Thursday, June 7, 2012
Social Commentary: News 12 LI
BREAKING NEWS: All animals have offically gone extinct!
Nick: Remember those days of barbeques, those days of fur coats, those days of petting zoos, and those days of fishing? Those days are gone my friends. Because of recent increasing animal abuse over the past 10 years, animals have gone extinct. That's right! They're all gone. Back to you Kady.
Kady: Thanks Nick. I'm here live at the Happauge Walbaums witnessing what might be the strangest fight I've ever seen. There is a huge crowd fighting over the last few packages of steaks. Because of the extinction, these will be the last packages of steaks the world will see here on Long Island. I am going to go interview some customers on how they feel about their newly forced vegan diets.
Excuse me sir? How do you feel about having a vegan diet?
Customer #1: It is a hard change for me and my family. My kids love chicken nuggets and now they can't have that. My wife ate a lot of fish beacuse the nutrients in it were so good for her body, and now she can't have that. It is going to be pretty tough.
Kady: Thanks so much for sharing. Um excuse me miss may I ask you a question? How is life without animals impacting you?
Customer #2: It is leaving such a bitter taste in my mouth. You see, my grandfather used to take me fishing every Sunday afternoon at a lake near our house and we would bring home the fish and cook them together. This is one of my fondest memories that I wanted to recreate with my own children, but now I cannot.
Kady: Thank you for that honest answer. Well here you have it, the population does not like this new change! Back to you Nick.
Nick: Thanks. Animal abuse is something very serious. Now you can see the reprecussions of it. We cannot survive without the animals. There must have been a reason that God told Noah to save 2 of EVERY kind of animal. That is all, goodnight and goodbye!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Jump then Fall
Are you a "look before you leap" or "life is short, just do it" kind of person?
I have always been the annoying party pooper among my friends becuase I analyze everything. I always think about the consequences of everything. So I guess you can say that I am a "look before you leap" kind of person. I think of that as a gift from God though. He has used that to help me analyze certain situations in my life to help determine why they had happened or how God was going to use it, so even though pther people think it is annoying I think it is pretty cool!
There are indeed some situations in life where you just have to take the risk and live a little. Since I'm young and I do have a lot of opportunities, I sometimes have to just jump, and even if I fall, I can look back on it and say, I don't regret doing that, I had fun. Sometimes people like me just need to relax and go with the flow.
Some of the risks I took in my life so far that I did not think much about and just went with the flow was going away on missions trips to Africa, Haiti, and Nicaragua where I could have easily gotten Malaria or one of those other God-forsaken-diseases. Even though it was scary, I have never regretted going.
At the same time, I do love and appreciate the way God made me, and I know there is a reason that God gave me logic to sort out a situation before stepping into it. It's like my good friend Dominick Damon says "It's like you're on a train, but you have to jump of before it explodes."
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
do you believe what you believe is really real?
So the Truth Project was a great week for me, some of the tours we took were very boring, but the small group times were absolutely fantastic. I was fortunate to get the best group and we all talked so much and no one was judging each other, and we said a lot of great things that really strengthened my faith. My most favorite tour was the one that spoke about God being inside of us. We are not a bodies with souls, we are souls with bodies.
Of course I always knew hat God was inside of me, but I never thought that all of Him was inside of me. I always thought that a little part of Him was in me. How cool is it that the most amazing being that created everything is inside of this body He gave me. I also liked the tour that showed the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and how that models other relationships such as a husband, wife, and children. It makes so much sense why Satan attacks families today, because their made in God's model of Himself.
The most practical thing I took away from this was the tour about work. I definitely hate my job, but the day after we did that tour, I went to work and I tried to apply those thoughts that I just learned and it definitely gave me a new perspective. I told my post-modern/universalist/atheistic friend from work about my new perspective and she thought it was good and tried to follow it too.
The most amazing thing that happened that week was on Thursday night during the prayer session. I wrote my prayer and put it in the basket then went to go pray. A while later, Dylan came up to me and said he picked up my card and God put my face in his head to let him know it was mine. So Dylan came up to me and prayed with me about it and it was just great. So we kept talking about how God uses people and answers prayers and I was telling him how badly I wanted to be used by God. Then he turned to me and said something like this: "Alie, you have been used by God, your Christian example helped me to get saved." I couldn't help but burst out into tears because God has used me. What Dylan did not know was that every day for about two years, God had put him on my heart and I would pray for him to get saved and draw close to God. That was an answered prayer for me. God is so cool how he can intertwine everybody's lives. God definitely proved Himself to me so much that week.
Of course I always knew hat God was inside of me, but I never thought that all of Him was inside of me. I always thought that a little part of Him was in me. How cool is it that the most amazing being that created everything is inside of this body He gave me. I also liked the tour that showed the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and how that models other relationships such as a husband, wife, and children. It makes so much sense why Satan attacks families today, because their made in God's model of Himself.
The most practical thing I took away from this was the tour about work. I definitely hate my job, but the day after we did that tour, I went to work and I tried to apply those thoughts that I just learned and it definitely gave me a new perspective. I told my post-modern/universalist/atheistic friend from work about my new perspective and she thought it was good and tried to follow it too.
The most amazing thing that happened that week was on Thursday night during the prayer session. I wrote my prayer and put it in the basket then went to go pray. A while later, Dylan came up to me and said he picked up my card and God put my face in his head to let him know it was mine. So Dylan came up to me and prayed with me about it and it was just great. So we kept talking about how God uses people and answers prayers and I was telling him how badly I wanted to be used by God. Then he turned to me and said something like this: "Alie, you have been used by God, your Christian example helped me to get saved." I couldn't help but burst out into tears because God has used me. What Dylan did not know was that every day for about two years, God had put him on my heart and I would pray for him to get saved and draw close to God. That was an answered prayer for me. God is so cool how he can intertwine everybody's lives. God definitely proved Himself to me so much that week.
Monday, February 13, 2012
BEAUTYfull
What is ‘beauty’? By what standards should beauty be determined?
Who are we to decide whether something is full of beauty or not? Everything is filled with God's beauty because He made it. He made the mountains, He made the animals, He made the oceans, He made everything. Most importantly, He made YOU. So how do we decide if something is beautiful? What may be beautiful to some people is not to others.The definition of beauty is: the quality that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is associated with such properties as harmony of form or color, excellence in artistry, truthfulness, and originality.
So let's break down this definition: excellence in artistry; this is perfection. God made everything in His image, so how could it not be perfect? What you may find as an imperfection on your face is what God finds beautiful. He made you that way, in excellence, so don't you dare try to change it. The next part is truthfulness. How many teenage girls and young women these days have you seen wearing tight, brand name clothes, have a fake tan, dyed hair, and a ton of makeup? That is not the true you, and that does not make you beautiful. The natural, honest self is the most beautiful thing. God made you in His image, how could you not want to look the way you do? And the last part is originality. Be yourself. You do not have to look like every other person because they have today's look. You are the greatest version of yourself.
We are not the judges of what beauty is. A sunset on a beach may be beautiful, but does that beach lose its beauty in the dark of night? We cannot determine if something is full of beauty, it just is. How could anything that came into the mind of Christ be ugly? Everything He made was good. After every day of creation in Genesis, it says that God saw it was good. Every good thing God made was absolutely beautiful.
A quote from a friend, Emma Joanne Ratcliffe, sums beauty up "I have the truth in me that God has declared me beautiful. I no longer need to always feel beautiful; I know that I am beautiful...I am beautiful because christ made me His own. He made me well and He was very pleased."
Who are we to decide whether something is full of beauty or not? Everything is filled with God's beauty because He made it. He made the mountains, He made the animals, He made the oceans, He made everything. Most importantly, He made YOU. So how do we decide if something is beautiful? What may be beautiful to some people is not to others.The definition of beauty is: the quality that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is associated with such properties as harmony of form or color, excellence in artistry, truthfulness, and originality.
So let's break down this definition: excellence in artistry; this is perfection. God made everything in His image, so how could it not be perfect? What you may find as an imperfection on your face is what God finds beautiful. He made you that way, in excellence, so don't you dare try to change it. The next part is truthfulness. How many teenage girls and young women these days have you seen wearing tight, brand name clothes, have a fake tan, dyed hair, and a ton of makeup? That is not the true you, and that does not make you beautiful. The natural, honest self is the most beautiful thing. God made you in His image, how could you not want to look the way you do? And the last part is originality. Be yourself. You do not have to look like every other person because they have today's look. You are the greatest version of yourself.
We are not the judges of what beauty is. A sunset on a beach may be beautiful, but does that beach lose its beauty in the dark of night? We cannot determine if something is full of beauty, it just is. How could anything that came into the mind of Christ be ugly? Everything He made was good. After every day of creation in Genesis, it says that God saw it was good. Every good thing God made was absolutely beautiful.
A quote from a friend, Emma Joanne Ratcliffe, sums beauty up "I have the truth in me that God has declared me beautiful. I no longer need to always feel beautiful; I know that I am beautiful...I am beautiful because christ made me His own. He made me well and He was very pleased."
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Chivalry? What's that?
How do you define the term ‘chivalry’? What are some examples in our world today? Are there any?
Chivalry is defined as the sum of the ideal qualifications of a knight, including courtesy, generosity, valor, and dexterity in arms. I agree with this definition. Many years ago, chivalry was the code of conduct. This was a normal thing that everyone did back then. Now it is hardly ever seen anymore. People don't even define it as chivalrous anymore, it's just gentleman-like.
Nowadays, if a man opens the door for a lady, she either has a thought of wow-did-that-just-really-happen? or get-away-from-me-you-creep. Today's society is filled with gentlemen and men who will do anything to get the attention of a girl. It is no where near what the chivalrous knights were.
I do not want to take all the credit away from guys these day, there are some men who will open the door for a woman or "go to battle" with someone who is offending her. These men are very rare to find though. The one thing that the men in this era have over the Medieval knights is the appreciation of their lady. Back then, it was a normal part of life to be chivalrous. Today, it is a rare finding, so when a man is chivalrous, a woman is so appreciative and ends up falling in love with him because he is so unlike any other guy of this time.
It is like when I return from my mission's trips and realize how appreciative I am for the everyday things I have and other people don't. I think that the chivalrous men of the 20th century should step up and be bold, so that all the other men around them will be too.
Chivalry is defined as the sum of the ideal qualifications of a knight, including courtesy, generosity, valor, and dexterity in arms. I agree with this definition. Many years ago, chivalry was the code of conduct. This was a normal thing that everyone did back then. Now it is hardly ever seen anymore. People don't even define it as chivalrous anymore, it's just gentleman-like.
Nowadays, if a man opens the door for a lady, she either has a thought of wow-did-that-just-really-happen? or get-away-from-me-you-creep. Today's society is filled with gentlemen and men who will do anything to get the attention of a girl. It is no where near what the chivalrous knights were.
I do not want to take all the credit away from guys these day, there are some men who will open the door for a woman or "go to battle" with someone who is offending her. These men are very rare to find though. The one thing that the men in this era have over the Medieval knights is the appreciation of their lady. Back then, it was a normal part of life to be chivalrous. Today, it is a rare finding, so when a man is chivalrous, a woman is so appreciative and ends up falling in love with him because he is so unlike any other guy of this time.
It is like when I return from my mission's trips and realize how appreciative I am for the everyday things I have and other people don't. I think that the chivalrous men of the 20th century should step up and be bold, so that all the other men around them will be too.
Monday, December 5, 2011
If You are the Son, I want to be the Moon
Consider your favorite books, movies, works of art, songs, scriptures, poems, quotations, etc. How have these influenced your life in a meaningful way? Why are they your favorites?
I'm not really into quotes from movies and books, but I love some quotes from songs. I guess that is God's way of speaking to me. Since I am a musician, the best way to live out my life is through music. I have a few favorite quotes froms songs by Phil Wickham, Shane Barnard, and JesusCulture.
My all time favorite quote is from Phil Wickham's song "Sun and Moon". The quote is "If You are the Son, I want to be the moon, and reflect the light that shines off of You." It is something so beautiful that everyone should live by. The Son of God is pure light, and every Christian should strive to reflect and shine God's light on this darkened world. Also, what could be more beautiful than someone radiating the light of God? He is the most beautiful thing ever and I want to be just like Him.
Another lyric I live by is from Shane Barnard's song "Yearn". The lyrics go like this: "Lord I wanna yearn for you, I wanna burn with passion over you, and only you." I want to burn from the inside out beacause of my passionate love for Jesus Christ. I want to literally glow like Moses did because of how much he was connected to God and I want people to see that in me.
My favorite worship song is "One Thing Remains" by JesusCulture, the lyrics are: "Your love never fails, never gives up, never tuns out on me. On and on and on and on it goes, and it overwhelms and satisfies my soul, and I'll never ever have to be afraid, 'cause one thing remains." God's love is always for me and nothing else can satisfy my thirsty soul except for that love. I know that is so true. When everything else is gone, His love is still remaining.
My love for music has translated to a love for worship, these quotes from songs describe my passion and worship for God. They changed my view of music into pure worship for God.
SUN AND MOON
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl_3WHW1Tco
YEARN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswCzgyO0iM
ONE THING REMAINS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g4HXXHi2R4
I'm not really into quotes from movies and books, but I love some quotes from songs. I guess that is God's way of speaking to me. Since I am a musician, the best way to live out my life is through music. I have a few favorite quotes froms songs by Phil Wickham, Shane Barnard, and JesusCulture.
My all time favorite quote is from Phil Wickham's song "Sun and Moon". The quote is "If You are the Son, I want to be the moon, and reflect the light that shines off of You." It is something so beautiful that everyone should live by. The Son of God is pure light, and every Christian should strive to reflect and shine God's light on this darkened world. Also, what could be more beautiful than someone radiating the light of God? He is the most beautiful thing ever and I want to be just like Him.
Another lyric I live by is from Shane Barnard's song "Yearn". The lyrics go like this: "Lord I wanna yearn for you, I wanna burn with passion over you, and only you." I want to burn from the inside out beacause of my passionate love for Jesus Christ. I want to literally glow like Moses did because of how much he was connected to God and I want people to see that in me.
My favorite worship song is "One Thing Remains" by JesusCulture, the lyrics are: "Your love never fails, never gives up, never tuns out on me. On and on and on and on it goes, and it overwhelms and satisfies my soul, and I'll never ever have to be afraid, 'cause one thing remains." God's love is always for me and nothing else can satisfy my thirsty soul except for that love. I know that is so true. When everything else is gone, His love is still remaining.
My love for music has translated to a love for worship, these quotes from songs describe my passion and worship for God. They changed my view of music into pure worship for God.
SUN AND MOON
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl_3WHW1Tco
YEARN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswCzgyO0iM
ONE THING REMAINS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g4HXXHi2R4
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
My future decided
Do you expect to change the future, or do you expect the future to change you?
The future is something no one knows. We don't know what is going to happen, and we don't really have control over it either. Only God knows what is planned for us in our loves, we just need to trust in His decisions. I know that I can't do anything to change the future without God's help, but I really do think the future can change me.
If it is in God's will for me to do something that changes the future, then so be it. I know that every tiny detail of our lives can change something in the future, but it's all a part of God's plan. Everything happens for a reason; this is one of the core principles in my faith in God. So next time you get an I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-doing-I-need-help kind of thought, let God in and take His help, because He knows your future. God says "I have a plan and a purpose for you, to give you a hope and a future."
I hope to become an even more fervent Christian than I already am, but I know it's going to take time and effort. The more I seek God the more I will find Him. So I believe that in the future, if I am seeking God more and more it will change me. I know that God has big plans for me to change in the future, and it is going to be a great change for God.
I don't really know what my future holds, and I have no idea if it might change me, or if I might change it. Only God knows. I encourage anyone who is reading this to let God into your lives, because if you are worrying about the future, He can give you a perfect peace and help you over this stressful time. Isaiah 54:10, which happens to be my life verse, says: "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, my unfailing love for you will not be removed, nor my promise of peace." Don't let the mountains in your life cause you trouble, because you're not in it alone, God is ALWAYS with you!
The future is something no one knows. We don't know what is going to happen, and we don't really have control over it either. Only God knows what is planned for us in our loves, we just need to trust in His decisions. I know that I can't do anything to change the future without God's help, but I really do think the future can change me.
If it is in God's will for me to do something that changes the future, then so be it. I know that every tiny detail of our lives can change something in the future, but it's all a part of God's plan. Everything happens for a reason; this is one of the core principles in my faith in God. So next time you get an I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-doing-I-need-help kind of thought, let God in and take His help, because He knows your future. God says "I have a plan and a purpose for you, to give you a hope and a future."
I hope to become an even more fervent Christian than I already am, but I know it's going to take time and effort. The more I seek God the more I will find Him. So I believe that in the future, if I am seeking God more and more it will change me. I know that God has big plans for me to change in the future, and it is going to be a great change for God.
I don't really know what my future holds, and I have no idea if it might change me, or if I might change it. Only God knows. I encourage anyone who is reading this to let God into your lives, because if you are worrying about the future, He can give you a perfect peace and help you over this stressful time. Isaiah 54:10, which happens to be my life verse, says: "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, my unfailing love for you will not be removed, nor my promise of peace." Don't let the mountains in your life cause you trouble, because you're not in it alone, God is ALWAYS with you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)