Could you imagine?

This was the result of inspiration after reading Candice Loftin's note with the same title. :) Could you imagine a place without any sorrow or suffering? A place where there is no need for the sun because God Almighty is the source of light? A place where you can walk on streets made of gold or sail on a crystal sea? A place where you can sit on Jesus's lap and ask him questions about his creation or just about anything in general and he just smiling the whole time, answering each question with his loving nature and just loving to spend moments talking to and holding his child? A place where you can meet Paul or any other biblical character you want and get an eyewitness account of the stories you used to read about? A place where you can also meet any Christian in history that has ever lived, hopefully including some of your ancestors or recent family members that have died? A place where you can meet and sing with angels, glorifying God forever? A place in which you can run as fast and as far as you can and never grow tired? A place in which the walls surrounding the place are made of huge layers of every fine jewel and gem ever known? A place in which you have your own heavenly mansion and treasures beyond your wildest dreams? A time when Jesus comes back where the world is remade in its original perfect glory and you get to eat from the tree of life and all the animals are peaceful herbivores, with nothing eating each other so you can see the dinosaurs and all the extinct animals once more? A time in which there will be a new Jerusalem for all to live in, with God as the provider of food and life for all?

The Church and it's calling

I went to church today, just as I always do. I have been going since I was born which is practically about 19 years now. But why do I go? What is the purpose of church? Why do we go to church? Is it to see our friends? Is it to be able to have fellowship with other believers? Is it to learn more about the Word of God? Is it to worship our Creator? All these things are absolutely essential to the Church, however, after the service today, I have realized that we have missed the mark. We have missed the true purpose and vision that the Church has been called by God to possess. What is this that I speak of? My college minister explained it quite well this morning. He has a neighbor named Jose. He knows that Jose does not know the Lord. He used to spend time with Jose and just have casual conversations with him and love on him. However, in the past year, his responsibilities at church have caused him to neglect his time with Jose. He admitted this morning that he hasn't talked to Jose in probably about six months. What I speak of is loving those who do not know him. That is what the Church has neglected. We have focused so much on nurturing and equipping those who already know about the matchless, extravagant love of Jesus Christ, and we have completely ignored those who really need his love. That is simply those who do not know him. As my college minisiter said, we have focused more on growing the church instead of growing the kingdom. We think by just adding another service or Bible study that we can get people to come when the truth of the matter is people aren't going to come. Why? Because they have no reason to! They have no reason to believe that Christianity is any different than any other religion! We aren't showing them that Christ's love is like no other! We aren't ministering to them! Why should they come? If we are the body, why aren't his arms reaching, why aren't his hands healing, why aren't his words teaching. If we are the body, why aren't his feet going, why is his love not showing them there is a way? Am I saying that nurturing believers in the church is not important? By no means! But what are we getting equipped for? To better our own spiritual walk? That is partly it, but what does Jesus call us to do once we are equipped and ready? He calls us to make disciples. Are we doing that? How can we grow the church if we are not growing the kingdom? Ty(my college minister) reminded me of that today. Though church and a group of Christian friends is a crucial for keeping a good relationship with God and others, we should also be loving those who do not know him. Christ love means nothing if we are not showing that love to others. How do we do that? By being friends with those who do not know him(i.e. building relationships). By having a group of Christian friends to love and to be accountable and to encourage each other, but by also having a group of lost friends to love on and minister to. We cannot just sit in our Christian "circle" all the time and be content with that. We are ALL called to be missionaries, whether in another country or in our own community or even next door like my college minister. He is going to give up some of his responsibilities at church so that he can make time to love Jose again. He has also called our college ministry to start working on evangelism. The word evangelism doesn't mean that we are to stand on a corner and yell about Jesus and tell everyone else that they are going to hell. The number one way that people come to know Christ is through a relationship with a Christian that lives Christ-like. A person who loves them no matter what they do or say and who shows that through their actions and words. That is how the church will EVER truly grow as it should. We come with so many excuses like "I'm not strong enough", "I don't have the gift of evangelism", "I'm too busy", "I don't want to hang out with THOSE people". The truth is, God has given each of us a place of ministry and evangelism in our lives. Whether it's our next door neighbor, the homeless, people at our workplace, people in our schools, or just random people walking around town, we have so many chances to potentially show his love to someone we know that doesn't know him. So instead of condemning those "heathens" and "sinners", why don't we love them with Christ's love? And why don't we look in the mirror and see who the real heathen is for not loving these people? For not reaching out to build relationships. There are two very simple things that we are called to do as Christians: Love God and Love people. That's it. Nothing more nothing less. I pray that you will realize this. Pray for my college ministry as we try to orchestrate a plan to carry that out, as I will pray that the church will get back to what it originally was created to do. What we as the Church were created to do:)

Soda and life

For about a year now, I have stopped drinking soda. I don't even remember exactly when I stopped drinking it. I thought I would miss it, but after a while I became used to drinking water and I haven't regretted it since. Its better for my health and plus water is just so much more refreshing and thirst-quenching to me. I mean we are 75% water, so that makes sense I suppose. I didn't like that soda was always so dehydrating, and even though it quenched my thirst for a while, it was starving my body of what I really needed. Also, if you think about the ingredients in soda, its basically a bunch of acids, carbonation and a bunch of sugars. There are other trace things, but thats basically what it is. The phosphoric acid can rot your bones and start taking out the calcium that makes them so strong. Since it's acid, it can even damage your esophagus if you drink it enough. It's terrible for your teeth as well. The sugars turn to fat in some bodies. So why do we drink it? Because it tastes good! The carbonation is fun to belch or perhaps you just like the fizzy feeling. It gives you more satisfaction at the time than a boring glass of water. Yet it tears up your body. Am I saying you should stop drinking soda? That is your choice and I will not interfere with that but that is not the main point I am trying to make here. I'm sure someone may have come up with an analogy like this before, but I see soda as a really good analogy for sin. Sin is fun, but it only satisfies temporarily. It leads to cravings for more when one sin is no longer enough to satisfy. Yet all it leads to is hurting, either yourself or someone else, and it eats us like acid from the inside out. It dehydrates us from the true Living Water until we get so dehydrated that we no longer believe anything can satisfy us but the sin. We become desensitized to its obvious effects and try to cover them up with more sin. Just like the first people on the earth, Adam and Eve. We blame everyone else but ourselves for our screw-ups because we don't like to admit that we messed up. We have too much pride and arrogance that we know what we're doing. We also don't expect any consequences and we complain when they do come. We all do this, myself included. I feel that it is always important to emphasize that when I write these notes, I am not writing them out of a holier-than-thou attitude, because I struggle exactly with the same things all the time. I simply write them because the Holy Spirit has laid them on my heart and I don't think he wants me to keep these thoughts to myself. I find that I can be so much more coherent with my thoughts when I type or write, rather than when I try to speak to someone, so alas here I am:) Perhaps I should consider being an author.......what do you think? Do I actually make sense or are these merely words on a page? You can read my other notes if you like. I write a lot at once because I never have time to write anything haha. Life gets busy. Well it's time to study anthropology before I go to bed because I have a test Tuesday. See yall later! God bless:)

some other things.....(this topic may not be easy for some, just warning you)

Well I'm back!(from eating). This note is going to be about a topic that isn’t easy to talk about, but that I feel must be said. It’s about sex. That’s right I just said the word that no one ever wants to talk about. The word that is taboo in most churches because so many people are afraid to bring the subject up. But what makes us so afraid to talk about it? Why has it become so uncomfortable among Christians to speak about it? Simply because the world has corrupted the original intent of sex. No one can walk around in this world and not see something nude, semi-nude, or promiscuous on TV, the Internet, movies, billboards, and even in peoples lifestyles, including the way they dress(especially girls, though guys don't seem to mind). The world has saturated us from age 10 to now that its ok to wear that low-cut top, its ok to show that belly, its ok to have sex before marriage, its ok to masturbate, its ok to learn sexual techniques from those Men's Health or Women's health magazines, its ok to explore sexual pleasure. After all that's how we were made, right? NO! If that isn't how we were made, then is sex a bad thing? Certainly not! God designed to be a beautiful thing, he designed to be exhilarating, and he commanded us to do it "Go forth and multiply". Sex is the only way to multiply. He could have chose to make us asexual reproducers, where we just cut off a finger and poof, there is a person! He didn't do that though, so there must be a reason for him designing sex. Sex is a part of God's gift to us out of love. However, he put very specific parameters around it. First of all, it was designed for marriage and marriage alone. Why? Because sex not only bonds two bodies together, but it bonds two souls. Sex is not just a physical thing or technique, it is a beautiful way for a man and his wife to bond together as one flesh, and it involves emotional, spiritual, and even psychological aspects within it. Sex is truly a beautiful inside of marriage. Sex is also a symbol of the covenant of marriage. Because it bonds both body and soul, it reinforces and solidifies the already made covenant to stick together for life, no matter what. It signifies the commitment they have already made on their wedding day to themselves and God. However, when done outside of that context, it is completely defying and destroying the covenant that God has established. It also can have many consequences like an unwanted pregnancy, STDs, or a broken relationship. Most importantly though, it can leave scars on you that no other sin can. Sex outside of marriage is also selfish. You are taking God's covenant and you are throwing it in his face just because you don't have the self-control to watch what you do with your body. You want that pleasure and you want it now. Why wait until marriage when it can easily be obtained now? Because you do not have the right. You do not have the right to take away a person's virginity or your own until you are completely committed. Marriage is the ultimate commitment, the ultimate expression to show that you love your spouse that much. Sex is a demonstration of that commitment. If you are not married, then you have no right to have sex with someone whom you have not shown that commitment to through marriage. You are also sinning against your own body as well as the other person’s body when you do that. Only that girl's husband has the right to have sex with her, if she is not married then no one does and vice versa with a man and his wife. If a man doesn't have a wife, he shouldn't be having sex. Masturbation is even more selfish in my eyes. Not only are you defying the covenant of marriage, but you are basically denying your future wife or husband the pleasure of having sex with you. You’re taking all the pleasure for yourself, or basically what is called self-gratification. They should be the first and last people that you share your sexual pleasure with. Also, masturbation requires you to lust. It requires you to have thoughts about or visual images of things that you have no right to be thinking. You are basically raping whoever it is in your mind, since you are doing things to them without their consent. Lust is strictly forbidden by God, as no good ever comes from it. For any girls reading this, I feel like there are some things that you need to know about guys. First of all, guys were made to be visual. Guys also have a natural sex drive. However, the filth that guys are fed constantly in this world today fuels that sex drive to an unhealthy level and it makes it so much easier for a guy to fall into sexual sin. Also, the way girls dress does not help. Girls do not realize how easy it is for guys to sin through our eyes before we even have time to think about it. All it takes is one low cut top, one pair of short shorts, one tight shirt. I know you don't want a guy looking at your breasts or your butt, yet you wear these things that show off or advertise your looks. Yes they may be "in style” but are they right? Do you really think you need those kinds of clothes to attract a guy? A true godly guy will love you for who you are, not what you wear. Am I trying to use what you wear as an excuse for guys’ behavior? Absolutely not! It is very important to never just accept that sinning is a part of you and that it is pointless to fight it. God's grace is sufficient but we are called to get back up after we fall. We cannot view ourselves as a helpless victim! We must rely on Him and he will pick us back up. I owe too much to my God and my future wife to quit trying to become pure in everything that I do. To strive for holiness, righteousness, godliness, brotherly love, goodness, and perseverance. That is my goal, now and forever. To be ready for my wife when I meet her some day. To be God's light in a dark world. To love without holding back, with God's love. Agape love. To be more humble. Will it be easy? Nope. But I don't expect it to be easy because it was never meant to be easy. But I have all confidence that God will take care of me because he promises that he will. I will trust him now and forever and I hope that you will do the same. Life is so much more fulfilling when you know God personally instead of just knowing about him.:) Time to continue, and I think this next one will be the last one......... Oh and most of this material is from a book called Every Young Man's Battle. The book is extremely good and I would recommend it for any guy as well as any girl who truly wants to know what temptations guys face daily. It also gives ways that the authors used to fight the temptations. It is very blunt and not easy to read, but it is definitely worth it.

A journey into my mind.....enter if you dare,lol

Well, I figured it was about time to write another note. I'd had a lot of things going through my mind lately and I've been struggling with some things as well. Ah, where to begin.... School sounds like a good place to start. I had three tests this past week and I have another coming up on Tuesday. Basically, I've been studying almost nonstop and it has worn me out. I also had a situation going on this weekend that I can't really go into detail of because I don't think the people involved would appreciate me telling anyone about it. What I can say though is please pray for them. I am praying for them fervently. They are doing things that are not honoring God, and my heart has been crying and continues to cry out that they would seek Him. Pray that He will give them grace and mercy and above all, His unfailing love because only He can fully satisfy. If the people involved in this situation are reading this, I want you to know that I do not look down on you or think any less of you. I want you to know that I love you deeply with all my heart.:) I could never judge you nor do I even have the jurisdiction to or the right. I am just as much human as any of you. But just as Nathan pointed out what David was doing because he loved him like a brother and he didn't want to see his brother fall into any more sin, so I am doing to you. I am not mad, but I am grieving in my heart. I know that God has so much planned for your lives, and that what you are doing is ultimately going to hurt you in the long run and I do not want that for you. I long to see your relationship with Christ grow and for his love to cover you. I have seen friends go down the road you are following, and it has never ended up good. Sorry for getting off on that tangent for those of you that were expecting a nonpersonal Facebook note but I just felt like I had to say something. Anyway, I'm in an anthropology class this semester and its a very interesting class, but I also know that God has put me there for a reason. Of course, I believe everything happens for a reason. Anyway, the class is helping me realize just how fallen and unjust this world has become. I think so many times we try to stay within our own bubbles where everything is comfortable and we do not think of the hurting world around us. I have done this countless times, and still continue to do this! I complain about my classes and tests when I have a home, good food, loving parents, an awesome sister, and countless friends. Most people have very few if any of these things! Either that or we think that the world is too vile or perverted for us too get involved. Anthropology calls it ethnocentrism or the belive that another's culture is sick or disgusting based on what your culture practices. Because the American culture doesn't eat bugs, most people see it as nasty that it is a delicacy in some Asian countries. If we had grown up eating bugs in Japan, we wouldn't see it as nasty at all, simply a part of life. There are some cultures that do female circumcision, or pierce interesting parts of their body. So because we don't want to have to deal with that, we decide not to minister to the world because we are much safer here. How then will these people ever experience the love of God? How can they find Christ when there is no one to speak to them? How awesome would it be if every Christian surrendered their heart to God and went and ministered and loved those cultures, despite their distaste for the culture or their fears of living outside the U.S.? Even in our own community there are people who need God's love shared with them by feeding them or clothing them or giving them a home. They are hurting and we just sit on our butts and complain about our own lives instead of reaching out to them. God's love was not meant to be cooped up within our hearts like an animal in a cage. God calls for us to radiate his love to others. Who are we to decide who is entitled to his love or not? Did we form the Earth with our hands? Did we create ourselves? Of course not! Therefore we have no right to decide who gets love and who doesn't! We are called to love EVERYONE whether we know them or not, whether we agree with their practices or rituals or style of clothing or lack of hygiene. Which is truly worse? People living in sin and not realizing it or never knowing of God's grace? Or us simply not doing anything to help remedy that as God has called us to do? If we are the body, why aren't his arms reaching, why aren't his hands healing, why aren't his words teaching? And if we are the body, why aren't his feet going, why is his love not showing them there is a way? No one will ever see Christ's love if we do not show it to them or minister to them. Also, we talked about biologocal anthropology and some of thr evolutionary timeline. Now God might or might not have created the world through evolution, I wasn't there so I cannot 100% know how God did it. However, I do not personally believe that God did it that way. I do not care what the science of this world says, nor how much evidence they have come up with. There is just as much evidence for the young earth creationists, they just don't get government money to fund their research or any media coverage so it takes much longer to finish a project and even longer to spread the word because the media is not behind them. The media is a very powerful tool for getting your voice heard in this day and age as well as the govt. Anyway, based on what I have seen in the Bible and what I have learned about the character of God, I simply cannot comprehend evolution as his method of creation. Here is why. First of all, our God is a personal God and an all loving God. He cares about each and every part of his creation individually. I do not see how evolution would show his love or his personal character. God is good. He states his creation as good. How then can death be a part of this perfect world? That is what evolution causes. Many things must mutate and pass on favored characteristics, while the ones who weren't so lucky to get the mutation that will help them survive just die off. What of the transistional forms? How does this show God's love for individuality when we are constantly evolving? God could have created it all in one day but he didn't. Why? I think it is because he wanted to demonstrate that he loved his creation so much that he split it up into more days to show that he wanted to give more time into shaping each kind of lifeform individually instead of doing it all at once. If someone puts a lot of time into something, then you can tell that they care very much about what they are doing vs someone who doesn't put much effort or time into something and you can tell that they really must not care much about that subject. But 6 billion years is a lot of time! How come he didn't take that long? Because evolution is not beautiful. Mutations can cause serious illnesses and complications. They can cause a weaker species to die out altogether. I do not think evolution was an original plan of this world. First of all, there was no death and no faults in any bodily processes. No predators and no prey. No infectious diseases. The world was perfect or good in God's eyes. There could be no room for anything that even had the potential to cause suffering or death. All the creatures were herbivores, and there was no danger of anything bad ever happening in the original world. For evolution to occur, usually the death of other species is involved. I don't think anything had to compete for food or fight each other for resources. I believe the ecosystem had all it needed and every living thing was content and well fed. That is beautiful. That is love. Also God is unchanging so wouldn't it be logical to assume that his creation would originally want to be like him? We had the choice to stay in paradise forever on the earth and never change that, or to rebel against him and face the consequences. If we are created in his image, I do not believe evolution is a part of that because an image is a reflection of the character and his traits. Because he is good, we were created good as well as all other creatures. Humans were in fact VERY good so we were above even the standard of good that God made the animals with. Also, God spent an entire day on us(humans). Thats a long time when all you have to do is speak and it comes into being. I find it much more probable that God picked up dust of the earth and formed us with his own two hands as a potter sculpts clay or a sculpter makes a statue. He wanted to form us himself instead of letting evolution create us over time. We were also to rule over the animals because we were set apart from them. I do not see how we could have evolved from the same ancestor. That would not make creation personal because you have many other animals emerging from one. I believe evolution came as a result of sin, and genetic mutations are a part of this fallen world, as are infectious diseases, suffering and death. I could be completely wrong about any of this as I am definitely not known for always being right,lol. However, I just thought that someone might like to know whats going on inside my head, and why I believe what I do :) I have much more to say but this note is getting long so I'm going to probably write another after I eat dinner.......Ciao for now!

What the passion flower represents and how it got it's name

The passion flower was first seen by missionary Spanish explorers that came to the Americas about 400 years ago. The plant reminded them of Christ's sacrifice because the parts of the plant represented different aspects of His death. The 5 petals and 5 sepals represent 10 disciples, without Judas and Peter, the 5 stamen and the 3 different spreading styles with their flattened heads represent the wounds and the nails. Below this is a double row of long filaments, known as the corona, that symbolizes the crown of thorns put on Jesus' head before the crucifixion. The tendrils that the plant uses to climb with symbolize the whips used to lash Christ. The ovary of the plant also depicts the hammer used for the nails and the styles can also be the 3 separate crosses as well

Here is an example of one of the species. There are over 200 species in all different colors!

Isn't it amazing how God shows himself through his creation? Just thought I'd share. I actually have some passion flower growing in my yard right now.

Why is it so hard to put God first?

Because of our sinful nature. It's that plain and simple. We want to live our lives the way we want to live them, and we don't want anyone or anything getting in the way of that. We are selfish, arrogant sinners on our own. Satan makes us believe that the things we are doing aren't THAT bad so its ok to do them because we are sinners anyway. Sin is fun! If it wasn't, we wouldn't be doing it! But that is no excuse to keep doing it! It is more of the mindset, I'm a victim and there is nothing that can make me kick this habit or stop doing this certain sin so I'll just keep living with it. Trust me I know what it's like to feel like this. The Christian life is a constant battle and life will never get any easier on this Earth. But God can help you see Him even in the time of trouble. That is what makes God's grace and love and mercy so much more beautiful:) Only by His divine power can he refine and cleanse us and make us "not of this world". And this doesn't just happen overnight, it takes a lifetime. as 2 Peter 1:3-11 states, God has given us all we need to follow Him and to show others about Him; It's just a matter of using what he has given us and allowing the Spirit to work through us. We cannot do anything on our own, and we must remember that it is He who gave us life in the first place, so why should we live it for ourselves? It is not our life to live:) Also, every earthly possession(money, house, car, collectibles, pets, electronics, cellphones, MP3 players, food, clothes,etc.) will be GONE the second we die. What was all this ambition to obtain these things ultimately accomplishing in the end? The answer? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. God calls to do EVERYTHING on this earth for Him, because he has given us EVERYTHING that we possess. Am I saying that we should not possess these things? Not necessarily. But we should acknowledge where these things originated and who has allowed us to possess these things and never forget why we have been blessed. We must also not take for granted these things and spend too much time utilizing them and ignoring God. I do not claim to know all there is to know about these things, because only God knows it all. However, what I am saying to you comes straight from the heart and I urge you all that whatever you may be struggling with, no matter how bad you think you are in too deep, that Christ just may surprise you and give you more love than you could ever imagine:) How can you possibly think that you are in a more terrible situation than Christ was? Have you ever: been beaten to a pulp, spit at, mocked, had your clothes go to soldiers who cast lots for them, carried a cross on your back, had nails driven into your hands and feet, or get this one: TAKEN ON THE WEIGHT OF ALL THE SIN OF THE WORLD ON YOUR SHOULDERS or had your very LIFE taken away from you?! I think not! I think the truth of what he really had to sacrifice has been toned down so much in the back of our minds! We tell each other that Jesus died for us so many times that it becomes commonplace. Did you see The Passion of the Christ? Why did you not see it again? Because it makes us naked in truth, and our human nature tells us not to like that. His true sacrifice is exposed. That is love. His love is like no other, for it is unending and always forgiving. He can pull you out of the darkness and into the light, if only you will ask him. He will not make you love Him, or appreciate the things He has given you. He will not make you acknowledge His presence or recognize His divine glory and power. You have to be willing to see Him. He has given us free will and as much as it pains Him to let us do what we do, He lets us because He loves us and doesn't want us to be his mindless robots:) He does not give us free will because he wants us to fail! So many people act like Christianity is just like any other religion but it is not! Christianity is about a relationship with the God of the universe! No other "religion" speaks of being able to have a personal relationship with their God! No other religion speaks of unfailing love, mercy, and grace! No other religion teaches to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you! No other religion speaks of a guide on this earth that is part of God(The Holy Spirit) to help you accomplish these things! No other religion speaks of a man who goes from persecuting Christians and killing them to one of the greatest Christ-like missionaries of all time! You cannot read the Bible as a mere piece of literature because then you will get nothing out of it. Unless you go into the Bible recognizing it as divine words spoken to men of God to write down, you will see nothing in its teachings! God will not show you what you do not wish to see! Also Christianity preaches that you can KNOW GOD and not just know ABOUT Him. I know about plenty of the people I see on TV, but I do not know them personally. Also, so many see it inconceivable that God could have created all of this which disproves that he exists. However, think for a second..... Wouldn't a God create a world that is within His power to control? Meaning that he could live outside the very laws that he has created for the world to be governed by? He is not bound by our gravity, our time, our physics, and our sinful nature. We can't grasp that because we are not on the same plane as him. WE ARE NOT GOD! We have no authority to criticize his characterisitics! We do not have the intellect to understand Him fully! We never will on this earth and we must accept that! This is getting kinda long so I'm wrapping it up. Please read this and pass it on to your friends:) It will not magically appear in someones mind and I can only tag a certain number of friends,lol

Just some deep thoughts

I have wanted to write a note for quite some time but I have either not had the time or the energy to write it. Lately I have just really begun to realize just how truly awesome God is and I would like to share with anyone who will read this. I would first like to start off saying that some of what I say may hit home, but I have been wanting to say it for a long time. First of all, I have seen so much hypocrisy within just the people I know that it deeply saddens me. I am also including myself in this hypocrisy, as I do many things that defy God's teachings all the time, but there are certain ones in which I would like to touch on, not because any of these things I am about to say are worse than others, but because God has laid them on my heart. First of all, I would like to talk about the media. Basically, as soon as you turn on the TV, or search on youtube, or search for music to download somewhere, or go see a movie, you can't go a whole movie or song without hearing something vulgar. So many have told me before,"Oh go see the movie. It's not that bad! It's only one scene!" or "They only say that word a few times!" or "Thats not the point of the song so it's OK to listen to it even if it has some controversial lyrics!" or even "That TV show is funny because it is true about life today!" (referring to comedies that are often vulgar). Once again I will admit that I used to watch many shows that fit these categories as well as music and I am not proud of it. But is it right? Not according to God. Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." I don't know about you, but I don't think any of these things apply to the trash we put into our head everyday. Many people make the excuse that these things don't affect their thoughts or actions. Even if the effect is just minimal, wouldn't time be better spent doing something for God? And can those who are searching for an answer see that something has changed you completely, or is it perhaps just halfway? You read your Bible, you minister and love others, you attend church, and then join your friends in immoral and sinful activities. I have had countless people tell me that they don't like Christians because they merely preach to others and don't follow their own lessons. We are all guilty of being hypocrites, but the thing that saddens me so much is the fact that we are all ok with it. It's ok to do this and that, as long as you don't get in too deep. I had a friend tell me once that as long as you don't get addicted or obsessed with something, then its ok to do. I did not say anything to this friend about it, but that statement really got me thinking. Is this our view of the world? Seriously? That would be like me saying,"Oh, I'll just look at one porno picture. It won't be that bad. As long as I don't get sucked into it, it's ok to do." "It's just one movie or just one song or just one sin in my life"."It's just one drink, it won't hurt anything." When you become a believer, God clearly states that he would rather you be on fire or not at all for Him than to be lukewarm. 1 John 2:15-17 states,"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." Also, James 3:9-12 states," With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. Romans 6 is also very good at explaining these things:) Too much we take our life for granted. We tell ourselves that life is not worth living if we don't have some 'harmless' fun. Getting drunk, having sex, thinking sexual thoughts before marriage, actually acting on those thoughts, smoking, cursing, and plenty more. I recently saw a quote on someone's facebook page that well behaved people seldom make history. Umm....I know of one person who made more history than any before Him and continues to make today. I also saw a quote that talked about a man who was saying college was four years to be irresponsible, saying work is for people with real jobs, that you'll never remember the time you wasted in class so stay out late and drink until sunrise, and that the work never ends but college does. We think so much about using the time in our lives for 'harmless fun' that we don't realize if it weren't for God, we won't wouldn't even exist right know and I wouldn't be writing this note. Our life is a sacred gift from God, and we treat it like crap. God made us in His image, not the image of the world. Shouldn't we be using all our time doing something for God, since it is he who gave us life and can take it away at any time? Each day is a gift as well because we are not guaranteed even another second on this earth. We fail to realize the urgency of witnessing to others through our actions. We cannot serve two masters. We must hate one and love the other. We try to find satisfaction in this world, and much to our surprise, it never satisfies enough. Jesus says we are to flee from sin, and not play around with it like a person who plays with fire. Eventually, you're going to get burned. There may be many times you get away from the fire without getting burned, but it will happen. Nothing good can come of sin or worldly desires even if you just do the sin once. A sin is a sin is a sin. There are no white lines in which you can say, "I'm not sure if it is a sin or not." If you have to ask yourself that question, then it is most likely the Holy Spirit trying to get your attention. All sins are also equal in the eyes of God, so no person can say that any person has done a worse thing than the other. Just because God gives you the freedom to sin, it does not mean you should. I know the world is only going to get worse before it gets better, but I pray that these words will sink in for whoever is reading this(If any read it at all),lol. Only God can satisfy and until we fully realize what that truly means, I fear many of us will waste our lives away chasing after passions that are useless. I am still working on letting these words sink in for myself everyday. Believe me, it's definitely not easy, but when was the true Christian life ever supposed to be easy?:)