I too have been tagged
welp, Ashley tagged me so here I go...
Four jobs you have had in your life: 1. Randalls 2. KFC 3. The Job of a Christian to lead others to Christ 4. the job I placed upon my self to unify groups of people
(so yea okay I've only had to paying jobs and I needed to search for anwsers)
Four movies you would watch over and over: 1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail 2. Finding Neverland 3. Shaun of the Dead 4. School of Rock Four places you have lived: 1. Pearland, Texas 2. Pearland, Texas 3. Pearland, Texas 4. Pearland, Texas
( yea so I've never moved either) Four TV shows you love to watch: 1. Trigun 2. Cowboy Bebop 3. Malcom in the Middle 4. Simpsons
Four places you have been on vacation: 1. Disney World 2. Beaumont Texas 3. Anthem Arizona 4. Abilene Texas Four websites you visit often: 1. Deviantart 2. This Blog heah 3. My Xbox live friends list 4. my various webcomics I read Four of your favorite foods: 1. Tacos from Adilitas 2. Cheese Enchlidas 3. Fries 4. Cheeseburgers
(I'm so gonna die from a heart attack someday)
Four places you would rather be right now: 1. At a church or small group singing 2. In Beaumont visiting all the wonderful people I met there 3. On a Paintball field 4. an Anime Convention Four people who are tagged to do this: Has Liz been tagged yet cause I know Ashley and Chelsea and their friend Jordan already have so there that's four people! Rather they've been tagged or not is not my duty in this question!
Light the Fire
Have you ever felt just plain drained? Physically tired no matter how much sleep you got? Spiritually apathetic no matter how much you dwelve into God's word?
Ever felt that that spiritual fire that once burnt so brightly has gone from a bright glow to a flicker and gone out completely?
I have felt this way basically nonstop for the past year or so and I honestly don't know what to do anymore... I just feel soccufficated sometimes by life in general... I remember times I felt so close to God I could almost feel his presence within me, but lately I can't help but look at the present day establishments we call churches without a grain of salt more often than not they seem more like overglorified social clubs than a small portion of a much bigger FAMILY (I capitalize family to inficise(sp) it's importance) God's FAMILY.
The Church is indeed suppost to be the family of God but everywhere I look I see Christians fighting amongst themselves about who's right about this issue or that. I experienced first hand youth ministers disfellowshiping brother from brother, destroying friendships that would have lasted a lifetime, over something as temporary as an age difference. I have heard of elders doing the very same thing among the rest of the congeration. That isn't a family, that isn't unity. Rather than unify the family of God it seems most churches tend to want to divide it's congeration into nice neat organized boxes. And then have the nerve to preach lessons on unity and sing songs to God with lyrics like "Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in christian love" it makes me sick. And yet it happens again and again right before our eyes... I've seen many a congeration ripped apart by it and I myself have been victim of it.
So many questions come to mind at the moment.
Why can't we simply accept each other the way we are?
Why can't we simply "Love One Another" as Jesus hisself said was the greatest command?
Why do so many churches insist on division instead of unity?
and the one I think we all need to ask...
"What can I do about it to make it better?"
If A is true and B is true then C is true?
A. Jesus said He who is not with me is against me and he who does not gather with me scatters.
B. In Episode 3 Obi Wan Kenobi said Only Sith Deal in absolutes.
C. Jesus is a Sith?
my hypothesis? C is not true, thus either A or B must also be not true.... I'm putting my money on B...
(P.S. Go to my website from my profile to check out the rest of my comics if ya liked this one)
there, had to advertise my stuff
All I ever needed to know I learned from Star Wars
One of my favorite movies is Star Wars Episode 3, Revenge of the Sith... It really struck a chord with me because of the time of my life in which it had come out... (See previous posts if you don't know what I'm talking about) ... I know very much what it's like to have people over you who hold the same belief system as you ask you to do something that goes against the code you both follow, and I know what it's like to have an enemy you once called brother.... and while I'm in control enough to not "Fall to the Dark side" or anything like that I can understand what Anakin Skywalker was going through and why he did what he did.
Now call this geeking out if you want to, but I see many valuable lessons we can take from this movie to apply to our christian lives.
One factor that plays a part in Anakin's fall to the dark side is his lack of understanding and prejudgice of his Jedi brethren. Anakin is driven crazy because he knows he can't go to the Jedi with his problems or they will cast him out of the order. Do we ever hold our problems inside because we think our brethern will think less of us because of what we struggle with? Or inversely have we as christians ever got on such a high cloud that all we could do was rub in someone's face that what they're doing is wrong when they need to be told so in a more gentle caring fashion? I know I can find myself guilty of that one in the past.
Another lesson I think we can take from Episode 3 is how we can't let our own overzealousness cause us to defy God's commands. Mace Windu was one of the seniormost members of the Jedi council, but his hatred of the Sith led him to defy the Jedi code. The Jedi code strictly stated that if at all possible you take a prisoner rather than kill. When he found Darth Sidious and had bested him in combat, his own hatred of the Sith, and his own love for the Republic caused him to forsake that rule and go for the killing blow. When reading the gospels one of the groups Jesus rebukes the most are the Pharisees. The Pharisees are a very religious people and have a great will to serve God, but in serving God they got so carried away they made up all kind of rules that were all their own and ended up with something that was nothing like what God wanted. In their willingness to serve, they forgot who they were serving, and what he commanded.
This scene actually leads into another point we as christians can take from this... Anakin, being weak in faith anyway , and upon seeing that even one of the seniormost members of the council has forsaken the code, turns the tide for Sidious so that he can finish Windu off and promptly drops ties with the Jedi to join the Sith as Darth Vader. We as Christians have to be very careful, you never know who is looking up to you or who is struggling with their faith. Upon seeing you sin you may cause someone who looks up to you to sin, or even worse you may shatter a already fragile faith. We are to be examples to each other, remember your sin may be a stumbling block to someone else as well.
And there ya go, something to think about the next time you're watching Star Wars Episode 3, God bless and may the force be with you!
Randomness!
This picture rocks....
This is my story...
( I posted this on some other LJ page during one of my whining sessions...I thought I might as well start out this blog by telling of the events that you'll most likely hear me aluding to in some way shape or form in later posts if this blog ends up being anything like my other one) Summer of 2004 I had a kind of falling out with the group of friends I was with at the time. As I was all hurt and lonely it came to my attention that the youth group at our church was kind of just there, they all showed up for events and stuff, but they really didn't know each other.... I was 21 at this time and I dunno maybe I just hated the fact I never really had much of a youth group to speak of when I was in my early teens so I took it upon myself to unite the youth group which turned out to be a huge success. For the first time in at least 17 years or so the Pearland Church of Christ's youth group was based in firm meaningful real friendship and it worked wonders as we were hanging out not only during youth events but on our own time as well. It als worked wonders for me spiritually as being surrounded by Christians you really can feel yourself molding into a more Christlike person. Some of the best, most meaningful friendships I've ever known were formed that summer... or so I thought.... November of that same year the youth minister comes to me out of the blue and tells me that he believes I am too old to be participating with the youth group.... which I wholly agree on. I'm 22 at this point and have no business being in the youth group... but then he goes too far and goes and tells these kids that they are to have nothing to do with me. Not to speak to me, Talk to me on AIM, or hang out with me. ( So much for the Church being one big family of God hunh?)I understand that yes, maybe I did need a group of friends closer to my age, but I'm afraid that's something our church didn't have to offer. And to have them all turn on me like that over something as trivial as a 7-5 year age gap is nothing short of shallow... No christian has any scriptural right to sever fellowship with another christian short of them falling from the fold and refusing to return. I tried to go on there but every service just made me more angry, every time I looked into faces of friends I loved and saw nothing but perhaps a blank stare if they even would look my direction at all... it got to me... How could they follow orders so blantly unchristian? How could they even call themselves a church? They were nothing short of a social club.... I realise these thoughts were steeped in anger and may not be even remotely true but the more you emmerse yourself in them the more real they seemed. The last straw came this past October when our church has it's annual paintball trip, an event that anyone who wants to go to is welcome to come to. The night before, I find an IM on my computer from the youth minister telling me that " I think it would be better for all of us if you didn't come" and that Sunday he has the nerve to write an article about how everyone working together on the field was symbolic of how we as christians work together in our lives too... so apparently I'm not a member of the family then am I? The month after that we had our church camping trip. I was determined I was not going to let hate and anger seep over my soul. "If he doesn't want me hanging out with the kids then maybe I can make friends with him." I thought to myself. But try as I might to even make the simplest of conversations with the man I might as well been invisible. He was avoiding me and making a quite obvious effort to do so. I hate that it seems one single man has made me leave that church but when he has painted me as some kind of lepor to those kids and wants nothing to do with me myself. It makes it kind of hard to listen to him when he's preaching from the pulpit or things like that wouldn't you think? He didn't directly ask me to leave, but he damn well made sure I felt unwelcome there. He asked me to leave with actions, not words. I've been visiting around at various churches over these past few months, but I know I won't totally be over thing for a long time to come... just the thought that christian brethern would do that to each other makes me sick to my stomach... but I'll work through this eventally... the LORD will never abandon me.
Welp, here I am...
Well, here I am, I suppose I really need another blog like I need a hole in the head, but what the heck? Here goes nothing....
