My Candle is Burning Out!

Oh my gosh this single parenting thing is HARD! My candle is burning at both ends and it's almost out! Somebody........HELLLLLLLLP! Sometimes I feel like I'm being attacked from all sides with no defense! I wonder if any decision I make is the right one!

I hate cell phones!!!!! Parents, thirteen year olds DO NOT NEED to have cell phones especially the ones with instant messaging , gaming, cameras and ipods! This is out of control! I recently found out that one of my friend's kids sends out over 7000 text messages every month! Are there no people around to talk to? Why not just dial the phone number and talk? This is madness I tell you! Madness!

Gosh I miss the days when my phones were attached to the wall, when I hiked in the woods and played with barbies, when there was no cable television and no internet. I enjoy some of these things now, but life was just so much simpler then.

He Called Again

The caller from the previous post called back again today.

Guess what he asked?

Caller: "How much is Flyleaf? I called some places the other day and wondered if it was $12.99 there?"

I'm just glad to know I'm not the only one he is calling with these questions.

Oh, and I noticed he did NOT come in to buy it today like he said he would. Matter of fact when I shared this story with my employees, they said he had called earlier in the week too...which would explain how he knew the cost of the CD.

On a Lighter Note

Work has been very stressful lately, and my "low tolerance for stupidity" level is even lower than normal. I feel like I'm going to snap at any moment and then I get a call like this:

Caller: "Yeah, uh...., y'all got dat Flyleaf fo $12.99 'ight?"

Me: "Yes"

Caller: "How much is it?"

Me: "Why are you asking me a question that you already know the answer to?"

Caller: "Uh...I gonna come t'morra an' buy it."

Me: (rolling my eyes) "....ok....bye"

*click*

Conversations with Who?

I received an email today that I found interesting enough to quote it here at the Sisters' Weblog:

Two particular books, Conversations with God and Conversations with God for Teens, written by Neale D. Walsch , sound harmless enough by their titles alone. These books have been on the New York Times best sellers list for a number of weeks, and these publications make truth of the statement, "Don't judge a book by its cover/title."

The author purports to answer various questions from kids using the "voice of God". However, the "answers" that he gives are not Bible-based and go against the very infallible word of God. For instance (and I paraphrase), when a girl asks the question "Why am I a lesbian?" His answer is that she was born that way because of genetics (just as you were born right-handed,with blue eyes, etc...). Then he tells her to go out and "celebrate" her differences. Another girl poses the question "I am living with my boyfriend. My parents say that I should marry him because I am living in sin. Should I marry him?" His reply is, "Who are you sinning against? Not me, because you have done nothing wrong."

Another question asks about God's forgiveness of sin. His reply "I do not forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive. There is no such thing as right or wrong and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone, do not judge people. People have chosen to judge one another and this is wrong, because the rule is "'judge not lest ye be judged.'" And the list goes on.

Not only are these books the false doctrine of devils, but in some instances even quote (in error) the Word of God. These books (and others like it) are being sold to school children (The Scholastic Book Club), and we need to be aware of what is being fed to our children. Our children are under attack.

So I pray that you be sober and vigilant about teaching your children the Word of God, and guarding their exposure to worldly mediums, because our adversary, the Devil, roams about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). And how many of us know that lions usually hunt for the slowest, and weakest and YOUNGEST of its prey.

Gal 6:9 Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season,if we don't give up.

Question...why do unbelievers use the Bible or God to back up anything? If they don't believe, then what's the point? So, either they DO believe in God's Holy Word as a standard to live by or they are the biggest hypocrites of all. Would I use the Koran to prove a point about Christianity? It doesn't make sense. Then there are those who for some reason want to believe that they are living in a way that God approves of so they twist the Truth to favor the lusts of their sinful nature.

2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Romans 8:5
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

Romans 13:14
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Colossians 3:5
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

1 Peter 1:14
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

1 Peter 4:2
As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

If you love God then you will obey His commands (See John 14:23-24). Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). These desires will be for Him and not self. Only then can one know what it means to love, be loved, and to experience true freedom.

We are deceived into thinking we are free because we manipulate Truth to justify our lifestyle. But what we don't realize is that we are only giving in to captivity by living a lie. So often we deceive ourselves. We cheat ourselves from having the blessings God is waiting to pour out on our lives. He only asks that we love Him first.

The war is raging and it's not one belief system against another. It's not one person against another. It's a war that is not fought on land, but in the spiritual realm. It's a choice we face every day in every word we say and everything we do.

God or satan
Good or evil
Right or wrong
Spirit or flesh
Truth or deception

It's white or black
It's freedom or captivity

Will you surrender to the Freedom of the Savior or to the captivity of a deceiving enemy.

The King of Kings or the father of lies?

It's your choice. It's one or the other. There is no in between.

Curse God and Die!

I can't even turn the television on for five minutes before some type of sexual content is in my face. I have one channel...ONE...and from what I see there, there is no way I will ever pay for this garbage to be pumped into the veins of my home straight to the hearts of my family. I had hope last night when I turned the television on, excited about the new show, "Brothers and Sisters". It seemed like something that my family might be able to watch...a story about family. Of course I was skeptical and decided to watch it at least once before making it a family event. It took all of five minutes to decide to turn it off. Almost instantly in the first scene an unmarried couple began to move towards having sex. When will people get enough? It's disgusting and I'm sick of it. I don't want to watch married couples engaged in God blessed union in the bedroom. So, why would I want to watch sinful intimacy promoted? Sex used to be something beautiful and intimate. It was done in private, in the room of married couples as it should be. Now, it's nothing more than humans behaving like animals for any man, woman, boy, or girl at any time of day to view on public television. Disgusting is not even a sufficient word to describe it. The human race is becoming more and more animal like as time goes on. I don't believe that we have evolved from animals but it sure does seem like we are beginning to behave like them more and more as time goes on.


On another note, NBC is causing problems for the writers of Veggie Tales. They say that "God loves you very much" is offensive and cannot be said on the show! Moreover, they don't want any Biblical teachings being spoken of. Hello? Didn't they know what the Veggies were all about before they signed them into contract? Yet it's okay to listen to people exclaim "Oh my God, For Christ's sake, and Jesus Christ" at every possible moment that has nothing to do with Him! That doesn't seem to offend people as much.

Is anybody getting the message here? Wake up society! There is an enemy at large that makes Bin Laden look like a saint! In fact, he is the one who Bin Laden gets his training from. He wants every child of God to curse God and die.

Think about it....

Does anybody use the name Mohammed, Ghandi, or Oprah prior to the word damned? Does anybody say "for Budda's sake" when they try to make a point? Do they yell, "John Smith" when they smash their thumb with a hammer? You think that somebody would be offended to have their name used in such a way? Do you think somebody who loved them would be offended? But, even Christians on a regular basis use the expression, "Oh my God" just to express surprise.

Is satan having his way or what?

My Answer and Torture

I agree with one of my commenters, Mary, from the previous post, that if five Christians met up with five Muslims in a room that there would probably be peaceful conversation and sharing of ideas and no real problems at all. If five "Christian Extremists" came into that room, there might be heated discussion and most likely someone would be told they were "going to hell", but I do think there would be agreement on the main points of Christian doctrine.

Five "Muslim Extremists" would probably try to forceabley convert the committed Christians in that room, without success, and that would lead them to "kill the infidel". At the end of the day, there would be five "Muslim Extremists" left standing in that room.

This is why it is so important for Christians, non-Christians and Muslims who represent the "peaceful religion" that we hear about, to fight the "Muslim Extremists". We can't "make nice" with those who do not respect life, and in fact, show more respect for death than anything. The "Muslim Extremist" or any terrorist will kill you in anyway they can, and they don't care if it means they die too. It they don't die killing you, they will keep on killing others. They welcome death. I can not think of anyway to fight this kind of enemy than to eliminate it before it eliminates you, and admit that it is hard to reconcile that with my faith.

That brings me to the torture question. The USA is debating now if torture is ever appropriate. I weigh this question within the confines of my faith as well. It is a difficult question for those who value life, and believe we should have a certain quality of life. I hate to see anyone treated inhumanely. I believe the life of a human being is sacred. However, some humans have chosen a life that is destructive and causes harm to others. Some humans, terrorists, have no regard for life. They will kill innocent people without blinking an eye, if that human is determined to be "the infidel". Almost 3000 "infidels" died in our country five years ago in a planned attack.

Recently, some attacks have been thwarted, and not just in the USA, but in Great Britain as well. Some of the information gathered and used to thwart further attacks have come from terrorists that are in custody and through coercive interrogation, or torture. (To some it is a question of 'what constitutes torture?', but I'm not answering that question here.)

If there was a plan to bomb the city where I live and kill thousands, it seems to me that if we can gather information from a person who is aware of the plan...that we should get that information via any means outside of killing, in order to save many innocent lives. There is a technique called waterboarding that seems to be very effective in the gathering of vital information. I heard a man, who had experienced this technique when he was in the military, describe this form of coersion on a radio talk show. He was a caller and said "the key is it leaves no bruises, no cuts, no scars and it works!"

Shouldn't we coerce information, using effective techniques, for the sole purpose of saving the lives of innocents?

I've read a bunch of essays about torture and what the Christian response should be. (There are a few listed here, and a good one here, and an interesting perspective on "Christian Wimps" here.) All of these essays/articles have some intelligent points to make, and some troubling things as well. I can't help but wonder at times if Americans really understand the very real threat evil, as manifested through terrorism, is. (Not that evil in another form is any less evil!) Terrorists don't discriminate...they rid themselves of what they see as evil...that is the "infidel" and the "infidel" is anyone not like them.

What if a person had information that would save the life of your own kids and family, but wasn't going to give that information willingly? Would you just stand there and let your family be beheaded without trying any means necessary to get information out of the person who could possibly give enough information in order to stop a major tragedy from being carried out?

Would Jesus torture? No, Jesus would not torture, but this is something that drives me crazy, because I also can't see Jesus allowing the innocent to die at the hand of madmen.

And Jesus did allow torture. He was tortured and He was innocent. Jesus allowed Himself, an innocent man, to be tortured and He allowed it in order to save many.

Ugh, it's a fallen world! Sometimes I just don't have the answers! My "gut" says Christians should not torture or endorse torture, but when presented with PURE EVIL, it is difficult to not react with a fallen mentality.

All creation groans!

Five Christians In A Room...

Five Christians in a room. They are Christians living they way they believe Jesus Christ would have them live. Caring for the poor and the widows, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, loving people as they love themselves, worshiping God and sharing the gospel of Good News with those they meet.

They meet five Muslims in that room. What happens?

Now, in that room they meet five "Christian extremists"...what happens?

Now they meet five "Islamo-fascists", or "Muslim extremists"...what happens?

** NEEDED: READER PARTICIPATION **

I'm curious to hear what you, out there in Readerland, would say would happen in these different scenarios. It might be interesting to see what notions people have about Christians and about Muslims and how they might interact if together in a room. Respond in the comment section please.

tags: Christian, Christianity, Christian+extremist, Muslim, Islam, Islamo-fascist, Muslim+Extremist

I'm Not So Sick Anymore

I'm feeling better.

Ugh.

Sometimes life just gets to you, ya know?

Wow

So, after all my ranting in the post below and for the fact that I am so sick of myself, I came across this video at Imago Dei. It kind of puts things in perspective.

(The preacher is a little hard to hear so you may want adjust your volume level.)



My salvation is secure, I won't be left behind, but I'll still be held accountable for my attitude.

I'm So Sick

I'm so sick of life.

I'm so sick of work.

I'm so sick of my house.

I'm so sick of rules.

I'm so sick of people not following rules.

And getting away with it.

I'm so sick of my dog, always yapping, scratching and annoying me in every possible way.

I'm so sick of the phone ringing.

I'm so sick of whacko people IMing me who have no real interest in me, or chatting.

I'm so sick of people.

I'm so sick of the lights being left on.

I'm so sick of money.

Or lack thereof.

I'm so sick of this world.

I'm so sick of car maintanence.

I'm so sick of spam.

I'm so sick of never being alone.

I'm so sick of being lonely.

I'm so sick of clutter.

I'm so sick of being irritable.

I'm so sick of it.

I'm so sick of being invaded.

I'm sick of all the ranting.

Around myself.

From myself.

About myself.

I'm so sick of shoddy craftsmenship.

I'm so sick of thinking about everything I have to do.

That I'm not doing.

I'm so sick of wanting to do things.

That I'm not doing.

I'm so sick of traffic.

I'm so sick of incompetence.

I'm so sick of feeling so stuck.

I'm so sick of feeling so sick of it all.

Reflection

A reminder for those who have forgotten, and a wonderful tribute and memorial for those who haven't.

September 11

It's 9/11 2006. Five years after one of the darkest days in American History. September 11. It used to be just another day. I mean, pick one...does November 9th mean anything to you? What about February 27th? August 18th? September 11th. We all remember what we were doing at the moment we heard the news. It impacted us all that day. That week. Now, five years later...we say life isn't the same. How has your life changed? Honestly. How is your life different today, than it was September 10th, 2001? It seemed time stopped for a moment, in shock. Agony. Fear. We took a breath as we reflected on the "important" things in life. But, how are our lives different today? Maybe some things have changed at the airport, but really, my personal life is basically the same as it was September 10, 2001. I have the same job, I have the same roommate and her kids, I have the same family, I have the same daily triumphs and struggles. I know that a great many families suffered loss that awful day, and their lives are being lived without loved ones, but for most of us I believe not much has changed. I thank God for that. I thank God that I live in a country that allows me to worship Him, and a country that takes its freedom seriously. I thank God that He has taken us from September 11th, 2001 to today. I thank God that He is a Comfort to those who suffer. God has blessed America.

I challenge you to think about how you are living your life today. Is it different than it was September 10th, 2001? If not, why? If so, how? Is that a good or bad thing? My life has not changed in any significant way since that dreadful day, and I know why, because my God hasn't changed. He is the same today as He was yesterday, and as He was September 10, 2001. My foundation is in Christ, the Word, and the Word was, the Word is, and the Word will be. Everyone had their world rocked that day the planes hit, but was your foundation shaken? Did your foundation fail? If it did, you built on the wrong foundation.

"Everything works together for the good of everybody who loves God and is called according to His purpose."

-Sue

The above is an "edited" repost from past September 11 anniversaries. I don't want to forget.

Masterpiece

Get it today.

Listen to it.

"Oh My God" will stir something in you.

Jars of Clay has released a career defining album. "Good Monsters" raises the bar for all CCM.

Read my full review at CrimsonLight.com.

Tags: jars+clay, good+monsters, album+of+the+year, oh+my+god

Shoutfest 2006 in Jackson, TN

Woohooo! Shoutfest RAWKED!

Although, today, I think I've determined I may be too old to "rock out"! I'm feeling a bit stiff and sore and I have a sore throat! LOL

All the bands had excellent well-polished performances and glorified God through their music and through testimonies.

One testimony of note came from the self-proclaimed "tatooed, four-time felon" lead singer Joshua Rojas of Seventh Day Slumber. He shares an amazing testimony of coming from a $400 a day cocaine addiction, stealing from his mother to feed the addiction, memories of his dad beating his mother, his criminal record and a poignant moment of his mother's indignation. He shared that one day he was leaving his home to get his cocaine fix and his "crazy" mother stood in his path shouting "NO! Satan you will NOT have my son!" which brought applause of affirmation from some mothers in the Shoutfest crowd. He continued his story and shared that his addiction continued to consume him to the point he just wanted to end his life and his misery and he told the attentive audience that the mother that continued loving him through all of this walked in on him and witnessed him overdosing on cocaine. She prayed over him as the ambulance came to transport him to the ER and he shared that he chose Christ as His Savior in the back of that ambulance.

Rojas is a gifted evangelist and his testimony of God's love and grace had many eyes welling with tears and some people emotionally breaking down. He cleared the front of the stage to create an "altar" and the Holy Spirit used the words of this young man to speak to troubled and hurting hearts, especially to those people considering suicide. The altar call brought forth hundreds of young people, some adults, and many people actually ran with abandon to reach that altar! It was a powerful moment!

Joy Williams was a delight to listen to perform. The conversation she had with the audience made it up close and personal and gave life and meaning to her catchy pop songs. She is full of life and "Joy" is a perfect name for her because she seems to have one of those personalities that brings joy to this life.

There were many great bands that performed on stage headlined by Jars of Clay. We heard from Building 429, By the Tree, Flatfoot 56 which was quite unique...celtic punk? Yes! Imagine it....punk rock with bagpipes! They were really fun and the kids loved it. They had kids dancing and laughing as they ran in a ring outside the crowd of people gathered to hear them play. It was an absolute riot to witness that! Fireflight, Fighting Instinct and Jessie Daniels and others also rocked the house but my favoritie was Decemberadio!

I LOVE Decemberadio! I went up to meet the lead singer Josh and I said "I manage a music store and push your CD like crazy! " to which he replied "I know you do, you sang along to every word!" (which was true, except when they did a cover of Lenny Kravitz' 'Are you Gonna Go My Way') He asked if he could sign a the CDs I had but I told him that was already taken care of (by Justin). Then as I turned to walk away, he called for me and then gave me a hug and thanked me! Woohoo! He said "my name is Josh" and then he apologized for being so sweaty! LOL It was a neat encounter and Katie was cool enough to capture the moment digitally! (To check out other pics from Shoutfest, click the picture!)

Jars of Clay played some of the songs from their upcoming CD, due out THIS Tuesday...September 5, 2006. One of the benefits of the job I have is that I sometimes get a sneak preview of new CDs and "Good Monsters" is one I was looking forward to. CCM Magazine has named it "Album of the Year".
I call it in one word: MASTERPIECE This may be Jars' career defining album (at least to this point, 13 years in), full of intelligent lyrics and deep spiritual observations, great, memorable melodies and is an all around excellent concept album. This is good stuff and among the best CCM album in recent years. I kept watching the guys on stage yesterday knowing that on Tuesday, they are releasing a MASTERPIECE and they performed for us totally oblivious that their new CD may have an impact on CCM music as a standard setter. "Good Monsters" raises the bar! And another thing to note is that Coca-Cola has agreed to donate one dollar for every Jars of Clay "Good Monsters" CD sold during the first month of it's release to Jars of Clay cause Blood :Water Mission.

I had a blast at Shoutfest again this year (This was my 3rd Shoutfest) and I'm already looking forward to next year. Hopefully, I'll be recovered by then!

Tags: Shoutfest, Shoutfest+2006, Jackson+TN, christian+music+festival, Seventh+Day+Slumber, Joy+Williams, Fireflight, Decemberadio, Joshua+Rojas, Jars+of+Clay, By+the+Tree, Flatfoot+56, Casey+Jones+Amphitheater, J+Remy, Good+Monsters, Jessie+Daniels, christian+rock, fighting+instinct, Building+429

Building 429

Click to hear a sample of Building 429 performing at Shoutfest in Jackson, TN. (Forgive the sound quality, it's through a cell phone.)