Misplaced Emphasis

What if Grades didn't matter?

What if we focused on smart decisions instead? 

What if looks didn't matter? 

What if we focused on the soul? 

What if how far you could run or how well you could throw didn't matter? 

But instead focused on what type of team player you were? 

What if pants size didn't matter? 

What if we then looked at the size of ones heart.  

What if money doesn't matter, but we looked rather on the richness of ones personality? 

What if we are judging the wrong things.  

People are only as smart as their test scores.  

Only as pretty as there selfies 

Only and athletic as they physical attributes.  

Only as appealing as the size that they were. 

only as rich as the amount of green they obtain.   

You wonder why the world is in shambles.  Why bullying goes around.  Why people die lonely.  Why they walk the hallways alone.  

We. Have.  It. All.  Wrong.  

And there is only ourselves to blame.  We put such importance on things that will fade.  I should know.  I am probably the most grade conscious person out there.  I STRESS over a B.  

WHY

Why are these letter so important.  They don't tell me how smart I am.  Wow.  To think brilliant people will walk around there whole lives believing they are stupid.  

I love beautiful people.  I have some friends that could outshine hollywood.  Is this because they have perfect hair, teeth, eyes, skin color?  Well partly.  But mostly because they have a beautiful soul.  People seem to think that face shape matters.  But you don't need barbie blond hair to change the world? 

Why, beautiful people will walk around thinking that they are ugly, because the tabloids say so.  

I am not a sports person.  I don't understand a lick of football.  But I am one of the most competitive people I know.  A Story I like to tell, is the one were I broke my thumb while playing capture the flag, and still played on the winning team! But I am not athletic.  I am short.  Not a fats runner.  Only good at hitting very few things.  We seem to judge winning on points rather than fun.  What is a game worth, if no one enjoys playing it.  What is Winning? We seem to think the only way you can be a good player is if you win games, you score touchdowns, baskets, goals.  

We tell people that their size matters.  That everyone should care!  But who cares about the size of the hearts.  

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT?  

Why do we care? 

We are lying to ourselves to think that these attributes make a person.  

We are judging the wrong things.  And people seem to believe it. Everyone is believing this lie.  

What makes a person has nothing to do with appearance, social standards, abilities.  Tell someone that today.  Tell them they can change the world.  Tell them they are beautiful.  Tell them they are important.  #tellthemthetruth 

Saving the World

    I was recently in a conversation with a friend of mine.  Some how we came upon the random question of, is the world in dire peril?   Just out of randomness.
       But his answer surprised me a bit.
       I wish.
  Confused I inquired about his answer, where he went on to say, how much more exciting life would be if he had to save the world.

I was dumbfounded.  (doesn't happen very often)

Because, a few years ago, I thought within the same parameters.  Even now, I have to force myself out of that thought.

I want my life to be exciting.  
I want my life to have purpose.  
I want to be a hero.  

I mean come on, who doesn't.  Our culture today is obsessed with heroes.  Marvel is in every theater, Batman is in conversation, superman in the toy aisle, spider-man on the t'shirts.  People have this longing, an affinity, towards heroes.

What little child hasn't dressed up in a cape and pretend to save the world.  What grown adults hasn't shot aliens with their mechanical pencil (not everyone on that one eh?)

We are addicted to heroes.  That isn't even the question.
The question is

Why 

Why do we, in are lives long to be something more, to be affiliated with a hero.  To say, hey that guy who rescued those kittens, yeah I know that guy.

We all reach for the unattainable.  Not many of us are super rich and can afford bat-caves.  Not many of us have laser eyes, or truth lassos.  I am not a super genius who can make armor, or web slingers.

So, the logical explanation is, unless the world is in dire peril, I can't become a hero.

Wow Depressing right?

This brings me back to my conversation with this anonymous friend.  'Life would be more exciting, if it needed saving.'

Whoa, hold it right there!
Did you all see the same thing I did?

If not, let's take a closer look.

'If it needed saving.'

Yup, there it is.  That magic statement that can blow minds.
Some of you might be getting in and groaning in your seats, not another one of these. I know, I felt the same way.

for those of you who do not, that's fine, I will explain the reasons for all the grumbling.

You see, we (yes me too) don't see the world the way we should.  We think dire peril has to be aliens, or giant monsters, or sand people, creepers who laugh a little too much, those villains that you can't quite get away from.

Because many of these scenarios are a little unlikely (though not completely ruled out) we feel that the world doesn't need saving.

Well that line of thought is WRONG!

Yes, I know, that offensive word.  But it is truth.

Guys Wake up!  Come on, get out of those comic books, those novels, those movie theaters!

That version of heroes and villains are so romanticism.  And we sit in the living room, or secluded under a couch fort, wishing and waiting for something to happen so we can save the day.

Get out and see that the world we live in isn't with out perils.  It isn't without hardship.  People Die.  People Starve.  People are killed.  People are lied to.  People are lying.  People are losing hope.
This sounds like a world that needs saving.

Guess what!  Guess who God is counting on to save it!
Yes, I know that Jesus came and saved the world.  But we can't leave it just up to him! We have to step up, get out from under the covers and be heroes!

If you weren't groaning before, you sure are now.  I used to be one of you.  I mean come one, God's fight is not nearly as interesting as Doc Octopus.  Yay, I am spreading the word of Jesus, but there is no real action.

I hear you, but I don't believe you.

People, there is so much we could be doing.  We could change the world.  We could save it.  But we are too busy waiting for a chance.

You know why we can't pray in schools?  Because those Atheist got off their rumps and made a fuss about it.

77% of the adult population in America is Christian!  Think of what we could do if we all got together!

Think of the lives we could transform!
Think of the change.

We could save this lost and broken world.  

So, to put it simply.  We spend our whole lives waiting for that one chance to make a splash, to make a difference.  We need to make a way.  Get up, and stop waiting.  Put down the phones, movies, and books, which defines heroes, and write our own definition.  

We can save a world that doesn't know it needs to be saved.  How about that? 




`

Last Man Standing

I saw this picture while aimlessly scrolling through the feed of Google +.  I saw the random bird, then I saw the caption, then I saw the other Birds.  Many of you probably had the same experience.
     Most of you, like me, will think this picture is cool.
     Many of you will think that you would like to be that one bird.
    Some of you may re-post it, like I did.
    And almost all of you, like me, will just keep on scrolling aimlessly.
This is how life is.  We wander through it and see an interesting thing, or something inspirering.  We will say the world needs more of that!  We will share that, then keep going aimlessly.

I want to end the Aimlessness.  

So I decided to blog about it.

I am going to tell you all about this picture and how we as Christians should see this bird as what we should be.
Think about this for just a moment

  Can we change the world if we act like part of it? 

If we stand with the crowd, even if we don't agree with the crowd.  How will anyone know?
How can people see Christ in us, if they don't even see us?

Look at that group of birds.  They are all doing different things.  Some are bending over, some are turned, some are standing straight up.  People are like this too, they are each different, and have different beliefs.  But know one really know that by just looking.

But that one bird, people look at it.  They inspect it.  I sat there and stared at it.  Not really knowing that I was doing it.
Why?
Because it stands out! And when someone stands out, they are under a lot of scrutiny.

That is probably one of the reasons why we avoid standing out.

"We can change the world from behind the scenes." 

"Other people can do the standing out part." 

"It is lonely out there." 

"I don't want people to hate me." 

"I don't want to be noticed."  


These are all arguments I used with myself.  Being somewhat normal, I bet you have too.

Now this is how I refuted them to myself.

1.  Yes, some can be behind the scenes, but if everyone is pulling curtains, who is on the stage?  If everyone is managing props, then who is delivering the messages?  Imagine if all the pastors decided to be behind the scenes? There would be no churches?

2.  Piggy-backing on the previous one, What if everybody thought that?  What if everyone was waiting for someone else to stand out?  We would get NOWHERE!!! What if Paul had decided that he didn't want to teach?  Or David thought someone else could take down Goliath? Or Noah chose not to build the Ark, I bet that stood out!  We all think that these people were ready for these things.  But I know I would never be ready to take on a Giant with just a rock.  The CHOSE to stand out.  They didn't let someone else do it.  Because they were the only one who could.

3. Loneliness has always been one of my problems.  Especially since I moved. Back where I used to live, it was easy, because all of my friends had the same beliefs, moral, and values.  But here, I hang out with non-Christians, and other Christians that do not have the same mind-set at me.  It got hard. Fast.
In fact, I almost stopped public school to go back to homeschooling.  Why?  Because it was easier.  I didn't have to worry about standing out, or dealing with difficult people.  But here, think about this one.

Jesus was lonely.  He was probably one of the Loneliest people.  

He was WAY different from everyone.  Yes, he had his disciples, but he was always leading them.  Yes, he had God, but he had to have longed for Human companionship as well.
Leading is lonely.  Being in front is lonely.  Being different is lonely.
I am not making you feel better am I?
Well, if there are enough people being different.  At least you can be lonely together.  (bad pun, I know)
But just because you are different doesn't mean you can't make friends with the people who aren't.  Jesus befriended taxpayers.

4.  Yup. I hear this one a lot as well.  The world is really big with everybody liking each other.  Everyone getting along.  I mean the have bumper stickers that say COEXIST.  If it is on a bumper sticker, we gotta do it right?
Being different will ruffle feathers, Why? Because we are changing things. Don't let this deter you.  Someone out there will always have feelings of malice towards you, whether it is because you are different, too normal, you have brown hair, you like math,  Someone out there won't like you, Why? Because that is the way of the world.  (not saying I agree with it, but I know it is true).
People will hate you for it.  But God will Love you.   I know he loves you anyway, and he always will.  But, such actions are pleasing to him.  God's people will love you.  Win some loose some....

5. I know the feeling of wanting to shrink into the shadows.  Heck, Batman does it.  But, there is no way, someone can follow God truly, and not stand out.

 If you follow God with all your heart, you will stand out! 

If you don't think you are standing out, maybe you should reevaluate where you stand with God.  Just because you haven't Murdered anyone, doesn't mean you are doing everything right  

So, now I have told you all about standing out.  Yippy.  How many of you will keep scrolling.  Go one life and nothing changes?  

Well, now it is time to put it into practice.  

We are called to be different.  

There is NO way around.  No way to argue against it. (Trust me, I've tried).  This is how it is.  This is how it needs to be. 

It is hard.  It is going to be VERY hard.  Most of the time I do not know if I am doing it right.  

So I pledge that we all promise to help each other stay different.  To remind people, who is noticed more.  

If you agree with this, Say 'I pledge' or something likewise in the comments.  

The Only way we can change the world is if we are not of it.  It is time to change the world.  

Tori, 

Over and Out 

One Hot Night

So, some of you might know that my UBS was corrupted.  ( I lost all of my pointless dabblings :'( ) and Well, I was pretty upset.  Being me, I didn't have very much of it backed up.  That included the 20 some pages of the novel I am working on.  But because of my Amazing brother, much of what I lost had been recovered.  I have even found loads of my test from Biology.  So as I was going through the heaps of renamed files I ran into this narrative I wrote for English Freshman year.  Yes, I know some of the sentences are badly done (like this one) but  I was a freshie.  I thought the lesson of the past might, in someways apply to the present.  So Challenge Accepted technology stuff.   

One Hot Night

            Who would have ever thought that I would be standing outside in twenty degrees weather not wanting warmth, or in other words, fire?   Normally my family calls me a firebug; I guess that means someone who enjoys playing with fire.  But on this cold night, I wanted nothing more than the fire to disappear. 

It was after a hectic Monday at the Link.  My mom had surgery on her hands earlier that day, and she couldn’t use them at all.  It was a good thing my dad was home or we would’ve never gotten through dinner.  After the chaotic meal, I decided to unwind by watching a missed episode of Criminal Minds.  All the children were in bed and the house was quiet, or at least as quiet as our house gets.   Leaning back in the plushy computer chair, I prepared myself for a night of doing absolutely nothing of importance.  Soon, I became totally engrossed in solving the mystery and was all but oblivious to life around me. 

So little did I know that while I was helping master-mind cops catch a serial killer, my dad was solving the mystery of a super hot ceiling.  My eldest sister’s room had been smelling funny for a few days.  None of us thought much of it since we have an old house with a fireplace and, well, it’s Kayla’s room.  But luckily my dad looked into it farther and found that Kayla’s ceiling was almost too hot to touch.  Now, a strange smell is one thing, but a scalding hot ceiling is weird, even for Kayla. 

            After a final few minutes of peace, I was jerked from my fantasy and told to start putting coats and hats on half-asleep children.  The word ‘fire’ kept being thrown around like a baseball during a game.  Everyone was scrambling to get out of the house.  Personally, I was confused.  Just a few moments ago the house was calm, and all was well.  Now it was like trying to play football in the dark; there was a lot of running into things and quite a bit of shouting. 

As a grumpy David was thrust into my arms and a blanket chucked at my face, I overheard my mom trying to call the fire department.  Notice I said trying; my brother soon had to take over talking because my mom couldn’t even remember the color of our house, let alone the address.  This is what anesthesia and surgery does to her. 

            After what seemed like a lifetime, all nine of us kids were piling outside trying to keep the four younger ones from waking the whole neighborhood. It was a pretty vain attempt because if the crying kids didn’t do it, the five fire trucks might.   They soon came wailing down the street with enough noise to wake the dead.

 Freezing in the chilly November air, we shoved all the kids into the bus, which is actually a twelve passenger van, and tried to get them to fall asleep in their car seats.  Soon they calmed down and some fell asleep.  Alli and I tried our best to cover them up with the mismatched coats and blankets we had grabbed in our mad dash. 

After everything had settled down, Joe and I, being entirely insane, left the meager warmth of the bus to stand outside and watch firemen poke holes through Kayla’s ceiling.  It was a blessing and a curse that I had left all my blinds open so we could see right into the house, and straight to the action.  I guess now it was really starting to sink in that we had a fire in the house.  Before, it all seemed surreal.  But with my parents down the driveway talking to the multiple firemen and the smell of smoke in the air, the truth was undeniable.  Standing in silence, I watched my own story unfold before me. 

            Joe looked over at me and obviously trying to lighten the mood said, “Tori, have you been playing with matches again?”

            “Nope,” I replied, keeping up the charade.  “But…I was rubbing some sticks together earlier.  That must have done it!”

            We laughed and went back to watching the hole in Kayla’s ceiling grow, as if we were watching an exciting movie.  As the silence grew, I heard one of my sisters saying, “I hope my room isn’t dirty. That would be embarrassing.” 

            “I don’t think the firemen are really going to care about the state of your room ,” I said over my shoulder.  Secretly, I hoped this was true, because, as usual, my room was a mess. 

            “Darn! Why did I wear these pajamas? On the one night I decide to wear these pajamas, this happened.”

            I glance over at the car and shook my head. 

            “I think we will have a little more to worry about than your pajamas, Alli.” 

            I watched mom and dad talking with the firemen and the hole in the ceiling growing bigger, and I knew that it was going to get worse before it got better.  But what can be said when life takes a sudden turn but ‘Challenge Accepted’?  

A Place To Go

Well, this is a subject that has been on my heart for a long time.  I would like to know if I am crazy, so please share if you agree and comment if you don't (or do).  But, really, if you feel that a message needs to get out, I don't care if you copy this and pass it on as your own...(somebody asked me that :P)

    Well on to deeper things.  People in this day and age are always looking for that one thing, that one place they can belong.  Where they are accepted for who they are and where they come from.  Where they can be real.  A place to go when they are hurting and when they are joyous.  I want so badly to tell them, that this place exist.  I want so badly to tell them that this wondrous place is called Church.  But that isn't true.

Wow I know, I probably just offended  about a billion people.  And I am one of them.  This is an insult to me, because I am part of the Church.  

But, look at us.   Really look at us.  We are supposed to be the body of Christ, and still there is amenity between the denominations.   I am not saying that we should agree on EVERYTHING, but we all believe the same core beliefs.  This doesn't make them different species.  I myself have been to many different denominations, all of them are the body of Christ, Brothers and sisters in God.

   We are supposed to be the love of Christ, yet we turn people away
.  
"Gay people can't come in this church."  "You are the wrong color."  "I don't like that person."  

How many times have I heard this.  How many times have I thought something like this.  We are the Church.  We are supposed to LOVE everyone.  I am not saying we have to agree with everyone, but, we are commanded to love the world.  No matter what they look like, who they hang out with, what they have done, what they say.

Is it any wonder why people berate the church.  You wonder why we are called hypocrites.  I know, I am one of you.  I am probably more guilty than you.

But the worst part is that we turn a blind eye.  How many people have stopped reading this because it is offensive?  We don't even realize that we ignore this.

"We can only do so much."  "Someone else can do it."  "I am only a person, I can't love everybody."  

These thing I say to myself all the time.  God is with us, there is nothing we cannot do.    We seem to forget that.  

This doesn't just make me angry (for I am ranting which tells you that much) But  it fills me with sorrow.

We are told to bring those to church.  But how can we reach people, change people.  If we don't even come ourselves.   Now I am not just saying the building, but our souls.

What do we bring to church? 

Our stolid faces, good manners, dry eyes, still feet, stiller hearts? 

We tell people that the church is a place to be loved for who they are.  We aren't ourselves at church.

We tell people that church is a place where they are judged only by God.  Yet, we leave all our 'baggage' at home.

We tell people that this is a place of comfort, yet we seek none there.

We tell people that church is a place to bring their broken lives to God, yet ours lay at home in a box.

We tell people this is a place of worship, yet we sing with only our mouths.

I know I didn't really believe it either till I read it someplace else.

But, how many times have I asked the question "are you alright." And had wanted only a "yes"  How many times have I given that answer.

How many times have I judged someone.

How many times have I not asked someone to church because I didn't 'Like them."

How many times have I put on a front and come to Church, taking none of my problems with me?

how many times have I stood in the worship crowd, and sang only with my mouth.

How would I have looked at a person if they started dancing in church?  But isn't that worship.

Why are we afraid to be real at Church?  

I don't know, only that I must stop pretending.  I cannot tell people these thing about church, and not do them.  You may not see these things.  But you should trust every person at your church.  You should be able to trust every Christian.  

Church is a place for the broken, why do you think I am there?

It is the place to go, when no one else wants you.  Yet people are afraid to come.  If you don't want to come to church, tell us why in the comments.  

Let us show them that Church is a real place with real broken people.  You know, I had a friend once who didn't want to come to church until she had her life together.  Isn't that sad.  People think they have to get better to come to church.  But church is a place for the broken.  

No one will know that unless we show them that we are broken too, take off our mask and show the world that we are not perfect and that is why we need a savior.  

Come, spread the word of a real church.


Tori, over and out.

Finding Refuge

These past few days I have been on pause, attending a student retreat at IRC.  No, I didn't stay in a single position for a long time, but rather put day to day things a way and looked at life.  I sat back and really looked at my life,
What I am.
What I am not.  
What I want. 
What I need. 
What is inside of me.  
What people see.  
What I want them to see.  
 And I realized how much life gets in the way of God.  How much, doing things  gets in the way of what we are to become.  
My life isn't too busy.  I am not obligated to do something my every waking hour.  I have time to breath.  But, instead, I jump up and work on something else.
  I am reading, painting, drawing, playing music, working on my novel, zooming through facebook, writing on a blog, checking my email, walking the dog, cleaning (not so much), watching TV, and the list goes on and on and on. 
  I am always busy.  I don't sit down, Pause, and think.  Just think about what is.   I don't leave time for God.  
Be still. 

BE STILL commands the lord.  

"Be still and Know that I am God"

I her this verse all the time, Heck I even have it on my wall.  I have heard it so many times it has lost it's importance.
How, HOW can I be still, if I do not know God.  How can I reflect and pause if I do not know God.  How can I know that He is God, If I do not know what that means.

I realized, I did not know God.  So I could never just be still, because my knowledge of God, what I think I understand, is just the beginning.

I thought I was good. That I knew who God was and that I was on solid ground.  But In fact, I am more ignorant than I dared ever believe.

So now, I am learning.  Learning about the ever Amazing God.  Learning about learning.

I realized that If I ever knew everything about God.  If God could be completely comprehended in a human mind, He wouldn't be a God worth worshiping.

So now, I am going to be still, and Know that he is God, and know that I can never fully understand who God is.  

But wait.....There is more! 

In this retreat, I learned a lot about life, but I also thought a lot about death.  That isn't meant to sound all dark and depressing. But, in truth, it is something we all do/or should have in the back of our minds.  One day, we all die.  It is one of the only facts of life.   But I didn't really think about after death, or how, or why, but rather what it meant for my life.  
Here is an image that really put me on the spot.



Okay, I know not who this Martha is, I bet she was awesome.  But I am more interested in the dates.
On your grave stone all there is is the day you were born, and the day you died.

All that is stated is the dash.  The point between.  What happens between life and death.  The -.
The represents all you do in your life.

This idea of the dash life, as I am beginning to call it, brings me back to being Still and hitting pause.
In this day and age, we are always running towards something, always busy.  Being busy, Always moving, What are we goiung to leave? what legacy?

 What will fill our Dash, if we never take time to stop and see what we have done.  

Stop and see who God is.  

Stop and hear what God has to say.

Be still and Know God.  

We leave a legacy.  Whether it is good or bad, we leave stones for others to stand on.  To follow in our foot steps.  What legacy will your dash represent.

BUT THERE IS MORE!!!!!!!    

"Life isn't all about what you accomplish, but who you are and who you belong to."    

Who are we?

Who do we belong to?  

These question can be answered in the silence.  In the quiet place.  

In a place of refuge.  Life is more, more than running around, chasing a clock.  

More than business.  

More than Facebook, 

More than a phone.  

More than a book. 

Life, is for living, for knowing what we are living for.  To know this, we MUST know God.
We can only truly know God, if we step back, step back from all the distractions and business of this world, and learn about God.  Talk to God.  To leave a meaningful dash, we must Be still and know the He is God.



~Tori, Over and out!

Love: More than Four Letters

Love.  I love this food.  I love this guy.  I love this movie.  I love my mom.  I love my bed.  I love God.

That is a lot for one word.  people use it so much, they forget what it means. People then go to the love that society has placed for  us.  The Hot girl and cute guy.  The physical relations.  Fairy tale endings that end in happy love dovey stuff.  Love is easy, they say.  Well these are all aspects of love but it isn't true love.  one of the reasons the world is in shambles is because people do not know how to love.  Really love.
This is an acronym my old youth pastor gave to me to describe what love is.
Located in God 
 Others Focused 
Violent 

 Extravagant 

So "L".  Something as beautiful as true love can only come from God.  A person can only have love, the real kind not the glorified Hollywood version, if the love is found out of God.

"O" So this one is pretty self-explanatory.  A real love is not focused on you.  When you really love a person then you do everything for them.  Nothing is done from you.  Though this one many people know, lots of people practice selfish love.  I love you because I need you.  If any of you have ever read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, the love between Heathcliff and Catherine was a selfish love.  They were more focused on how the love benefited each other rather than they could do for the one they loved.

"V" Is my favorite.  When people think of love they definitely don't think of violent.  Soft, cuddly, tender, and mushy.  Hollywood version people!  Yes, those are all part of love.  but true love is violent.  Not saying you should go and hit the person you love.  But when you love something you are willing to fight for it.  Like a mother bear protecting her cubs.  Like standing up for what you believe in .  True love doesn't just stand by, it takes action.

And finally "e".  When you love some, it is extravagant.  God stops at nothing to show his love for us.  He sent his son to die on the cross.  He gave us the bible.  He forgives us.  He is with us ALWAYS.  If that isn't extravagant then I do not know what is.  When you truly love someone, you will stop at nothing to show it.  You will always be there for them. Extravagant love is never ending.  True Love is always.

Love like this.

Making Waves

        In Life, we as people are always worried about offending people.  WE are afraid to step on toes.  To cause waves.   Society wants it to be that way.  Everything is about getting along.

Love everybody! 

Don't be a hater!   

Love Everything!  

Specifically this applies to religion.  Society can't see why everyone can just get along.  


 

They want us to get along and accept it.  They cry out for Tolerance, respect, and coexistence.
HOW?
How can they ask me to accept other religions.  How can they ask me say  "I am undoubtedly right, but so are you."  " I believe that there is only one God and I know thins, But I also know that you believe in many and you are also right."

This would make religion meaningless.
When everyone is right, everyone is wrong.

The really sad thing is, that Christians are falling for it.  There is no possible way  for us to accept another persons religion that conflicts with our own.  Yes, we can respect the people.  We can respect that this is what they believe.  We tolerate that they are different than us.  We can live together.  We have been.
But, under no circumstance can we accept them to be right along with us.
Society has got s all afraid.  If we state that our religion is right we are haters and have to show some respect.  But, we have to be willing to stand up anyway.



Because, there are to be no waves.  But Jesus made waves.  The pharisees hated him.  He was a religious hater of the time.  We have to be willing to stand up and make a splash because that is the only way to change the world.  We have to stand up for what we truly believe and play offence.  Atheist aren't sitting by.  They are changing the world.  We need to jump in and make some waves before all the water is gone and it is too late.
We have to show society, that we can respect other people with out accepting their religion.  

And now I conclude my rant.

Evanescent

Here is a start to a story I am writing called Evanescent.   How do you think it should go?   Open to suggestions.   

Everything was so blissfully happy.  So beautifully happy.  Like a movie, those scenes filled with light. We were in love.  Never had anyone felt this in love before.    With him, I could be myself.  I never had to pretend.  He never needed anything from me but my love.  We finished each other’s sentences. We finished each other’s sandwiches.  We completed each other.   He was smart, handsome, and funny.  He did have fault, but that just made him perfect.  It made him real, the realest person in my life.  He would tell me stories to make me laugh and cry.  he knew me like no one had before.  I had never let anyone get this close, yet somehow. with his charming smile, quick wit, and stubborn personality, he dug a tunnel to my heart.  He made it beat again.  He made the laughter return to my eyes.  He was all the good in me.  The light I thought had left long ago.  I was in love.  We were in love, and everything was so perfect.  I have never been more afraid in my life.  I have never had so much to lose.  

(Oh and Evanescent means fleeting of vanishing....not talking about the band) 

Limitations

Okay, when you see these pictures what do they make you feel?  If you were an unbeliever and you were  scrolling down Facebook (which is where I found most of them) and these popped up what would you do?

It might just be me but I don't like them. I feel like we are putting restrictions on God.

If you don't like this post on Facebook or Google plus or where ever else they might show up, your life will go horribly wrong and if you ignore we will show you pictures of you eternal damnation.  

I highly doubt that God is going to get back at you for not liking his post on Facebook.  He is not a teenage girl, guys.

I might be taking this a tad to far but I feel that there is more to this than a pictures on the social media.  It seems like we are always putting restrictions on God.

IF you do drugs you will go to hell.

If you get drunk you are condemned.

If you abort that baby, you granted a pass to eternal damnation.

If you go to that party, if you do this, if you don't do that.  

I am not saying that these are not bad things.  I am not saying that they are not sins.  and I am definitely not telling you to go try them.  But who are we to say, "You are condemned" Why are we so proud?
Was it so long ago that we forgot that we were once condemned to eternal damnation.  Instead of yelling "You are going to hell."  Tell them that there is a someone out there who will love them no matter what.  
You can't yell at someone and tell them that they need to fix themselves before they roast in hell, if they don't even know they are broken.


Sometime people need a hand up before they can be pushed forward.  

But I have careful, I don't want you guys to believe that you can never talk about hell.  Because it is real.  It there.  And that is where by nature we deserve to go.  People need to know there is a threat.  That Belief isn't all flowers and rainbows.

All I am really trying to say (and I got a bit off topic) is that we need to stop putting limitation on God.  He has none.   Sometime I think we have a hard time knowing what that is like.  God won't love you only when you like a post on Facebook, or if you stop doing drugs, or you apologies to that kid you made fun in 7th grade.  God loves you now.  People need to know this.   God loves you no matter what you do.  Sure, these make him happy and they prove that we love him back.   It isn't our job to condemn people, for we ourselves are condemned.  It is our job to lead people to God and know that only because of his limitless love and mercy we, errant humans, are saved.

Real Beauty

No wonder our  perception of beauty is so distorted.   

This is what people see as perfection.   These pictures of celebs or adds.  this is what everyone strives to be.

Why can't I look like that?

Why don't I have that shape?

I am not pretty.

I will never be pretty.

This is what adds like this instills.  Over 99.9% of all pictures found in adds are photo shopped.   Almost ever picture we see is a fake.  Yet we all look towards them for the vision of perfection.
Replays of the same question flt in and out of everyone's and.

Why?  Why do I not look like that?

And believe it or not, this is the question those add want you to ask, because they want you to believe that they have the answer.

You could be beautiful if you wore my cloths.

You could be beautiful if you wore my makeup.

 You could be beautiful if you ate my pill.

You could loved if you wore my underwear.

You could be thin if you starved yourself.

These are the answers they give.  To them we are not enough.  They want to fix us.

BUT WE ARE NOT BROKEN! 
 Into our mind they force this idea that we are not all that we should be.  We are are ugly, fat, unwanted, unloved, and useless. Ceaselessly they drill with pictures of what they want us to be perfection.



These are images they want us to strive for.  Little do we know that this is an unattainable goal.   These pictures are fake.  But they want us to be fake to.  Eat a little less (like a lot).  Wear the right cloths (T he ones that cost the most) and layer on the makeup.

We have to show them that they are fighting a loosing battle.  Yeah a little here and a little there.  But we are enough for ourselves we don't need the help of Photoshop, extreme dieting, or cases of makeup, to know that we are beautiful.  But to convince them, we must first convince ourselves.
Whenever it gets to you just remember you are perfect because God made you that way.

Psalm 139:14

New King James Version (NKJV)

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;[a]
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.

Our souls should know it very well.  God doesn't make anything that isn't perfect.  We are real.  And that is more beautiful than any stick person out there.   

Darkest Night

In brightest day, In blackest night, 

No Evil shall escape my sight.  

Let those who worship evils might, 

beware my power, 

Green lanterns light.   

If you don't know what this is first of all you need help, secondly it is the oath for the Green Lantern Core.  

If you still don't get it...,.    

 and 

okay but what does this oath have to do with us?  I know that I don't have a magic ring powered by my will that can emit light that takes for of anything I can imagine.......

But it can pertain to us.   What if we took it in a sense not of DC superheroes but in a sense of God.   

What if we tell God that no matter what we will try to make the world the better place.  

What if we elected to make a promise, to mae an oath.  

In Brightest Day Lets Promise that when things are going well and everything is butterflies and rainbows.  When the day seems brightest, I won't forget that there is a battle going on.  I won't forget God.  I won't for get that people out there might not be having such a wonderful time.    

 In Blackest Night Lets make a promise that when things are hard.  When you are in the storm, when nothing seems like it can get worse, in your darkest hour.  Don't forget that there is God, waiting and wanting to help you through.  But also don't forget that when the night is darkest that is when people need a light.  Don't forget to shine.   

No Evil Shall Escape My Sight  Lets Promise That we will never let evil go by unchecked.  We will never stand by and say everyone does it so it isn't wrong.  We will never let evil run wild.  

Let Those Who Worship Evils Might, Beware My Power  Lets make a promise that we will be something the devil will be afraid of.  That we will strike fear into his hear because he know that we are not afraid to stand up and make a difference.  

Green Lanterns Light:  We will shine so bright with the light of God that the world will come to know  

So here is my oath 

In our brightest day, In Our blackest night, 

We will choose to still shine bright 

and stop evil within our sight 

help fix the wrongs and make them right.  

Let the devil shake at the sight, 

of  Believers and Gods great light   

Will you join God's Lantern Core and help light the way in a dark world?  We are called to be lights to lead a shinning path to the savior.  Let's lead the way in this dark night and if we all join together maybe one day we will look like this 

Wouldn't that be cool?