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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

A Speciality...

     Describe outer space. Go.
What did you say? Maybe you mentioned that it's a vacuum, and that planets, stars, and asteroids hang suspended in it, and its infinity. Close to what you said?
    But back up for a minute. You said that space was infinite. Describe infinite.
Can you describe infinite? Can you really and truly wrap your mind around what it means to go on forever...and forever...and forever? It would be nice if our universe was like George Lucas' "Star Wars", where everything is categorized into "Inner Rim", "Outer Rim", etc; but it's not. Think about it though, how incredible is it that we live in houses on earth (which to us seems huge in itself), and that earth just floats in space, and that space goes on for infinity. We have no full reference points in space, so we can't even tell where in the universe we live. How scary is that? But, how amazing is it?
    The entire universe was created just for us. The entire, infinite, boundless, limitless, indescribable universe was given to us as a gift. We must be something special, huh?
     Daily life can seem like it is the only thing in front of us, and it is the only thing in life. Emotions can tell us that we are not cared for, loved, or special. But take a step back and see the whole picture. Look up, and realize that the blue sky above us goes on forever. Suddenly, our troubles seem rather insignificant, don't they? Look up, and realize that everything we see and cannot see was made especially for us by our loving Father. Suddenly, our lives seem rather significant, don't they?

    You are special.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Editorial Cartoons...

I now have a new page...look at the top of my blog. Its called "Editorial Cartoons", and there, every other week, I will post a new set of..you guessed it, editorial cartoons garnered from WORLD Magazine.

Enjoy.

Israel...

     Things are heating up for Israel. Of course, the heat has been on ever since Ishmael and Isaac were born to Abraham, and the Lord foretold of constant enmity between the two. Ishmael went on to be the father of the entire Arab race, the race that fills the Middle East, and Isaac went on to be the father of the entire Jewish race, the race that remains in Israel. The enmity between the two brothers has translated itself into the entire explosive Middle East conflict.
     Ever since Israel's creation in the 1940's, national security has been its primary concern. The nation's mentality has been "The best offense is a good defense", and thus, Israel has some of the best trained soldiers and strongest defense systems in the world. They have also filled their ranks with allies, including the United States, many European countries, Jordan, and most interestingly, Egypt. When peace was made with Egypt under dictator Mubarak in 1979, Israel was extremely wary and the truce between the two nations was uneasy. However, since then, Israel has come to count on Egypt's help if the other neighboring countries of Iran or Syria invade. Yet now, due to the deposing of Mubarak as dictator of Egypt, the alliance is looking shaky. The movement behind the revolt is known as the "Muslim Brotherhood", and like any good Muslim group, this brotherhood hates Israel with a vengeance. It now seems as if Israel may very well lose a key ally that had protected the southern border. The military strategists are now having a great time creating contingency plans for an Egyptian invasion, I'm sure.
      In addition to the loss of an important ally, Israel is also heating up things for itself. Just recently, the nation's president departed from the "Best offense is good defense" policy, and instead indirectly threatened Iran with destruction if Ahmadinejad insisted on going nuclear. Granted, in his speeches to the U.N., Ahmadinejad has already gone nuclear in speaking style, but Israel is more concerned with the weapons side of things. Iran responded by saying it would attack Israel and the U.S. if Israel went after the nuclear weapons (that Iran says it doesn't have), and generally would cause a ruckus in the Middle East.
     In the Bible, Israel is the nation that is most in focus throughout the scripture. And rightly so: Israel is God's chosen people. If you look towards Revelation, the bible mentions an attack upon Israel, which directly precedes Christ's return, from which God protects them. Is this attack coming? Maybe or maybe not; but know the signs and the times, for we certainly are closer to the return of Christ than anyone else in history.
     Watch and wait.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Your Opinion...

     Today my mom received a survey from the Republican National committee with a survey enclosed. The survey was asking her opinion on the condition and state of the U.S. I thought to myself, now why can't the 'non-voters' aka the youth, have their own survey as well? So, I created this from the questions in the letter survey. Take it and share it--the more responses, the better. When it starts to slow down, I'll post the results.
What's your opinion?
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Friday, November 11, 2011

Falling...

     C.S. Lewis was an incredible man. From his grasp on allegorical literature to his complete understanding of the Gospel simply laid out in Mere Christianity, Lewis impacted Christianity and Christian literature greatly. But he did not start out as a spiritual giant; instead, as he put it, "I was the most stubborn of all atheists." And indeed, he was. During his college years before World War I, he openly mocked religious students and used his writing ability to create papers debunking God. Yet, Lewis changed after the War: it was then that he turned to God. One of the reasons for his conversion was the deep losses he experienced in his life. When he was nine, his mother died suddenly, leaving Lewis and his brother to be brought up by their dad. During WWI, he became close friends with another soldier. Unfortunately, Lewis' friend was killed suddenly in an attack. These losses decimated Lewis and he looked for comfort. Ultimately, he found the comfort in the arms of Christ. After so many years of feeling out of control, he was able to rest.

Falling down
I never stop.
Til the ground
Stops my feet.

And the ground I now rest upon,
His title is The Rock
Though times again I slip anon
He always stops my feet.

My grasp on Life
Is losing its hold.
My control is rife
With a lack of grip.

I clung with all strength, but in vain;
Losing grasp, I fell.
But His hands caught me, without pain;
And now I'm in His grip.

Falling ain't like flying
Because there's no control.
It's helplessness and crying,
Until you hit the ground.

But falling in life doesn't have to be
The current status quo.
In God's hands, rest eternally
And from there, you'll never fall.

Securely rest
Without fear.
His grasp is the best,
And you'll be surprised by Joy.

Falling ain't like flying,
Because there's no control.
But if you give up trying,
He'll catch you before the ground.

     C.S. Lewis is someone to admire and imitate. Though he lost so much in life, including the wife of his later years, he remained focused and true to Christ.
     Falling isn't like flying; so let God catch you.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

It's Aliens...

     One of the many pleasures in life is sitting in a cozy chair and reading a book. Of course its fun, after all, that's how so many blog posts begin, so it must be true. The type of book most people enjoy reading is one that addresses everyday current event issues. What makes this book even better is that it has a conspiracy theory. It's a fact of life: people love conspiracy theories. After all, how else could life be interesting if aliens weren't behind it all?
     Of course, everyone has their own suspicions about what is really behind occurrences in the world. For my part, I think that the recent earthquakes were caused by China which has an earthquake machine buried in D.C. They knew that the earthquakes would cause FEMA to spend more money, forcing the U.S. deeper into debt to China. But it's not the Chinese Communist Government at fault here; they are merely being used. See, there is a small group of people in the jungles of the Congo that were really the masterminds behind the Russian Communist Revolution, the U.S.S.R., and Mao's dictatorship over China. This small group was also responsible for Hitler's rise and collapse and for the Great Depression in the U.S., and they now  have full control over the Chinese government. The secret behind their impact is mind control. All over the world, this group has transmitters disguised as Coke machines through which they subconsciously 'suggest' information to the people within range. These Coke machine transmitters are the reason that the U.S. Government is attempting to eradicate soft drink machines from the schools: the FBI and CIA recognize the threat, and are attempting to stop it. Too extraordinary to be true? That's what the government said when I told them that the ringleader lived in Philville, Virginia, and controls the world from there (he also owns McDonalds and is bent on destroying the world through obesity). Through my research, I have not found any evidence of alien interference, but usually the Men In Black keep any such information quiet. I don't have any PHD's that back my theory up, but you never know....
     What's your theory?
     I have another conspiracy theory, except it's not too much of a theory--it's fact: there is a great and loving God who created the very dirt we stand on, who has a Son, who is eternal and infinite, and who controls everything. You ask for PHD advocacy? I have the very words of this God, which trumps any PHD. Granted, there are thousands of intelligent men and women with doctorates who have given much weight to this theory::cough::fact, but the Word straight from the Top (straight from God) is all I need.
     That's my theory.
    

Monday, November 7, 2011

Daily Grind...

     In the ordinary lies the extraordinary. In the simple is found the complex. 
     These statements hold true for every aspect of life. Yet, how often we forget that in the mundane one can find the amazing. Take for instance the cell. The definition of the cell is "The smallest, most basic structural unit of living organisms." Despite the fact that scientists define the cell the 'most basic structural unit', it still remains the most puzzling and incredibly complex. The sheer amount of sub-cellular 'machines' that perform the functions of a cell is staggering, not to mention the amazing fact that the 'machines' exist at that infinitesimally small, molecular level. 
   
    In physics, scientists agree that the element Hydrogen (or H) is the simplest atom that we know of. Yet even then, the interactions between the Electrons, Neutrons and Protons have still to be understood. The detail at the  atomic level continually defies understanding by the most PHDified researcher. 
      In the Daily Grind of Life, everything seems so ordinary. We constantly wish for changes from boredom and routine. We wish something from somewhere would make our lives more exciting, more interesting, more different than they are now. We wonder, "Why don't we see miracles anymore?" But do we stop our monotonous duties and consider what is right before us? How often do we think  and realize that every single aspect of life is miraculous, is incredible, and, if we think how God made the universe just for us, is exciting. How often do we look at the sky and find the beauty in its azure infinity; find comfort that it hasn't fallen yet?  How often to we realize that if  we hadn't been in that exact place in life, we never would have met our best friends? How often do we realize that we are living in a world where spiritual forces are at work, either saving or damning men's souls? Ordinary? I think not.
     How often do we simply pass over the fact that the infinite, King of the universe wants to just hold us in His arms and remove any sin we commit? How often do we see the forests of Autumn and recognize God's paintbrush at work? Every single object, every single occurrence, every single person in our lives has been touched by the hand of God. And whenever He is behind something, you can bet that it is extraordinary.
     I would love to see a full-fledged miracle, just as the disciples saw when they walked with Jesus, but until then I must realize that miracles are before my eyes: the world, my friends, my family, my life. Life is exciting when you find the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Go Sling Some Mud....

      Mudslinging. Muckraking. Private Investigations. Scandals. Nomination.

      These things all have one thing in common: the Presidential Election Race. Just take a look at the latest headline, "CAIN ACCUSED OF HARASSMENT", and it's easy to see that the candidates spend just as much time (maybe more) degrading their opponents, as they do informing the public of what they would do if president. Finding dirt on the other people in the race is now more important than revising tax plans or coming up with better ways to protect the border than "electrifying the fence and putting in a moat with alligators". Why are politics always hand-in-hand with mudslinging? The answer is, the candidates feel like they must separate themselves from the field of potential candidates. By calling people names? Mr. Perry and Mr. Romney have shown that mentality with Perry calling Romney a cultist (Mormons=cult), and Romney tries to make Perry look like just an idiot from Texas. What do these candidates expected to get elected on? "If I become president...I promise to label all Texans as idiots, and all Mormons as occultists." Surely the muckraking is unnecessary.
     Let's take a history lesson; let's look back to the 1920's. In that decade, America had two presidents: William Harding and Calvin Coolidge. William Harding was a horrible president; in his White House, scandals abounded. But look at Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge was Harding's vice president who succeeded to the presidency after Harding died mid-term. Coolidge served the last year of Harding's White House, then decided to run for reelection. Coolidge was a man of few words, and his campaign was one of the most subdued in history. He would stand on a stage, inform the people of his plans and beliefs, then get off. Not one of his speeches were directed at his opponents, not one of his words slandered his competition. Clearly, the American people liked his style, because he was elected president by a margin never seen before. He garnered over two million more votes than both his opponents combined. And he did it all without slinging mud or 'getting the dirt' on his opponents.
     Politicians, take a lesson from Coolidge--give the name-calling, back biting, scandal digging a rest. The American people aren't looking for a person who can label or investigate well; the American people are looking for someone with character and leadership.
     If you live in a glass house, don't throw rocks; if you live in a White House, don't throw mud.