Patriot: a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion.
Is it biblical to be a patriot of a worldly kingdom? Or can it be said that loving , supporting, and defending a worldly kingdom, can take your concern away from the Heavenly Kingdom, of which I am a citizen?
Or is it our responsibility to love, support and defend our nation, because this is where God placed us? To be a patriot yet to have an ulterior motive, for the salvation of this nation.
Can you win a nation with out support and encouragement?
Lets compare this to a relationship. Can you help guide someone into the arms o Christ if you don't support them and love them? If you don't support them through the hard times, will they believe any thing you say? Love also allows room for you to disagree with a person, or lets say a nation, but as Christians aren't we to look for the good?
So... Do you think that God would want us to be a patriot or not?
let me know what you think....
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Amish Rumspringa
So a few nights ago, I sat down to watch a show on the teen/ young adults of the Amish community. The show done by ABC followed four Amish teens in Ohio. These teens were all going through "rumspringa". As well as I understand it a teen has the option to go through this time. The teens can live at home and enjoy modern day events or technology, and according to ABC the parents will turn the other way. Other teens will move or run away from home. One boy was 18 and snuck out of his home with out saying goodbye to his mother, father, or siblings. This young man went to live in a home filled with other young males that were also on rumspringa. There was a girl who was on rumspringa and at the end of the show was not sure whether or not she would return to the Amish community. There was another guy you had speakers in his buggy and would often drive down the road with ACDC blasting. This young man said that those were those were the best days of his life. This young man decided to live in the Amish community for the rest of his life.
While I am not here to tell you all about the Amish, because I know that don't know enough. I thought it was interesting. At first I thought that it was really unfair, a parent making their child choose one way of life or be shunned for all time. A good parent would never say that if you choose to live in the secular world, you can never come home. Yet the Amish do have something right. When the shooting occurred the first thing the Amish said was " we forgive the person that did this". The Amish understand forgiveness. A father at the end of the show said of his son, if he was to confess and return to the community, the son would be accepted again.
This reminds me of our Father. The Bible says "one man cannot serve two masters". The Bible says we should be a light to this world. That we should be in the world but not of this world. The real thought I have is this: When the Lord comes back are you going to be found in Christian rumspringa or will you be able to say that you may have messed around with the rumspringa idea, but that you came back home. His forgiveness, like that found in the Amish community is great, greater even than theirs will ever be. But in order to find that forgiveness you must always repent and start walking towards home.
While I am not here to tell you all about the Amish, because I know that don't know enough. I thought it was interesting. At first I thought that it was really unfair, a parent making their child choose one way of life or be shunned for all time. A good parent would never say that if you choose to live in the secular world, you can never come home. Yet the Amish do have something right. When the shooting occurred the first thing the Amish said was " we forgive the person that did this". The Amish understand forgiveness. A father at the end of the show said of his son, if he was to confess and return to the community, the son would be accepted again.
This reminds me of our Father. The Bible says "one man cannot serve two masters". The Bible says we should be a light to this world. That we should be in the world but not of this world. The real thought I have is this: When the Lord comes back are you going to be found in Christian rumspringa or will you be able to say that you may have messed around with the rumspringa idea, but that you came back home. His forgiveness, like that found in the Amish community is great, greater even than theirs will ever be. But in order to find that forgiveness you must always repent and start walking towards home.
Monday, June 23, 2008
life, love and mr. darcy
Jane Austen.. a life that saught passion but found it only in her imagination....
Jane Austen is a women who is credited with writing some of the most classic literature of all time. Her novels have been turned into movies and have taken the most innocent of female hearts and wrapped them hopelessly to the idea that Mr. Darcy will one day come to take them away to a life of riches. While watching the documentary on her life I assumed that she would end up with a fairy tale love in the end.... she repeatedly said "sometimes good people come to a bad end".I don't know... my heart is broken for her. Her story of "pride and prejudice" stole my heart long ago, to romantic dreams. It is not only found in Jane Austen's work but also this theme of true love enduring all situations has been woven into me since I was very young. Looking at Belle in her beautiful yellow dress dancing with the prince of her dreams, is a scene that every young girl and old girl wishes she could dance in. Is it wrong for girls to set a standard that in this age is almost never seen? It is so sad to me that Jane Austen never found her real life man. In the movie her parents repeatedly said that no man was good enough for her. But I submit to any who read this male or female that it is not wrong for her to set a standard that challenges the people in her life. But it is also not right for any look for perfection in any human... other that in Jesus Christ our Lord. None will ever meet that. She created men for our minds to imagine...these men will never really mess up because we can read or watch the end in which all her characters get what they truly desire.In my minds eye right now all I can see is the little girls in Jamaica and Africa that have been raped or used for their body and wonder is there any way that they can understand that God has a promise for them. I see in my mind a friend who had a baby in the eleventh grade. Whose boyfriend has now ditched her. How she has to completely change her life and of course her baby is beautiful, but she I cant help but wonder what she feels inside... I know I can never even guess to feel the weight and the loneliness she must feel at times. Gods says he is with those who are broken hearted and I pray that these girls who once dreamt of becoming a princess, can find the comfort of the Holy Spirit.Girls we don't need to throw our bodies at men to find love or affection. And boys do not need to give a girl affection just to gain respect that has been lost. Girls you should respect men and know that one day a man will come along that will sweep you off your feet, that he will take you in his arms and tell you that he wont let go. And boys you deserve to know that you can have respect even with out trying to impersonate Mr. Darcy, because God has created in all of you a strength that you will use one day to rescue your sweet heart.It is easier to write down that it is to live, because we all have within us the desire to love and beloved, but isn't it worth trying? Girls in life we have given part of ourselves to a boy who because of our naiveté didn't know what to do with it, and then we lose. It really is sad... and I sympathize... but know that God wants to renew you and give you fresh beauty. That he loves you deeper than any wound that may be left. He wants us know that he has good things for us and when we seek him we will prosper... so no don't give up looking for Mr. Darcy, or prince charming, or what ever you call him, but don't settle for a man until you know with out a doubt that he is seeking God for his and your life. That he cannot love you unless he loves God.God always gives his children the good things they seek according to his good will and purpose... do we dare even seek a love that deep or real from Him? He is holding a rose in his nail pierced hand, he is holding it out to each one of us, we can choose to take it or not
Jane Austen is a women who is credited with writing some of the most classic literature of all time. Her novels have been turned into movies and have taken the most innocent of female hearts and wrapped them hopelessly to the idea that Mr. Darcy will one day come to take them away to a life of riches. While watching the documentary on her life I assumed that she would end up with a fairy tale love in the end.... she repeatedly said "sometimes good people come to a bad end".I don't know... my heart is broken for her. Her story of "pride and prejudice" stole my heart long ago, to romantic dreams. It is not only found in Jane Austen's work but also this theme of true love enduring all situations has been woven into me since I was very young. Looking at Belle in her beautiful yellow dress dancing with the prince of her dreams, is a scene that every young girl and old girl wishes she could dance in. Is it wrong for girls to set a standard that in this age is almost never seen? It is so sad to me that Jane Austen never found her real life man. In the movie her parents repeatedly said that no man was good enough for her. But I submit to any who read this male or female that it is not wrong for her to set a standard that challenges the people in her life. But it is also not right for any look for perfection in any human... other that in Jesus Christ our Lord. None will ever meet that. She created men for our minds to imagine...these men will never really mess up because we can read or watch the end in which all her characters get what they truly desire.In my minds eye right now all I can see is the little girls in Jamaica and Africa that have been raped or used for their body and wonder is there any way that they can understand that God has a promise for them. I see in my mind a friend who had a baby in the eleventh grade. Whose boyfriend has now ditched her. How she has to completely change her life and of course her baby is beautiful, but she I cant help but wonder what she feels inside... I know I can never even guess to feel the weight and the loneliness she must feel at times. Gods says he is with those who are broken hearted and I pray that these girls who once dreamt of becoming a princess, can find the comfort of the Holy Spirit.Girls we don't need to throw our bodies at men to find love or affection. And boys do not need to give a girl affection just to gain respect that has been lost. Girls you should respect men and know that one day a man will come along that will sweep you off your feet, that he will take you in his arms and tell you that he wont let go. And boys you deserve to know that you can have respect even with out trying to impersonate Mr. Darcy, because God has created in all of you a strength that you will use one day to rescue your sweet heart.It is easier to write down that it is to live, because we all have within us the desire to love and beloved, but isn't it worth trying? Girls in life we have given part of ourselves to a boy who because of our naiveté didn't know what to do with it, and then we lose. It really is sad... and I sympathize... but know that God wants to renew you and give you fresh beauty. That he loves you deeper than any wound that may be left. He wants us know that he has good things for us and when we seek him we will prosper... so no don't give up looking for Mr. Darcy, or prince charming, or what ever you call him, but don't settle for a man until you know with out a doubt that he is seeking God for his and your life. That he cannot love you unless he loves God.God always gives his children the good things they seek according to his good will and purpose... do we dare even seek a love that deep or real from Him? He is holding a rose in his nail pierced hand, he is holding it out to each one of us, we can choose to take it or not
Monday, June 9, 2008
hey new blog site... i just switched it so that it would work with my Gmail account... a little update from me :
I just graduated from State College area high school, and i plan to go to the Global School of Supernatural Ministry in the fall. The school really teaches you how to live a christian life to the fullest. Teaching on the workings of the Holy Spirit is a daily thing, seeing the miracles that God can do in a persons life is amazing and i am excited to learn more about what God has for me. closing this chapter on my life ( high school that is) is not going to be easy. I pray that i did everything God wanted me to and that i blessed as many as i could. I am extremely sad to be leaving the youth group i go to. I have a girls group for the younger girls in the group and watching them grow has blessed me soo much. I hope that our time as a group has been beneficial to them. I know that I would have loved a group to help me get through the long drama filled days of school. But so any thing else.... o, with this school I am going to in the fall I will be going to Brazil. I will be leaving October 4th. Please be praying for me and I will be keeping updates with information about the trip itself as time goes on. but enough for now.... Ill keep updates as the Auther of my life continues his book!
I just graduated from State College area high school, and i plan to go to the Global School of Supernatural Ministry in the fall. The school really teaches you how to live a christian life to the fullest. Teaching on the workings of the Holy Spirit is a daily thing, seeing the miracles that God can do in a persons life is amazing and i am excited to learn more about what God has for me. closing this chapter on my life ( high school that is) is not going to be easy. I pray that i did everything God wanted me to and that i blessed as many as i could. I am extremely sad to be leaving the youth group i go to. I have a girls group for the younger girls in the group and watching them grow has blessed me soo much. I hope that our time as a group has been beneficial to them. I know that I would have loved a group to help me get through the long drama filled days of school. But so any thing else.... o, with this school I am going to in the fall I will be going to Brazil. I will be leaving October 4th. Please be praying for me and I will be keeping updates with information about the trip itself as time goes on. but enough for now.... Ill keep updates as the Auther of my life continues his book!
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