Saturday, December 13, 2008
The Yearly Reminder of Religion, Philosophy, and Maybe Some Snow
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Verbal Arsonists
The best way to kill a heated argument is to kill it with kindness.
- Yell at each other till we are blue in the face
- Get a third opinion
- Kill it with kindness
The best thing to do here is option 3. What does that mean exactly? Well, it's like I mentioned earlier, kill the arguement with kindness. If you, the reader, decide that Charmin is ok, and not that bad, BOOM! Argument is finished, no more tension, everyone is happy. We just solved a HUGE debate that could have turned ugly fast.
Well how does toilet paper blend with GOD? Well, its the same principle with GOD. We argue about stuff for so long about whether it is against the Bible or not, and we have this inner struggle we deal with of "GOD, if I do this, it won't be the worst thing ever. He's not going to send me to hell for it". You're right, he won't, but you have disobeyed your savior by going behind his word. We just need to realize that this is probably not the best thing in the world to do, I will just go with what GOD says and not fight about it.
See how simple things can be if we just think happy thoughts?
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
O is For...OH WOW!
The Bible describes both Agape love and Phileo love, but I'm going to throw in Eros love as well, even though Eros is never mentioned in the Bible. I'm going to split the blog into three parts, spending a little time talking about each type.
Eros: Love for Your Other Half
The only type of love that isn't directly mentioned in the New Testament. This is more for the couples out there than anyone else. How does GOD like us expressing this type of love to one another, according to the Bible? Relationships these days are very "touchy feely". Most couples, especially teenagers, try to think about how far they can go, without crossing the boundary of too far.
Listen up Christians couples!! I'm about to answer that question for you right now!
If you and your "person of alternate interest" are asking this question, chances are, you want to go as far as possible before sex. This is a bad way to think of it. Instead of asking, "How far can I go before it's too far?", most couples need to ask "How far away can I be from that stuff before I know I'm not breaking any rules or boundaries?".
GOD knew exactly what we were going to try when he created us. Try not to fall off the pedestal he gave us. If you have, it still isn't too late to ask for forgiveness, it's never too late. Respect your boyfriend or girlfriend, and GOD will bless you through it.
Phileo: Love for Your Neighbor
If you are a christian, you know that this is almost a given. If you aren't, I'm going to give you a little refresher.
Matthew 22: 37He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
I really can't go into much more detail than that. This means that we must have tolerance. Every single person reading this is saying in there head "Darn it!" because they know that there is that one specific person who you really can't stand. According to this passage, you have to love them, even if they annoy you to the n'th degree. They are a soul just like you, and GOD made us all to where we at least need to be loved.
Some great ways to spread this is just by being nice: sitting beside the kid at lunch who is all alone, buy the person behind you in a fast food line lunch, give someone a gift anonymously. There are many ways to show that we love our fellow man, and GOD will grant you the tolerance for it.
Agape: Love for Our Creator
The sad thing is, this is the least popular love in the world. The greatest commandment, the key to life, the happiness that made the world whole, and about 70% of the world don't even know him.
GOD made us all so that we can love him. This is the top reason to get you into heaven. If you don't express love for GOD, you are not going to heaven, plain and simple. That may be harsh, but the first step to being religious is to realize that it isn't always giggles and lollipops.
On a lighter side, GOD makes this a fairly easy thing to accomplish. Satan is the one that tries to tear this apart. In order to achieve this love fully, all you must do is accept him into your life, and obey his teachings that are given to us in his holy word, The Bible.
Now I could rant for days and days about this, but the best thing I can tell anyone reading this to do is to open up the New Testament, and just start reading. He was a great man, and he's an even better spirit.
If you are a rising Christian reading this, all this seems like a lot of work and patience, and it is, but in the end, it is SO worth it!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
4 8 15 16 23 42
I will cover faith now, and numbers in a second.
Churches have this trend they like to abide by. They want it to be as biblical as possible without forcing anything down any one's throat. Every preacher wants his congregation to leave the sanctuary and feel like they got juiced up with GOD and they blended with the message and the people giving it. The people want to get out of this strong experience with the Holy Spirit and feel like they had a connection with the Word. The band wants to feel like they built a bridge between GOD and congregation to make the ends meet once they reach the mount. Every person inside that building of bricks/stone/dry wall/whatever wants to feel like they each make a piece of the Earthly puzzle. And it's exciting every Sunday!
Then comes the major downfall of most churches...
People look at this and think "Wow, this is amazing! We should share this with everyone!". So the preacher and congregation make a mental bond to focus on numbers. More people means more fun right? The more people you can stuff in that building the better your church is? WRONG! Most churches try to attempt this feat at least one in the lifetime of the church to have the most people possible. Unfortunately, this becomes a bickering war with other churches and a competition to see who can get the most.
The reason that these two are intertwined into one blog is that they are in opposition. You can't focus on both things at once. I don't care if your preacher, youth pastor, musicians, people in the church say you can, you can't. No, you can't. No. No. No. The moment you start thinking, 'the more the merrier', your church will start to lose a lot of faith. You may have thousands and thousands of people, but a much smaller percentage of those will actually know the full word.
This is also evident in something that seems so simple, and a great idea too, CHURCH SIGNS. They say things like "Burn or Perish" or "1 Cross + 3 Nails = Forgiven" or my personal favorite "The church for people who do church". If we post these things up, and it is seen by the masses, that's really a horrible way to express the love of Jesus and his followers. The purpose of the signs, numbers. We post stuff on these signs trying to draw people in, when in turn it actually pushes them farther away.
Well, you are probably sitting there asking yourself, "How can we find a successful medium?" This lies in the greatest commandment, LOVE. If we express love through people we know or don't, people will come. GOD will bring the people, we have to do nothing. They will look at us and want what we have. They will want to experience the happiness we get just by waking up in the morning. It brings satisfaction to everyone! EVERYBODY WINS!!!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
"How About All That Paint On Your Chest Sucka!?"
This is the audio version of an earlier blog I posted on! In case you didn't read it, it is the best example of sex in marriage and sex before marriage that I have heard. It really strengthened my views of GOD's creation of us. This was done December 2007 at a Wesleyan Youth Convention. He did a great job, along with his wife (not included in the video). Hope you enjoy it!!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
"Religion or Movement?" by Tom Harding
- A religion has a budget, but a movement is resourced by GOD
- A religion has a leader, but a movement has an apostle
- A religion has a board, but a movement is out of control
- A religion is of man, but a movement is of GOD
- A religion is predictable, but a movement is unpredictable
- A religion is manageable, but a movement is chaos
- A religion is controlled, but a movement is a transformation
- A religion has followers, but a movement has participants
- A religion is a happening, but a movement transforms
- A religion is humanity, but a movement is spirit
- A religion makes sense, but a movement is beyond comprehension
- A religion looks for examples, but a movement sets the examples
- A religion is anybody's game, but a movement is led by GOD's anointed
- A religion is reactionary, but a movement is proactive
- A religion is safe, but a movement is risk
- A religion says "That's the way we do it", but a movement says "How can we do this better?"
- A religion appeases, but a movement offends
- A religion is relevant, but a movement is revelation
- A religion is rules, but a movement is a relationship
- A religion is facade, but a movement is genuine
- A religion is repeated, but a movement is unique
- A religion is staffed, but a movement you die for
- A religion counts the cost, but a movement has immeasurable cost
- A religion you cry, but a movement you bleed
- A religion you eat, but a movement you fast
- A religion is cool, but a movement is revolutionary
- A religion is perfect, but a movement is not evaluated
- A religion is directed, but a movement cannot be harnessed
- A religion is marketable, but a movement doesn't need advertise
- A religion is ME, but a movement is GOD
Thursday, August 14, 2008
[Insert Catchy Title Here]
Anyways, Dad decided that he would let Alex say a few words for the Wednesday night message. He spoke about something that GOD has really been laying on my heart, and as I sit here typing on the laptop in the kitchen, the TV is on 7Th Heaven, where the topic is brought up, yet again. It shows Simon sitting in the kitchen upset. As he does, Eric walks in and wonders why he isn't eating. He says he can't eat because he knows about all the bad in the world and it makes him feel selfish that we have it so good.
This brings me to what I wanted to talk about. Society these days has grown so selfish that we don't realize how good we have it. There are people at Wren High that wake up in the morning, drive their $30,000 car to school, wear clothes that cost about the price of diamond-studded rims, have the best friends ever, and still feel like they want more. I think these people need to realize how good they actually have it. Some people don't even have food to eat and you wake up and make this 4-star luxurious buffet and feel depressed because it didn't end up the way you wanted it. All that is is pure selfishness.
Alex also brought up a point that I have never even realized, a point that those who don't see this way about stuff, need to help with. He stated that there is a cheerleader at Easley High, who have these great friends, very attractive, nice clothes, and all these things that make it appear like she is living big. However, since he lives down the street from her, he passes by her every day. This girl looks like she would live in a fifty million dollar mansion and have the perfect family, but she lives in a very old house that looks run down and wasted. And every time he passes by the house, she is always in the yard, sitting all alone.
What do I mean by telling you this? Basically, what I'm saying in a nutshell is that looks don't matter. If every christian judged a person by their looks, the whole world would be condemned. Don't think that just because they have all this stuff and all these great friends that they live the good life, because this could be far from the truth. Get to know these people, sit down, have a conversation, and become a genuine friend to them and don't think they are snobby, or a prep, or a jerk, because this may be a face they are putting on. What they are really trying to say is "Someone help. Someone talk to me."
Alex also made one more good statement by saying that if you do live behind a mask, you should take that off. Don't be ashamed of your life. If you are going through some things, don't try to hide. Find a good friend you can talk to and get some help. There are plenty of people out there willing to help, whether you like them or not. If you need help, call someone and let them help you as opposed to trying to deal with it yourself.
Thanks Alex for bringing us such a good message!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
"Tastes Great, Less Filling" by John MacArthur
Today this same consumer mind-set has invaded Christianity. The church service is too long, you say? We'll shorten it (one pastor guarentees his sermons will never last more than seven minutes!). Too formal? Wear your sweatsuit. Too boring? Wait'll you hear our band!
And if the message is too confrontational, or too judgemental, or too exclusive, scary, unbelieveable, hard to understand, or too much anything else for your taste, churches everywhere are eager to adjust that message to make you more comfortable. This new version of Christianity makes you a partner on the team, a design consultant on church life, and does away with old-fashioned authority, guilt trips, accountability, and moral absolutes.
One suburban church sent out a mailer recently, promising an "informal, relaxed, casual atmosphere," "great music from our band," and that those who will come, "believe it or not, even have fun." That's all great if you're a coffeehouse. But anyone who claims to be calling people to the gospel of Jesus with those as his priorities is calling them to a lie.
It's Christianity for consumers: Christianity Lite, the redirection, watering down, and misinterpretation of the biblical gospel in an attempt to make it more palatable and popular. It tastes great going down and settles light. It seems to salve your feelings and scratch your itch; it's custom-tailored to your preferences. But that lightness will never fill you up with the true, saving gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is designed by man and not GOD, and it is hollow and worthless. In fact, it's worse than worthless, because people who hear the message of Christianity Lite think they're hearing the gospel, think they're being rescued from eternal judgment, when, in fact, they're being tragically misled.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
From The Religious Questions of Charlie Alcock: Part 3
Saturday, July 19, 2008
From The Religious Questions of Charlie Alcock: Part 2
I think every kid felt just about the same way. They can't sleep, they just want it to be the next morning already. I would look over at my clock and think "It is really late", and it's actually like 12. Pretty much, kids get the feeling of hope and they wish they get what they want.
Have you ever felt the same when thinking about spending time with GOD? Was it a camp, a concert, an event at church, or just being alone with GOD that excited you?
Do you feel you've grown spiritually this past year?
Grown is such a broad word. Maturing in your age can mean growing in your spiritual walk with Christ. However, since I was lucky enough to experience two camps and a convention this past year, I'm extremely blessed. I think that GOD has shown himself at both of those places in more ways than one. This year, though, it wasn't as much finding GOD as it was finding his word and how it fits in with reflecting the Godly life. For example, I honestly don't remember the majority of the sermons at the convention, but the one that really stands out is The Blakeneys' service on how to deal with relationships and reflecting yourself through those. I didn't have a big revelation in my walk with Christ, but I did get a much stronger sense of what GOD made us for when he designed sex. So it isn't as much a growing thing as it was broadening my religious horizon.
What do you think GOD cares about?
A better question here would be to ask what he doesn't care about. GOD cares about everyone and everything. People are always going around saying "Jesus loves" when people should be saying "Jesus cares". All christians know he loves us, but some don't realize how much he actually cares about what we do. The littlest things can make us falter, but he knows that we will. It is more important to him that we pick ourselves up and shrug it off as opposed to taking a nose dive right into that.
Have you read the Bible lately?
Of course. I love it! Jen actually asked me today what my favorite book was, and I told her "The Bible" because it is. There is love, hate, drama, sex, conflict, violence, and happiness. It's the most interesting book in the world. I'm supposed to be doing summer reading for school, and I easily put down those at night and flip open my Bible, because nothing else compares to hearing about GOD's life, what is right and wrong, how I can further express my love for people, the best and worse areas to fail, it's amazing!
What does GOD's voice sound like? How do you know when he speaks to you?
There are very few people who have truly heard the voice of GOD, ever. GOD doesn't speak like a normal person. He speaks mentally. Whenever you get that feeling that says "Maybe I shouldn't do this", that isn't you, that is GOD. Some things aren't as black and white though, some things you just know. For example, the last time I truly heard GOD speak to me was wednesday night of Senior High Camp. I heard no voices, I wasn't being told anything. I just looked over the crowd of crying faces and people rejoicing, and I just knew that I wanted to be a youth pastor. It's like this ring of happiness that swallows your whole body, and it's absolutly astounding. GOD is a being that no one can even begin to fathom in our human form, that's how amazing he is. So just imagine that it's hard to interpret when he says subtle things to it, and it encloses us, just imagine when we go to heaven and we get to chill with him every second of every day, forever! It blows me away!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
From The Religious Questions of Charlie Alcock: Part 1
The culture these days says that it's all about you, forget about others. Most of the time, I have gone against this logic. However, the past year has tried to tell me to go with what everyone wants you to be. I have finally realized that I don't care how others treat themselves towards me, but that I need to lead them on a path to Christ, and stop trying to make so many friends. I need to be more focused on others' lives & trying to get them saved that worrying about if people like me or not. I couldn't care less if someone likes me; if I'm spreading the love of Christ, then I don't worry about how people see me.
What do people at your school say about Christians?
It is really hard to witness to non-believers in the Bible Belt because I know that some people have been told about Christ from the wrong people. I know they have good intentions, but some of their motives are way off. The wrong influx of people giving a false witness over and over causes some non-believers to abandon religious teachings all together. They think that you can or can't do some things as a Christian, but this is the typical non-christian reaction.
Are most people okay with your being a Christian, or do they judge you more than others?
Factoring in again that we live in the Bible Belt, most people don't think of me as being bad for being a Christian. Most think I'm just a pretty cool guy. This is the best time to show the love of Christ. If they start judging you, let them. Most of the time they just want to get a rise out of you. If you were really strong in your faith, then their comments won't mean anything to you. If you flip out at them, you are a hypocrite, and they will more that likely lose their thirst for GOD for a few, and they more than likely won't like you that much anymore either.
What do you value most in your life? (You can answer this question best by looking at how you spend your time)
Well, the Sunday School answer here is to say Jesus, but no one is that much on fire for GOD. I love my relationship with GOD, but I'm human, so I obviously won't lie to myself with the religious answer because it isn't true. Lately, I have become obsessed with my relationship with others & not a relationship with GOD. I need to have him as my main emotional priority. However, if he is telling me to work as a youth pastor (which he is), then my main priority needs to be school & trying to achieve what he has called me for, my relationship with him will shine through that.
How can you make more time to focus on your relationship with GOD?
If I cut out all these petty, earthly things, like video games or music or my relationship with others, my relationship with him will grow, just by living life. He will call me through his word without forcing anything. However, by completely resenting the gifts he gave you, you might as well dig your religious grave yourself, because you will throw his gifts away as well.
What is true freedom?
When you get to the phase when you don't need to keep going back to those things that bog you down, you have reached full salvation. However, humans aren't perfect, so we go back to those things often. When people get to the point when they see nothing wrong in their actions, that is the point when you start losing your freedom and losing your salvation. Just because someone went to jail doesn't mean they aren't ever free again, try to bounce back from those faults.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Sore Throats and Extreme Fatigue Only Mean One Thing...
Sunday: I am sick to my stomach from anxiety. I didn't want to go at all for the reasons I had just mentioned above. I was dragging the whole day when I got lifted up by a wall post on Facebook. One of my best friends, Michael Mosley, had come up with enough money last minute and was able to go! And after that the day just got better. My mood changed and the sick feeling I felt earlier had turned into pure excitement, yet something told me it wouldn't be the same as years past.
Monday: We get there about an hour before registration starts, and I only recognized Jon Brady there. Good start so far (that was sarcasm for those who aren't as smart upstairs, like Amanda Kenney)! We check-in, and luckily get the room I wanted, Taber 1. We have been in this room ever since I went three years ago, and it feels like home away from home. So, people start showing up, I'm now sick again cause no one I know has come except Brady, Mosley, and Cody. After thinking this, a rush of people I knew came in and made me feel better! After the LONG three hours of registration, we started the camp kick-off. We were assigned to a team separate from the E1 girls and Mosley, so it wasn't that great. We chose the name Holy Hooligans, which I thought was lame at first, but now it's freaking hilarious! Our afternoon activity was Tuba-Mania, which they had cancelled in years past, but decided to bring it back. Now that I look back on how fun it was, I understand why it was cancelled. This was, by far, the most violent game I have ever played in my life. So the day goes by, and it comes to the service. No jumping, no cheering, and I didn't really feel the spirit. Plus, the dinner we had hit me the wrong way, so I was sick to my stomach most of the night. Luckily, my favorite camp pastime was the sport for the evening, dodge ball. We had played the game with me as the last member for our team in the first round. I'm not a professional, so I only stayed alone for about 2 minutes against about ten guys. We still had fun though, but it was a terrible start to a camp I thought I was going to hate.
Tuesday: We woke up before the roosters did, and left early to a water park. A 2-hour drive to a tiny water park in Georgia doesn't seem that bad unless you suffer from my problem, motion sickness. Luckily, I sat in front of our speaker Derik for the week, and we discussed religion on the way there and back. However, the water park was lame. I'm just going to be honest for any of the camp leaders who are reading this, it definitely wasn't worth the ride down. So we get back and everyone showers and gets ready for dinner. No sickness tonight came from it though, which was lucky. The service, however, was the first of the remaining that were amazing! There wasn't a dry eye in the place as he spoke about how we have been scarred by an event previous in our lives. It was definitely the turning point of camp.
Wednesday: By this point, camp is starting to get a little better, but it didn't feel the same. The majority of the day we spent hanging out with fellow campers and just chilling. Wet-n-Wild Wednesday was this day, and I didn't feel like showering for twenty minutes, so I didn't participate. We had two hours of free time before supper though, and I caught up with a friend I had met last year at Senior High and Family Camp, Aimee Springer. She is a very interesting character, but yet very cool. She painted my fingernail while we watched the basketball game for the counselor challenge, and I tried all day to scrape it off. By the time service rolls around, a lot of people showed up who I knew for the service. My brother, Madison, Amanda, Lance, Joseph, David, and the biggest surprise, who ended up staying two nights in our room, Kevin DeRossett. His craziness carried on throughout the night, and it was a great pleasure to have him there. Service was the best I have ever heard in my life, and I had a life-changing revelation. GOD had confirmed a previous calling, and now he has chosen me for one of the most respectable jobs in the christian world, youth minister. Something he told me that was made me happier than I have ever been in my life. It was good seeing all the faces, and the best night of camp I have ever had!
Thursday: Gong Show Night! I had this skit I wanted to do for the show for about a month, and I finally showed it to the entire E1 crew. They loved it, so we learned our lines and spent the day practicing. We had gone to the State Park for about an hour or so, but it got rained out, which stunk (DARN YOU SOUTHERN WEATHER!!). Finally, the thing I had been waiting for all day rolled around, the Gong Show. And much to my dismay, not only did the same people who showed up the previous night come, but more I knew, including Deborah Rhodes, and a few kids from school who are in Hank Brooks's youth group (he had come to watch). Now, if you didn't know our skit, you are probably wondering why I wouldn't want them there. The end of our skit, I rip my shirt off, and I'm no Brad Pitt, so I was a little nervous about that. Luckily though, the first half of our skit went off without a hitch. We got gonged though half-way through on a crap gong! People were laughing and having fun, but they gonged us. There were others that night who definitely weren't' as funny, and went through all of it with as little as a smirk from the audience. I thought it was bull, but there isn't a thing I can do about it now, so oh well. As the skits passed, one of the Latino groups that were there, from a Spanish Wesleyan church, started dancing to "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira. If you are reading this, and you have attended a camp in previous years, you know that that song belongs to Kevin DeRossett. He stood up on the chair and screamed at the judges to gong them because that was his song (jokingly scream though). Of course, because of the terrible judging, they weren't gonged for another twenty seconds after that, even though the skit didn't make a soul laugh and was as offensive as mess. After all the skits, Lance gave me an idea I had already had about half an hour before. I told the judges to have Kevin get on stage and sing Shakira. And he did it, of course, in the funniest event of the night. The winner of the show was, of course, Bethany, who are complete geniuses when it comes to the gong show. Despite the fluke that was the judging, the gong show was actually pretty cool.
Friday: The last day. We spent the majority of it cleaning up and saying goodbyes. By the time service rolled around, we got a huge lightning storm, so it was postponed momentarily. The service that night was a large baptism, where several people I knew were baptized, including Donahoo and Adam Robbins (CONGRATS GUYS!). After that, the winner of the Claude Heath Mulliken bucket was announced as Mosley's team, but the night wasn't over. We were treated to three awesome, mosh till you drop, scream till you die, songs that were as fun as ever. Then, the signature Primal Yell. But my favorite part followed, as we all got treated to a 7-minute drum solo that was, by far, the craziest thing I have ever heard.
Overall, it was the best camp I have ever had! I would explain more events, but this is already three or four times longer than my longest blog! Facebook me if you want to know more!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Expanding The Religious Spectrum
However, there are still people out there looking for their purpose on this Earth. Those people are the lost; the ones christians are targeting. The sad thing is that these people are blind, spiritually. They don't realise that the key to happiness, everlasting life, success, joy, peace, togetherness; all these things lie in the best-selling book of all-time, The Bible.
The Bible is strong in more ways than some people these days realise. Inside that combination of cheap glue, slim paper, and pinpoint-sized ink is the truth, the "crumb trail" God left behind him after he made the Earth. That book is where everything we need to know for this life and the afterlife is stored. That book also houses guidelines, rules, punishments, creationism, the list goes on and on. What is sad though is that most people in our society today take this book and shrug it off like it's nothing.
What I can't stand more than anything these days is when peachers sugarcoat the Bible to add or take away anything they want (apparently they haven't read Rev. 22:19 & 20). People don't realise that God's word is very concrete. He doesn't use as much symbolism or metaphors as people like to think. For example, I have a friend who is no longer talking to me because I am intolerant of homosexuals. The Bible says verbatim that if a man loves a man, they WILL NOT go to heaven. It's not intolerance, it's the truth. Another example is that in modern society, women believe they can do anything they want in the world, which is the truth, they can. However, 1 Timothy 2:11-15 says that a woman cannot hold power over a man. It's not sexist, it's God's word. He also says that women will be saved through this submission, so don't feel bad ladies.
The real truth of the matter is that people are opinionated about God's word, which shouldn't be happening. It is worthless to have all these denominations or alternate religions when all of them are getting something wrong. I think it is time for churches to stop trying to get people into the church, but to look at the people they already have and make sure they are getting the full story.
If you are a football coach, are you going to do better having 1000 really weak guys, or 50 strong players?
We, as christians, need to evaluate the word we teaching, and maybe get a few things in our lives on the right track, before going out there and trying to help others. I put a poll over on the sidebar and I want everyone who reads this to vote for what they think about the Bible. I will express how people think in July.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
It's Like Stapling JESUS On Your Forehead
Then I realised, there really aren't that many bands out there who have full on Christian lyrics anymore. All these bands have sold out for fame and fortune and completly forgotten about using music to minister to the lost.
Dad kept arguing with me on the issue that Family Force 5 isn't Christian, and I debated with him for about twenty minutes on the issue. A couple days later, as I'm writing this, it occured to me that they aren't a Christian band. To be completly honest, how many bands today claim to be "christian", yet if you heard them on the radio, could you tell them apart from secular bands? I think it's time for bands to stop focusing on what they want to write, and focus on what they need to write.
This goes the same for christians. We need to have so much emphasis on our connection to God that non-followers should walk by and immediately tell which side of the religious spectrum we stand for. People should see us and say "there is a good person". We want them to want what we have, they should strive to be like us, not to the point of being envious or idolistic though.
New format of writing! Tell me how you like it!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
The Topic of Homosexuality (revised)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
In Honor...
25 things you may not know about me:
- I love Nintendo!
- I love Jesus! (not in that order)
- I sometimes argue with those who aren't of the same faith as me.
- I dislike mega-churches (churches of quadruple digits)
- I have used the same pencil in school for three years.
- The reason I have no school spirit is because people betray me at that school.
- Rocker chicks = Mega awesome!
- I don't use "hot" to describe girls; they are princesses and should be treated as so.
- My interest in heavy metal was sparked as a joke.
- I don't care what you say, Butterfinger's are the greatest thing on this Earth
- I am an addict of Lost and Family Guy
- Fart jokes are used often by me, especially at the least opportune time.
- I couldn't tie my shoes till I was 11
- I couldn't whistle this time last year
- My feet are ridiculously tiny
- I had braces, lost the retainer, and now my bottom teeth are crooked.
- I was offered to be a screamer for two different bands. One I tried out for and they didn't like me because they understood what I was screaming, and the other was in Clemson
- The entire 2006-2007 school year, no girl talked to me because they thought I was gay. Last year, a gay guy rubbed my leg. I would have punched him, but a teacher was watching. He made him move. Haha!
- I had the chicken pox, despite getting the shot
- My Vans have lasted me almost three years now.
- I'm afraid of thunderstorms.
- Women = Mentally insane!
- NASCAR and Hockey are my two favorite sports
- I have scoliosis
- My favorite verse in the Bible is 1 Timothy 2:11-15 because of it's controversy
Monday, April 21, 2008
Help Wanted
- If you are dating a guy, or like a guy, that is a total jerk to you, but you still stay with him, you need to get out of that relationship and as soon as possible. You are not going to change him and chances are, that jerk personality is his true self. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, stay in the relationship and try to change him, it will not work. The best thing to do is just walk away.
- People always have issues, that's just a fact of life everyone deals with. However, some people turn to the wrong people for guidance. If you struggle with drinking or smoking or anything along those lines, the absolute worst person to turn to is someone struggling with the same thing you are. The best person to talk to is GOD. The next best is a mature adult, whether it is a youth pastor or a counselor, preferably of the same sex.
- If your friends are telling you to change, but you don't think you need to, chances are you have an issue you need to deal with. Denial is just satan trying to pull you into his world, and the best thing you can do is to come to terms with yourself.
If you are reading this with the intentions to change some of these things, talk to someone you can trust and tell them some of the problems you are dealing with.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
I've Been Tagged
Here are the rules:
When tagged place the name of the person that tagged you and URL on your blog.
Write 7 random facts about yourself.
Name 7 bloggers that you are tagging.
7 facts:
1. Thunderstorms fear me
2. My ringtone is The Little Mermaid
3. I snore, loud
4. I don't like conformist (people who change their personality to those of the people they want to be like by)
5. I like girls who listen to any of the following bands: Norma Jean, August Burns Red, As I Lay Dying, Between the Buried and Me, The Devil Wears Prada, Killswitch Engage, or anything in that general genre
6. My major in college is either going to be Ministry or Computer Sciences, still haven't decided which
7. I'm going to SWU! Woo!
I'm tagging:
1. Matt Rhodes
2. Deborah Rhodes
3. Jen Clay
4. Kristen Hodges
5. Cody Thomas
6. Heath Mulliken
7. Eddie Smith