btw, I love you too :) *MUAH*

God is Scary + Using Your Imagination

Aaaaaand I'm back. From South Dakota. And what does the internet have to show for missing me so much?? Well, nothing, cuz the internet can't necessarily do anything for me... But some hacker from Russia decided to make an attempt at stealing my account. But because of Google's utterly creepy ability to track everything, they were able to prevent the attack from occurring. Thank you so much, Google! I think...

Many of the people who read my blog have already heard a great deal about my South Dakota trip, so I am not going to say much about it here. I will say though, for those I haven't talked to yet, it was a very good, exciting trip and I had a really fun time! It was pretty straightforward, the work and the layout of the trip, and nothing "miraculous" really happened, but that doesn't mean that God wasn't sowing seeds and working wonders! Heck, He is ALWAYS doing that, isn't He??? 

Now there's one thing that I learned on this trip. Actually this is something that I have learned once before. Or twice. Or quite possibly a cazillion times. It just goes to show how hilarious and pathetic it is that we humans think we are so awesome. When really we're not. And yet I still continue to forget how incredible God is, and that He's even there. Oh but, yes, He IS THERE. Because well, um, God is in everything, knows everything, made everything, understands everything, and IS EVERY -FREAKIN- THING!!! 

Also, God loves you, God knows you, and God sees everything that you are all at once. I am going to type that out again (and you, yes you, READ IT AGAIN). God loves, you, God knows you, and God sees everything that you are all at once. When He looks at you, which is all the time, He can see all of darkest corners of our hearts, the deepest spaces in your mind that you cannot reach, and He holds every fiber of your being close to His heart. Now that there is a very frightening thought. You cannot read this and tell me you were not frightened. OK, maybe you're not scared to go to sleep tonight, or you feel uneasy out of your brain, and hopefully you didn't just pee your pants, but I am hoping it at least got you thinking. 

Here's another thing, God is NOT boring. When you actually release your imagination (which is (need I remind you?) hand-crafted by God!) and ask God to let you explore just who He is, then you'll be quite shocked and amazed at how wonderful and loving God is! It WILL NOT be like when you hear the same thing over and over, you know, about God's love? And you hear it so much you start to get to the point where you shut it out or get sick of it or forget just what it means? Sadly, that happens to a lot of us believers. It happens to me a lot *raises hand*. Because we humans are naturally empty and desire for more, it is going to take a lot for us to realize how loving God really is without hearing over and over. We have to live in it, but in order to live it we have to explore it, and gradually increase our knowledge of His love through that. 

We must read the Bible with different eyes every time. That is the true visible word of God that we can pull out anytime (iPhone Bible app, anyone?) to study, explore, and gain fulfillment from. We must attend church every week a different person. The church is God's community that not only is a representation of but is unity, fellowship, and solid grounds of His kingdom right here on earth. Like I said before though, we can't just be hearing this or reading this over and over and not changing through it, we have to live it. 

I remember going on a retreat last year where this speaker really emphasized the beauty of the human mind and how it contains the power of imagination. We don't realize this, but the imagination is a part of reaching the very cores of who we are and has the potential to be destructive or healing. I could go on and on about imagination, but I won't. The thing I want to emphasize is how important it is that we grant God control over the imagination, He will reach us in ways we never could (haha!) imagine! 

Aaaaand in case you are wondering, I did NOT make this picture.
Though it does look like something I'd draw...

So whadduya waiting for??? DO EET!!! Surrender to Him like you never have before!! I'm off to do the same!!!!

Peace out, Bobby!

Goodbye Blogger...

OK guys, I just thought that I ought to let you know that I am saying goodbye to Blogger, so then you won't wonder what happened to me when I suddenly disappear. Yeah, it's just not going to work out for me, and I just simply won't be able to do any more writing here. Farewell.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!!?!??!11

Relax, it's only for a week. I won't be gone for good.

In case you are some sort of stranger on the internet (which you probably are judging by my stats) who hasn't talked to me personally lately (or ever) I am going away on a youth missions trip this week. That is why I will be unable to blog; it is unlikely that there would be any Wi-Fi or even internet where I am going. For the purpose of privacy and taking use of basic internet safety, I will not say where or when I am going until after I come back home. That's soooo smart of me, isn't it?

I'll post pictures up, maybe, if I actually TAKE any pictures, but I will for sure tell stories and provide details about what happened there. It's going to be a whole new experience for me, so, me haz a request for you guys!!!!! Don't chicken out, I know you can do it. I want you to sponsor me.

EH!
Wrong.

I'm not talking about money, I'm talking about prayer. *cue music* It's not about the money, money, money.... We don't need your money, money money....
Ahem.

If you pray for me outside while the wind is blowing your hair
might look this cool, too

Not only would I heartily appreciate it if you prayed for me, but I would just love you to pieces if you prayed for the trip in general. There's always

-Safety, the trip there and back, and while we're at our destination

-For the Holy Spirit to flow through each person's service there and that His will be done, not ours.

-And for the people we will be ministering to; that not our will, but His will be done in their lives

I will pray for you as well! BACKATCHA! I may not know you, but God does. :) So anyway...

MUAH.. :-*