My Deepest Held Belief

Respect me not.

2012-01-05T04:13:00.000-08:00

An inspiration has come upon me recently to recover an old lesson from my past. One that I'm sure troubles many up coming young Christians. Respect is becoming a lost cause in many households, and children are most often in the center of it. Sometimes they fall short being the respecters, but I'm targeting mostly on homes where there is a lack of respect for the children. Or, more precisely, a lack of loving nourishment and a lack of respect for those entering the adult world.

There is a deep and sorrowful reality that child abuse is prominently present even within Christian communities. Less so, perhaps, then non-Christian homes. But the fact is that there are hypocrites in every category of God's commandments, including (and almost even especially) in the treatment and relationship parents hold with their children. Raising children is possibly the easiest job at which to screw up.

Proverbs 22:6 reads "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not part from it." Its no question to us that it is a parents responsibility to raise their children. Of course, some don't even bother or have even been unable to due to other irresponsibly they lacked to uphold. And still, by miracle, there are children who come out of troubling homes and meet Christ. An outstandingly important part of raising your children is teaching them by example. But also, it is important to build a relationship with your child so that they want to follow you. For example, a child who sees their drug addict parent destroy his own life as well and sever the bonds of their relationship is less likely to follow in their careless father's footsteps.

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the lord."

Ephesians 6:4

Being a Christian child in a home where commandments of Christianity are not prevalent is extremely difficult.

Most people know of the ten commandments, especially children. Very often, even in non-Christian homes, children are expected to keep one in particular.Exodus 20:12 is a direct command to children, "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." Something I thought on for years while dealing with my own father was how to establish a balance of respect. When I was young, I didn't need respect, I needed love. However, in my teen years I was becoming more independent and adult-like. I then needed respect in return. It worked out that my father wasn't the kind that I should follow in the footsteps of, like a Proverbs 22:6 dad should be. In fact, he derived much joy from making me angry. He was condescending, hurtful, and in a kind of lingering foul temper. He provoked me over and over, every single day. Being a strong willed gal, I was not only grieved by his behavior towards me, but I found myself loathing his vary existence. How could I, a saved young woman of God, respect a man of such despicable behavior? Faster than anything, does bitterness grow in the heart.

At first, I thought that just holding my head up high and sticking it out was the most important part of dealing with my father. Respect was out the window. But it taunted me when I reread Exodus 20 only to find no list of exceptions to God's commandment. So how did the God of the universe expect me, His servant, to respect a man of no respect himself?

I find that sometimes respect isn't always as we first assume. I couldn't earn his respect. It certainly isn't my job to raise him, nor could I if I tried. I wasn't getting anywhere. I couldn't teach him or just ask him to do better. In fact, if i did, it provoked him even further. That's when I realized something huge. With my particular father, "respect" looked like avoiding conflict. Though, I wasn't the instigator of our conflict, I could certainly help avoid it by eliminating the part of me that provoked him into it. Parents who do not understand their bounds and responsibly of raising a teenager can not be taught by their teenagers. Only God can mend their hearts. This does not excuse the teenagers of keeping the commandment that is directed towards them in Exodus. In fact, it just means they are commanded to give the hardest kind of respect to give. This kind of respect involves creating peace at all costs.

Sometimes, it could be submitting graciously to outrageously controlling parents by respecting their wishes without rebelling or overly complaining. Sometimes its creating a distance from a parent who sins against you regularly. When these disrespectful parents aren't doing their jobs, its the Christian teen's job to act as the adult. Seek council, dive into the scriptures, and do the right thing (not to mention, the hardest thing.) For me, I had to keep my distance as much as possible. To this day I still do. Can my father provoke me to anger? No. Do I find it easier to respect him when he's not around to disrespect me? Yes.

The Dryness and The Rain - mwY

2011-12-24T04:20:00.001-08:00

First came a strong wind
Rippin' off rooftops like bottlecaps
And bending lamp posts down to the ground
Then came a thunder
Shattering my window
But you were not that strong wind
Or that mighty sound
That left the bar in shambles
The rabbit hutch in ruins
The split-rail fence splintered
And the curtains torn
All the cows out from the pastures
Trampling on the pumpkins
And the horses from their stables
Ambling in the corn

Isa ruhu-lah 'alaihis-salat was-salam

I've flown unnoticed just behind you like an insect
And I've watched you like a falcon
From a distance as you passed
You swoop down to be nearer
To the traces of your footsteps
To pick the fallen grain from the dirt
Beneath the crooked grass
And I'm going to take that grain
I'm going to crush it all together
Into the flour of a bread
As small and simple and sincere
As when the dryness and the rain
Finally drink from one another
The gentle cup of mutual surrendered tears

Come on!

A fish swims through the sea
While the sea is, in a certain sense
Contained within the fish!
Oh, what am I to think
Of what the writing
Of a thousand lifetimes could not explain
If all the forest trees were pens
And all the oceans, ink?

Isa ruhu-lah 'alaihis-salat was-salam

Nastagh-firuka ya Hakam
Ya Dhal-Jalali wal-Ikram
Isa ruhu-lah 'alalihis-salat was-salam
Ya Halim, ya Qahhar
Ya Muntaqim, ya Ghaffar!
La llaha ilallahu, Allahu Akbar!

mewithoutYou

Miserable People and the Faithful

2011-11-13T00:23:00.000-08:00

Earlier tonight, I was battling within myself my current Deal family situation, then eventually to the boyfriend. My freight-train of thought brought up all kinds of less than pleasant memories of a past experience I had with them that was similar to the just-in news I got this morning about them. However, this time they aren't using 15-year-old LeeAnna. I wish it was the case and that it was me instead, just like before. I really do. On the bitter contrary, they are using somebody much less able to hold their own than myself. My soft-hearted introverted nine year old brother Benjamin has been made a spectacle of thanks to our 'loving, caring, and concerned' excuse of a family.
Perhaps you could say I'm be being a bit disrespectful when talking about my blood relatives. However, I'm not sure how much a a relative you can still be after 2 years of being ignored and irrationally disowned. I'm not bitter, I'm sad. They are a clump of very miserable people. Miserable people find success in nothing other than bringing others down below them, so that not only are they comparatively "less" miserable, but they are able to place the blame for their misery somewhere other than themselves. What's even worse is rich miserable people, because in society money comes with power.

Miserable people live to make other innocent people miserable.
The more power they have, the easier it is to make innocent people miserable.
Rich people have more power.
___________________________________________
:. Rich miserable people have more power and resources to bring down the innocent.
(Granted, I through in the variable "resources," but its still true.)

I cautiously approached the dead land of MySpace tonight, revisiting my old blog posts. I wrote one just before my grandparents severed our relationship. I had a serious infection at the time that I was having treated. It was difficult and honestly quite painful. But, you know, I was super duper wise back then and I wrote some pretty touching stuff. Okay, maybe not super wise. But as they say, when the goings get tough, the tough get going. Well, I certainly sounded brave, at least.

The note I wrote was about faith. But don't let the stereotypical Christian word 'faith' fool you. Faith is a very heavy serious matter. It can be the difference between life and death.

I'm going to recap some of the thoughts I captured in my old note here.

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
The New Testament book of Hebrews contains one of the most astounding compiled records of all time: a record of miracles that were the consequence of acts of faith.

"I have come to see that healing is a process, not an event." I was right to realize this. Miracles aren't always instantaneous. "May He clearly show us the right answers to our problems, so we my glorify Him in our resolutions!" Amen. Part of having faith in God is giving Him the glory for the miracles. What kind of faithful servant then points to himself after only his faith in God proceeded into a miracle. Why, that's not faith at all.

The fact that the faith of a mustard seed can move a mountain also reminds us that when that mountain moves its really not because of our great measure of faith. Our faith can't take credit. We can't brag about our great faith because we moved a mountain, for it will be obvious your faith comparable to a mustard seed was not what moved the mountain.

Faith isn't magic work. Its not just believing fundamental principles about God's existence and His creation. Its much more personal. And however seed-like it may be, it is a very important part of survival in a very sin-ridden world.

HEB 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

ISA 26:2 Open the gates
that the righteous nation may enter,
the nation that keeps faith.

MT 8:26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

MT 9:2 Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."

MT 9:22 Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.

MT 9:29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"

MT 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

MT 15:28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

MT 21:21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ..Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

LK 7:50 Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

HEB 12: 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

HEB 13:7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

JUDE 1:20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.

A Gospel Without Disclaimers- Too Simple to Accept (By my dear friend Ashley Parker)

2011-11-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

I am under the impression that the reality of salvation is basic, so simple that it is difficult to accept- even so that long-time Christians and the wandering alike, cannot accept it without strings attached. This is why the gospel is so often preached with disclaimers.

By it's own nature, salvation is simplistic; "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."- Romans 10:13

It goes against our mental capacity to think that one can be redeemed without pension, because we understand that any sort of redemption is birthed from pension.

When we live in fear as if it is still necessary to work away our pension, we spit in the face of the crucifixion, because that WAS our pension.

To work any further FOR our redemption apart from or in addition to our pension (which has been paid by Jesus) is madness.

Not to say that one should not live a holy upright life, but it should be done in order to work out one's salvation, but not in pursuit of attaining or "keeping" it.

"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling."

-Philippians 2:12

Note that working out salvation is not working FOR salvation. As Reverend Bruce Goettsche writes,

"Working out our salvation means that we are to bring our salvation to a practical expression."

Also aptly stated by hubpages Jason2917,

"By working out your salvation, you are not attempting to add anything to the finished work of Christ. But you are remaining attentive to His love and continually preaching the gospel to your own heart reminding yourself who God is and how He saved you."

"May the mind of Christ my Savior live in me from day to day

By His love and power controlling all I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour

So that all may see I triumph only through His power."

-Exerpt from "May The Mind of Christ My Savior", a favorite hymn. : )

By Ashley M. Parker (pictured there with me)

23 Days.

2011-11-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

Its that time of year again. Dry hands, runny noses, flu bugs, tire changes, dead plants and little pieces or wrapping paper and tape stuck in the carpet remind me that it is indeed winter.
Really, in all honesty, there are aspects about winter that I truly enjoy. Sadly, I never really got the chance to enjoy winter in the past. I've always equated it with horrible happenings. This year, I have full hope that it will be a different story.

A Gate In The Wall

2011-11-08T01:51:00.000-08:00

I haven't cried over you in so long
I thought I forgot about you
I knocked out walls and built new ones
With new stones and bricks, stronger than the ones you threw at me
Tightly bound with the mud in which my tears before now made
Mixed in with the dirt from my past
But those walls don't matter
My rainstorm doesn't matter
Nothing matters except that you are gone,
But not suddenly-
You were never there, your absence unyielding
I just imagined you would be like promises of you
But you can't build a wall out of promises
Especially ones that are never fulfilled
So why do my tears taste saltier still
Why do they trickle off the walls I've built between you and my happiness
You still have your grasp on me
You still have your unsaid promises
You sill have your blood in me, your anger in my head
Your imagery of hate, your grasp on what I love
You thick hands around my every hope
That you won't die a lonely man
And you won't let go
You'd rather lose it all
Die away in no promises
In no love
In anger
On the wrong side of the gate

John 16:33

2011-10-24T14:40:00.001-07:00

^{John 16:33} “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

God has taken my bird and my bush.

2011-10-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

"'The gloves are off, God.', 'God has taken my bird and my bush.', 'God is a mean kid with a magnifying glass.', 'Smite me, O Mighty Smiter.' Now, I'm not big on blasphemy, but that last one made me laugh."- God in Bruce Almighty.

Millions dying - poor health, no fresh water or enough food. Millions suffering - sickness digesting person after person with pain and weakness. There are many ungodly wars within nations, within towns, within homes. The innocent unborn are slaughtered: their frail bodies disposed of as if they were soulless vermin - As if to say " How dare they invade our women's bodies!"

On the flip side, Millions of dollars - all in one person's bank account. Millions of warm houses - when so many are without. The wealthy are controlling corporations, corporations controlling the dollar, the dollar controlling the people. Some people couldn't imagine a life without Limos and Ferraris, beach houses and mobile devices. There are thriving people who have nothing better to do with their money than to burn holes in their pockets.

Look at this disgusting contrast. We know it needs fixed!!! So, where is our hero? Where is our savior to change the world when obviously those who are going to help are already doing all they can? A nation crumbling, a world turned on its ear; who can fix these tragedies and level the playing field for us all? Politicians talk big, but we need bigger! We have a beautiful earth blooming each day the new possibilities, but who is able to get themselves out of their mud huts and cardboard box houses long enough to find them when there is food to be put on the table, death to be grieved, and cities to be burned?

Where is this being we call God? How dare He sit on His Almighty thrown, watching us spin aimlessly! He has every power and every thought of knowledge! Could He not be the hero we need so desperately? I mean, after all, it would just take a snap of His fingers. If He loves us so much, He should give us a more perfect world without all of this misery and decay, right?
Perhaps God is too "high and mighty" to lend a hand to us lowly sons of mad men. He must just be too good to step off the hill, put down the magnifying glass and help us little poor ants.

We can't help but think this way when we are living in the middle of the mess. To share my thoughts on the subject, I'll just start by asking how many of you would still kneel before God if the world was perfect? Honestly, there would be no need for Him! If everything was cured and we lived in a perfect world, we would be living like gods ourselves. We would be self-minded because there would be no need to care for anyone beyond ourselves. Or at least, there would be no worries about the world. There would be no hunger. There would be no sweat on our brows because there would be no worries. There would be no more stifling work to make the world a better place because it would already be a better place.

But, didn't God give us a perfect earth once before? Turn that front cover open to Genesis when God first created the world; so perfect, so beautiful, and He gave Adams and Eve such simple instruction to keep the earth. In turn, the earth would keep them and they would walk forever in the garden. However, the same imperfect nature that allows us to stoop was also inside Eve. (Face it, we sin because we are not perfect. Its inevitable because sin is imperfection and imperfection is only from our sins... another blog another time...)

We all know how the story of Eve's first sin ends... It ends here -so far anyway. Yep. That perfect world that was once just handed to us is long gone due to the byproduct of our sins, day after day and century after century. We suffer because we have created suffering.

Still, you can ask questions. Couldn't God help just a little more than He already is - you know, a bit more than the grace and guidance He's already gives us? Would it kill Him to push the reset button once in a while to relieve some of our pain and suffering? What if we promise to still "need" Him afterwards? We could promise to love Him even MORE if He just does us this one tiny itty bitty little microscopic favor of fixing the world.

Why are we asking God to fix the world!? He gives us life, He gives us resources, He gives us love and the opportunity to have one on one relationships with Him, in His Highness. We are filthy. We have ruined the most perfect gifts He has ever given us without fail. Sure, some get off pretty lucky, in those beach houses. We all wish at times we were the kind who get to relax in a heated leather limo seat, watching the fuzzy dice bounce against the distant windshield carelessly. However, God knows the hearts and the deeds of anyone, poor or wealthy by any standard. Are we forgetting about the eternal side of things? Where we go when this earth does not bind us anymore could be a perfect world or a hell beyond what we can imagine. A starving child in Africa whose parents have never learned as much as their ABCs could live forever in a place of plenty because of his faith. On the contrary, a millionaire whose life was handed to him on a silver plate could go down in eternal flames for the selfishness he held in his heart. This doesn't sound very unfair to me in the big scheme of things.

My grief and sorrows have brought me closer to God. Matter of fact, it wasn't until I was mad at God for my miseries, did I believe in Him.

Recall just reading this? : "Perhaps God is too 'high and mighty' to lend a hand to us lowly sons of mad men. He must just be too good to step off the hill, put down the magnifying glass and help us little poor ants."

I will say this only once, We killed our savior the first time, what makes us think we'll appreciate another one?

Jesus came - perfect and Holy. Though he had never sinned, he washed our ugly world with his brutally shed blood. Yet we complain about our lives? We complain about evil? I pity the men who dwell only in the pains, sorrows, pleasures and feelings of the world. They are thinking they must be saved on earth! But I tell you, no one can save them but the One whom they spite for giving them life in the first place.

God Bless & Goodnight.

2011-07-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't posted in a while. As usual. This time I really have a good excuse. No, really, I do.
I've been busy, you see. I have a part time job as a photographer in a portrait studio and I'm looking for another job here in my new neighborhood. I have moved into my new apartment recently. Yes, sir! I signed a 6 month lease and everything. i moved in my stuff and I'm still collecting more things that I need around here ( like a coffee table- if you have one to give away!) After this, the "WE CAN DO IT!" motto is officially a keeper. It is important to my daily motivational routine, otherwise I would probably fall into some sort of dark helpless nihilism of sorts.
I also took a trip recently. I got on 4 planes even. I flew all the way to Alaska where I got to do all kinds of new things. Most importantly, I had the privilege of spending quality time with a very loving accepting family. And of course, that includes my dearest David.
So, hopefully you will forgive me for being negligent of my blog. Now I have more free time in the evenings, I want to get back to writing about important things. Suggestions at this time are welcome.

LeeAnna

statistics

2011-05-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

TSA

2011-04-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

“Except for revolution, nothing changes a country more than war,” said Time Magazine’s Charles Krauthammer in his article How War Can Change America. Our lives, our laws, and our liberties are all put on the line. Government influence and power change. Trade and commerce change. Laws change, usually for safety. National Security picks up and the people of our country feel the direct effects. Currently, we see these changes in our country as the War in Iraq continues.

On September 11th, 2001, our country changed forever. On September 11th, 2001, a chain of events started, which changed the way we live today. On September 11th, 2001, and every day since, to this date, our country has been full of new endings and beginnings. Unfortunately, many of these endings have been on our liberties and many of these beginnings have become controversial topics. According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website, over the last 11 years, the TSA was created and “improved” in order to protect passengers from terrorist attacks. Bombs and weapons have been found among boarders, so extra precautions have been made to ensure the safety of the other passengers. The cautions from 9/11 increased national security, including new TSA technology that is considered an invasive violation of the 4th amendment.

People are in fear of hijackers, bombs, shootings, etc. on planes and in airports. They want safety. They want security. Understandably, they want peace of mind traveling to visit their loved ones for holidays and while on business trips. Many of these fears have become realities and there have been harmful dangerous people trying to board planes with disguised bombs and other weapons of destruction. To ease the minds of the innocent while disarming the rest has become a huge issue in public debate in more recent days, since security measures have gone up.

Bag checks and metal detectors are not the only forms of TSA security our country’s airlines have anymore. Detailed searches, including physical pat-downs and new image technology are allowing for more detailed searches. These have now all been regulated as day-to-day flight procedure. TSA assistants will check you, snap an x-ray technology picture of you or pat you down to check for possible weapons or explosives. Most people are willing to go through with the sometimes embarrassing procedures to get on their flights quickly.

The fourth amendment states our right “to be secure in the their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated,…” Citizens are complaining that this right is being violated by the increased searches in flight security. “Innocent until proven guilty,” International Jewish News (2010) reminds the public to consider. This principle is held by our country’s court system in cases of justice. With this in mind, claims are made that TSA’s body scans that peer into our personal lives, against our right, unless there is probable cause. Controversial articles, heated debates, and flight delays caused by angry citizens who deny the necessary body scan and pat down procedures have triggered upheavals concerning the future of our rights.

“All told, I submitted to the security agent’s 10-fingered salutation 10 times in one day-” said New York Times’ Arial Kaminer, a reporter who was a subject in the 2010 Thanksgiving travel policy that required all boarding passengers to have scans and/or pat downs. Reports of sexual assault during pat-downs are not uncommon, as well as leaks of the x-ray vision pictures from the body scans. YouTube videos, blogs, and other forms of personal international communication are overflowing with complaints of harassment. A software engineer from San Diego named John Tyner made news when he refused the TSA scan on video. CNN reported that Tyner was surprised at the interest taken in his refusal and that he hoped it would focus attention on government privacy invasion. In search for a response to some of the angry citizen complaints, MSNBC reporter Ray Henry talked to Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole about the situation. "We all wish we lived in a world where security procedures at airports weren't necessary," he said, "but that just isn't the case." 200,000 views of the cell phone video that caught Tyner’s arguments with security screeners over the scan and pat-down racked up by the following Monday, and more videos have followed. Tyner could face a civil lawsuit, as well as others who deny the checks. (Henry, R. MSNBC)

With war comes change. With change comes controversy. Due to the airline security changes caused from 9/11 and the following events, our 4th amendment has been redefined. People like Tyner are raising voices and questions. Airports continue to revise and attempt to better flight security, even at society’s expense.

_____________Sites_________________

Transportation Security Administration, Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT),Retrieved: Jan. 19, 2011, from TSA.gov website: http://www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/ait/index.shtm

Henry, R. (2010). TSA Chief: Body-Scan Boycott Could Cause Delays. Retrieved: Jan. 19, 2011. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40334879/ns/travel-news/

Krauthammer, C. (1991). How The War Can Change America. Retrieved: Jan. 19, 2011. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,972218,00.html

CNN Wire Staff. (2010). TSA: Despite Objections, All Passengers Must Be Screened. Retrieved: Jan. 19, 2011. http://articles.cnn.com/2010-11- 15/travel/california.airport.security_1_alternative-screening-tsa-physical-pat- down?_s=PM:TRAVEL

IJN Editorial Staff. (2010). Innocent Until Proven Guilty - TSA Take Note. Retrieved: Jan. 19, 2011. http://ijn.com/editorial/2038-innocent-until-proven-guilty-tsa-take- note

Stahl, L. (Reporter). (December 21, 2008). Screening the TSA. [YouTube Television Broadcast] CBS, 60 min. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2HyAV- SEsg&feature=fvst

2011-03-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

"Minion please, can't you see I'm in a heated existential discussion with this dead eyed plastic desk toy." - Megamind.

Journals from a Face-Biter

2011-03-06T20:05:00.000-08:00

I used to be a blogger. I really wish I could say I am now. How very little time I have on my hands these days. Really. But what do you expect with a life like mine? Ups and downs. Highs and lows. Haha, you could compare it to a ocean waves (*you* know who you are.) But over all, I've had the same basic standards for my past, present, and, most importantly, my future. I've always kind of known some things about where I was going. Not so much things I knew I was going to do, but things I knew I wasn't going to do. Then, there were the things I said I wasn't going to do. The things I thought I didn't want to do. The things I did, but shouldn't have done. The things that I should have done, but didn't... etc. etc.

Things I did or didn't do...

However, like a freight train, when the "future" hits you, its hits you hard. Suddenly, planning on doing or not doing those things becomes actually taking or not taking action. I used to babysit and clean house for a woman whom I really admired for her cheerfulness for life. Her long red hair sinking down to her bum and four children close, she'd say with a smile "College, Marriage, Baby.." to me almost every time I saw her. Really, almost EVERY TIME without fail. You;d think she was hammering it into my head with that smile. Ha, yes, and I would just smile back - but the phrase stuck with me ...and I almost dreaded hearing it...haha...

Anyway, its such a simple phrase - not. Its huge. now college, I can understand.. most defiantly! Having come out of my earlier years of wanting to be the brains behind big screen productions, I have wholeheartedly set my sights on teaching at a high-school level. Now, I'm looking into colleges, deciding what I want - where I am going to go. Then HORRAH! I get an education in education! I get my degree! I get a job! I start my career!... I'm on my way.

College around the bend.

But the second part of that phrase got me. Marriage? PSHA..no, omg! are you kidding? like WHAT? yeah... Now, babies I can live with, but a MAN??? ha. HA. I can take care of myself. THANK you VERY much, lady, but no thanks. And don't even get me started on babies...cause that requires *gulp* touching a man. *barf*

Well - sorta.

You see, I had and have a lot of fears about *gulp* relationships. I won't go into why. If you want to know, eh - I'll let you risk asking me. ;) but anyway, "not getting married" has been my lot in life. Of course, I have been in high-school. I'm really not lying. For the last 4 years, high-school has very much been my lot in life. As they say, its not a lot, but its my life! (hehe..) To those of you who have had deeper meaningful talk with me in the last few years, I've assured you that I don't intend on man hunting - but I don't intend on shunning marriage if it means a more meaningful life.

Too keep this simple for me, I'll use what I said here to Mrs. Buck's questionnaire last night to explain.

The question was:

"...answer one of the following questions and also the why after the question: 1) Do you intend to get married? And why? 2) If you are already married, why did you marry? 3) If you do not intend to marry, I invite you to explain your reasons why."

Matchmaker, Matchmaker, make me a match!

"My answer: Alright, 1) yes. I intend to even though I very often tell people "no, I probably won't," to excuse myself from having to explain anything to them. I'm just mean that way. ;)

However, I do mean it when I s...ay: I never intend(ed) to be the one to go on a man hunt. I'm not after a husband and you won't see me singing "Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match!" in any form of seriousness. But overall, I have no reason not to be open to a good Christian man coming into my life and wholeheartedly facilitating the relationship by being a Godly woman and wife. ---And I'm confident that God can provide such good Christian men when and where needed.

I don't fear commitment - but rather the lack of! What is a life without relationships? For some, that doesn't mean marriage - but for most, it probably does.

And I don't mind saying that I want a career, for sure! But I also want a family eventually. Success isn't dying alone. :)

There's nothing important that I can have as a single person that I can't have in good healthy relationship.

I am now excused from answering 2&3. :)"

Quite different then "never will I marry! grr! I'll bite your face off!"

Not that I would bite anyone's face off, but it can sound a little bitter. Quite honestly, I have been bitter at times. Bitter towards men. Bitter towards God for making them (silly, I know.) And, I admit, I am still not please with the gender as a whole (no offense gentlemen!), but I'm not pleased with my gender either.

I really do believe God knows what He's doing, though. He CAN bring girls like me good Christian men. I don't HAVE to ban hunt if I am meant to marry.

In other words, saying "I'm never getting married" so loosely (saying what I wasn't going to do ) is probably one of those things I shouldn't have done, but did anyway.

Saying what I thought I was going to do more clearly and thinking that through more thoroughly is probably what I should have done, but didn't.

So let me tell you what I'm going to do: I am going to apologize for being a face-biter.

I'm sorry for being a face-biter. I am a bitter little girl sometimes. But I'm growing up. (yey!) I'm stepping out. I'm going to college. I'm seeing God's plans unfold for me. I don't know what they are exactly. At the speed of a falling star, life can change course. Its has for me. Maybe I will get married. I don't plan on avoiding the possibility when it comes knocking at the right time from the right person.

...for being a face-biter.

Psalm 25:5

God be with me, lead me.

Guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

January 2nd, on our way to Church.

2011-01-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

It happened January 2nd, 2011, about 9:30 am.

We hit ice on the road going out of Imbler towards LaGrande. I was driving and Ashley was in the passenger seat next to me. Joella was behind her. We were just passed the Speed 55 sign, speeding up from 20 to 30 in 4wd. I went to pass the small comact car, going about 30. It was obviously having a hard time driving. I was slowly pulling around it, but I hit some ice that was over the passing line.

Then, suddenly we spun a 180. The back flipped around front and we hit the other side of the road and the tires on my side lifted off the ground. Ashley and I were screaming "shit" over and over.

Quickly, we rolled and flipped onto the top. Ashley's window exploded in on us. We landed on the roof, upsidedown. Everything fell down and we braced ourselves. It landed on and crashed through about 4 inches of ice. We started sinking into the water. Joella immediately unbuckled and crawled out the back window, which has also shattered. I tried to undo my seat belt as well but my seatbelt was stuck and so was my door. About 10 inches of water had come in when I grabbed my phone from my pocket and started calling 911. All the while, I was pushing my seat belt and throwing my body against my door. The operater couldn't hear me give her details. "Hello? Is anybody there? I can't hear you." That's then I started just screaming for help over and over.

Ashley crawled out when I called. I didn't know how deep we were in the water, so I thought I'd crawl out my window after I got my seatbelt undone. I pushed the button and watched my window open.

Water gushed in my window as soon as I opened it. So I grabbed a breath as it came over my head. I sucked in a little water, but not too much.Then I just held it under then freezing mucky water while the cab filled - which was fast, I'd say probably filled in under 15 seconds.I freaked out cause my buckle was still stuck and the water was freezing (obviously... it was 16 outside and this was under ice.) Once the car filled with water, the weight shifted and it sunk deeper really suddenly. When it did, my seat came down and hit me in the back. That's when my buckle gave. But the seat pushed me against what I think was the dash. It disoriented me and I was sorta pinned. I think I kept blacking out, cause everything from then on in the water is sort of jumbled.

I kept telling myself not to let my breath go. I thought I was gonna die about then, cause my lungs started stinging really bad and I started losing air. The next thing I remember is being pulled out and seeing a face through the murky water. Then gasping really big. Then my head fell down and I head the man, who was still holding me up, say "can you stand up?" and he let go. I took one step but I fell down and started crawling up the snow bank screaming for the girls and coughing up water. They said they ran to me, but I don't remember that. I just remember that somebody else grabbed me and I saw a fire truck and another white truck. He put me in his truck with the girls and his wife told me to take off our wet clothes or we'd get hypothermia.

So joella and ashley helped me undress and they gave us their sweaters and two towels. Then, we poored out boots out in the guy's truck (sorry about that.) A parametic from the fire dept. came and asked us if we were okay, but I was too numb to really know yet. Joella had a headache and ashley was just shocked still. They took us to the fire station to warm up with quilts and dry clothes by a heater.

Joella said when I was in, she ran back into the water waist deep and was yelling "Get my sister out!" while trying to open my door to get me out. But the man who evenutaully pulled me out (who left after he got me out.. I never saw him... they said some guy in his 20s) told her to get out of the water. Apparently, Ashley as screaming nonscence about the accident while slipping on the ice on her butt over and over. They thought I was dead or dying cause I was there so long.

I was under for a long time, minute to two minutes, they said.

I went to the ER last night because I couldn't breathe. I was hyperventalating for about an hour.

They said my body is still in shock from the heavy trauma. X-rays showed no serious lung injury and the doctor said I have heavy PTSD. He said this could last months...

Physically, we are all just bruised and banged up a bit, but nothing that can't heal with time. Joella got hit in the head pretty hard and is bruised on her face. We are all bruised all over. I have most of my bruises on my waist from trying to get out of the seatbelt.

We just need prayers right now for healing physically, emotionally, and mentally. We wake up in panic attacks at night. Last night I kpet losing my breath and would wake up in a panic cause I thought I was underwater. This morning, I woke up crying.

I'll have pictures of the car soon from the police station.

Thank GOD we are alive and well.. we are VERY thankful to all be together. And we want to find the man who pulled me out! So if you know him... please contact him for us! Also, thanks to everyone else who came out to help. We really wouldn't be here if it weren't for the help that came.

Thanksgiving Aftermath

2010-11-29T10:44:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving; the most wonderful time of the year. Sit back and feast on a meal God has provided, contemplating all that you are thankful for and everybody around you. This year proved just that. Its amazing how much we take for granted and how little we really need. Not that I'm on the top of the food-chain in the way of money and belongings, but I am spoiled to have what I have.
Anyway, after preparing food for two days, I had a wonderful quiet little dinner with the most important people in my life, which is a blessing in itself. Myself, my 5 siblings, my mother, and my best friend Ashley all crammed around our crummy little table (which, Lord God, I'm also very thankful for) on our chairs, piano benches, and food grade plastic buckets. We cooked a turkey, made some pies, a bean salad, green beans, mash potatoes, and gravy, all accompanied by cranberry sauce, fruit, and sparkling cider. Before the end of the night, I said goodbye to my fit and fine "sexy" summer days and said hello to my slightly-porkly cuddle-bug winter days. (Not a "bad thing," being I'm "more cuddly" this way, or so says Ashley. Ha.)
But after I ate and the dishes were in the dishwasher, I sat down and remembered that the following morning is widely known as the biggest shopping day in America.
Dear God, cover my eyes, because just around the corner of this Thanksgiving night was the dreaded and weary Black Friday.
I have never shopped on Black Friday, being there really isn't anywhere to shop here in Wallowa. I could have gotten up extra early and drove to LaGrande, or even Lewiston, and shopped until I dropped, but I didn't. I could have gone and gotten a shopping high on all the best deals, scavenging for sales, drooling over the finest cheap electronics, trying on all the latest fashions and accessories, and filling my cart with the prizes and jewels of the winter market in the year 2010, but I didn't.
I went to bed and slept in until about 10:00.
In the morning, I check my Facebook and read a compilation of 'I'm thankful for...' and 'Today I got a deal on...' status updates. News links about the Wal-Mart employee who was trampled to death by deal-thursty shoppers in the wee hours of the morning were circulating.

Oh, the irony, the sheer irony that our God Blessed country's biggest shopping spree of the year is the day immediately our one special Thanksgiving - a day set aside to being thankful for all the we have.
more. More. More! MORE!...get your Christmas shopping out of the way while also satisfying your own wants, needs and desires! (Will somebody gag me with the mashed potato spoon, please?)
We complain and moan about the "true meaning of Christmas" being twisted and manipulated, becoming winter's huge ethical battle. However, we overlook the fact that this needs to start by tending to out need to revise our "thanks giving" and truly make our minds and hearts become thankful. Pigging out, immediately followed by indulging in the shopping deals of the following Friday's dawn, never was meant to be the 'true meaning' of Thanksgiving.
So, close your eyes, fellow Americans, and truly settle on what are you thankful for - that you already have in possession now. Need you obtain anything else so immediately, that you follow up your Thanksgiving evening with a dawn-breaking morning of cart-loading shopping?

I'll close my little rant of a note now, as I need to shower and be somewhat productive today. Also, the roof is leaking on this borrowed laptop and I have some Church history literature to get under my belt today. But I'll close saying this: I am thankful.
What are you?

1 Cor. 10:30 "If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? "

C.S. Lewis - my two cents on his quote.

2010-10-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

Clive Staples Lewis, more commonly known as C.S. Lewis, is a widely read and admired author, and is known for many timeless quotes. “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” Is a quote of his that really sheds light on his worldview (no pun intended.) God and His word are the light by which we are to view everything else, Lewis rightly believed. God is the only way to truth and understanding. Jesus said he is the way, the truth, and the life. Who better to trust when viewing the world? If God is not the light by which one sees the world, one will live in darkness and in selfishness, lacking wisdom and discernment. A man who works in the dark is blinded by dullness and can not see what’s in front of him, but a man who works in the light can be productive and happy about what he sees. Unlike authors like Lewis, Postmodern authors who don’t live by this light lead very depressing and meaningless lives like William Faulkner and J.D. Salinger, who died unhappy and confused. Had not Martin Luther sought God’s light in the world around him, he would have never nailed up the 95 thesis. Had not our founding fathers not seen God’s light, they our country wouldn’t have been formed so greatly. Many other examples can be found of Lewis’s thesis in this quote. Forever, C.S. Lewis’s ideas seen in his literature and quotes will be looked to as wise sayings and Christian principle.

Survivor.

2010-09-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

Gianna is not only an amazing rhetorician, but has a great story and a life-saving point. Watch the videos.
Part 1
Part 2

Thanksgiving Break

2010-09-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

Paper on Masculinity coming up over Thanksgiving break...

Watch out, world! You thought I had things to saw about Feminists! HA!

Putting a new meaning to "Christian Woman."

2010-09-13T10:27:00.001-07:00

^{Proverbs 31:10-31

10} A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

¹² She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

¹³ She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

²² She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

²⁹ "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

³¹ Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

2010-09-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

Folks... I will be even more scarce then I have been.
I will post here and there, now and then... but for the record, its not cause I hate you. School as consumed my life, and will for the next 9 months. I'll see you all during vacation breaks and random relaxed weekends.

God Bless,
LeeAnna

Live Birth Abortions; The Harsh Truth.

2010-08-10T09:18:00.000-07:00

LIVE BIRTH TRUTH VIDEO! WATCH ME!

Gloves on a Sinner's Hands

2010-07-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever looked at a sinner's hands?

Have you ever looked at them and realized that they were used to sin?

Have you ever looked at them and been disgusted because you realized they were used to sin?

Matthew 5:29-30 is so commonly sighted.

29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. (NIV)

Obviously, this scripture isn't literal. Don't cut off your hand or gouge out your eye. Its makes a terrible bloody mess for everyone else to clean up. However, this scripture is literal in a sense. It may not directly be your hand or eye that cause the sinning, but it could most defiantly be the hand or eye that do the sinning. Key word in this is “cause.” What causes you to sin.

Now, I doubt I have to go into this very far to be able to easily get the point across that instead of actually cutting off your hand our gouging out your eye, you should be detaching from the thing that causes you to sin.

This scripture is actually used in the context of adultery. Here, let me show you the begining.

Matthew 5:27-28

27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery. 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (NIV)

Funny how the first two verses (or rather, the ones you just read) are strictly about adultery, yet the second two verses (the first two you read above) generalize and use the word “sin” rather then “adultery.” Verses 29 and 30 are related to and phrased accordingly with verses 27 and 28 as adultry is a sin. Still, verses 29 and 30 stretch beyond just adultery. They stretch over all sin.

Now the issue I want to get to is whether or not you can forgive the hands that have sinned? And what does it take to keep those hands from sinning again, besides dividing them from the cause? I mean, the hands are constant reminders. You can look at a sinners hands and always connect them with the sin.

Its hard to forgive sinners truly. Truly. When their sin has effected us, we see it like as if it were sharpied on their foreheads “I SINNED.”

Gloves.

Have you ever looked at a sinner's gloves?

Have you ever looked at a sinner's gloves and realized they were covering something?

Have you ever looked at a sinner's gloves and remembered what their hands were like?

Glove are protectors. They keep your hands protected from dirt, weather, chemicals, rough and tough textures, and any other substance or condition that can cause the hands potential damage. And since we are not talking about actual hands, but the cause of sin, I'm going to use gloves as an illustration of the separation between the hands that sin and the cause of the sin. The gloves help keep the hands from sinning in the particular way the gloves are intended to protect.

Too often we see those gloves only as reminders that there was sin, instead of as hand protectors.

Have you ever got your fingers stuck in a pair of gloves? Perhaps you've had two fingers go into the same hole? Its as obvious as when your shoe on the wrong foot. Uncomfortable and funny looking, you feel compelled to either take to glove off or completely rearrange the glove onto your hand.

In life, this stage can be short or this stage can be long. This stage is the struggling stage; when you have to choose between keeping it on or taking it off. This is when people stop are stare. People look at you and know your sin and the uncomfortable expressions on your face give away that you are struggling.

Its hard to forgive sinners truly. Truly. When their sin has effected us, we see it like as if it were stapled to their back sides like a bad “kick me” sign. You just can't help but stare at it and picture the related action.

Have you ever seen a girl wear a shirt that said “I'm up here” with and upwards arrow on her chest. As if to say “stop staring at my chest and look at my face!” this shirt does the opposite and draws attention to her chest. Well, sometimes gloves seem like that when they are in the struggle stage. People notice, not only the hands, but the sin the gloves are protecting them from. As Christians, we aren't meant to do that. We are meant to respect the gloves and love the hands.

Now, it is a little different then a girl with the shirt described above. She's literally asking for you to stare. Sometimes sinners do that too. They get help because they want you to notice the problem. These are the hands that really need you to look away. Respectfully look away. However, the people who are wholeheartedly putting their gloves on need respectful support.

Its hard to forgive sinners truly. Truly. When their sin has effected us, we see it like as if they were wearing white to a funeral. You just can't help but stare and wonder “why?”

Have you ever looked at a sinner's hands and been disgusted? I have. But that is my own sin. Really, I should be loving those hands. Those hands where created in the image of God and fallen, not unlike myself.

Have you ever looked at a sinner's gloves and realized they meant sin was present? I have. But this can be a respectful acknowledgment or a painful one. Gloves are meant to be respected. I'm wearing a pair or two myself.

Have you ever looked as a sinner and hated their sin? I have, and rightly so. Sin is not of God.

Love the hands.

Respect the gloves.

Hate the sin.

A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains

2010-07-19T15:42:00.000-07:00

A cat came drifting onto my porch from the outside cold
And with eyes closed, drinking warm milk from my bowl
Thought,
"Nobody hears me! Nobody hears me!
As I crept in so soft
And nobody sees me! Nobody sees me!"
As I watched six steps off

Like peacocks wandering the walkways of the zoo
Who have twice the autonomy the giraffes and the tigers do
Saying,
"No one can stop me! No one can stop me!
No one clips my claws.
Now everyone watch me! Everyone watch me
scale these outside walls!"

Oh you, pious and profane
Put away your praise and blame
Said, "A glass can only spill what it contains"
To the perpetually plain, the incurably inane
A glass can only spill what it contains

What new mystery is this?
What blessed backwardness?
The Immeasurable One is held and does not resist!
Struck by wicked words and foolish fists of senseless men
The Almighty One does not defend

I was halfway listening to what she thinks she knows
We're like children dressing in our parents' clothes
Saying,
"Nobody knows me. Nobody knows me.
No one knows my name.
Nobody knows me. Nobody knows me.
No, nobody knows me."

I half-heartedly explained
But gave up peacefully ashamed
A glass can only spill what it contains
We went to Portugal and Spain
And in her mind the entire time it rained
A glass can only spill what it contains

What new mystery is this?
In overflowing emptiness
The Invisible is seen among the shadows and the mist
Before my doubting eyes the Infinite appears in time
The Unquestionable is questioned but makes no reply

What new mystery is this?
What new mystery is this?
What new mystery is this?
What new mystery is this?
What new mystery is this?
"My Rabbi!"
My lips betray with a kiss
What new mystery is this?

mewithoutYou.

[ Psalm 37:14-15 ]

2010-07-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.
***************************************************

Finding Meaning in a Meaningless World....and what to do about it.

2010-07-06T18:30:00.000-07:00

Existentialism.
In a nut shell: Existence precedes essence.
I am here for no particular reason.
There is no plan for me.
NIHILISM ALERT!
I will make a plan.

Blunt I know...

Here, let me explain:

Existentialism.
This one of the most popular modern American mind sets, and hardly anyone knows it. Trying to be optimistically consistent with the widely excepted idea that God is dead, or that He never existed in the first place, Existentialism has become a foundation for modern life.
Nihilism (meaning life is "empty" and "meaningless" - Nihil, Latin; "Nothing") is consistent with Godlessness. Evolution is Godless. Evolution is excepted as fact and foundation.
Nihilism is that dead end drop off the end of the road. No way to travel consistently up the road of Godlessness without eventually meeting the fatal plunge....but who wants to be meaningless? Certainly not the majority of American citizens! What abut the children? Are we going to teach them that they are meaningless in this world?
Now, very few people with eyes are going to be traveling up this road and not want to stop and turn away. So, with plows in hand, culture has widened an off road. (Culture = "cultere" from Latin, which means "to plow") Existentialism is the off road leading away from the steep edge of Nihilism. You can be Godless. You can be a grown up germ who has evolved over millions of years only to be the couch potato you are. It's okay! Because even though you are just a meaningless glob on this earth, you can become whatever you want to be!...
My apologetics teacher put it this way once. Existentialism is like sitting in a single person raft in a endless lake. All you have to do it keep rowing. It doesn't matter which way. It doesn't matter why. Just keep rowing.
Now the Nihilist would rather drown in the mindless pool of water then waste time rowing in it. But, that's not nearly as optimistic is it?

A interesting man by the name of Søren Kierkegaard came up with this crazy idea. Being the Danish theologian, philosopher and psychologist he was, he figured there was a way to become Christian through existentialism. He divided the process into three steps with a common crisis between each one.

The first step to Christian Existentialism is Aesthetics.

Christianity looks appealing. We have to admit, God made it beautiful. It looks comforting. It looks well planned out. But most importantly, it looks meaningful.
Christianity is aesthetically pleasing to an existentialist because life has purpose consistently. This is the truth. Life does have purpose. We know our purpose precedes our existence

*CRISIS!* ... Life change. You have to live a Christian life in order to be a Christian.

Step two to Christian Existentialism is Ethics.

Christianity has ethics. What to do, what not to do. This is what C.S. Lewis so rightly called "ought." What you "ought" to do. Now, you are not only meaningful, but you have guidelines. You have a moral code to live by, but giving you a identity in the world. You now have label. Go ahead. Celebrate. Stick that cute little fish to your car. You now look like a Christian.

*CRISIS*... You're not really a Christian. There is something missing. You have a God you have to accept.

Step three to Christian Existentialism is Religion.

You accept Christ. You leave your existentialist life behind and give your heart to Christ. Amen.

Now, hopefully not everyone becomes a Christian due to taking the culture plowed road down Existentialism. However, this does leave a hope for some who are down that endless road.
Our world has embraced this inconsistent branch off Nihilism. Public schools teach it. Movies show it. Banners flash it.
Godless, but trying to be meaningful.
And Christians have been sucked into the game of making Christianity look appealing to everyone. We are becoming caught on step one. There's a Bible that will match anyones favorite outfit. There's a worship song to fulfill every taste, every ipod.
But is this a good idea?
We are so focused on attracting people to Christianity, so many people stop at step one. Christianity is appealing without the flashy lights and color coordinated Bible packs.
I'm not saying that we should try to make Christianity ugly, or that Bibles can't be different colors. I'm saying that we've become a marketing business.
So next time you go out into the world sharing Christ by handing out free key chains and bumper-stickers that read "Got Christ?" think about it.
Start sharing the truth. Start standing for righteousness. Goodness is aesthetically pleasing in itself. Christ's beauty will draw in people. We just have to paint the picture in our hearts, in our lives, and in our circles, not on our t-shirts.

computer mishap...

2010-07-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

My poor computer has just got its life straightened out. I have been meaning to post a blog on Christian Existentialism for a long time now, but my computer refused to let me do it. So, after a trip to the computer doctor and a little TLC, I am now able post blogs.

So, in the next few days (when I have a good solid amount of thinking time) I will post about Christian Existentialism, so keep a watch out. This is all, of course, in hopeful thinking that my computer doesn't need another check-up at the doctor.

Blessings to all my patient readers, friends, and fellow Christians (I think that sums up the lot of you,)
LeeAnna

A Syllogism for my Feminism Paper

2010-06-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

I was digging through my notes and I found this in reference to a paper I posted towards the beginning of this blog I wrote about feminism: Men Are Jerks and Women Should Be More Like Them.

Christianity is truth. We can't depend on anything else to be our foundation for our lives, morals, and knowledge. According to scripture, the ideas of feminism are not Christian. They are based on things that are not biblical and that are untrue. Feminism is not a Christian movement. Thus, we can conclude that no Christians should be feminists, but rather live by true biblical standards.

All people who live by truth are Christian

No feminism is Christian

---------------------------------------------------

:. No people who live by truth is feminist

Note:

In my paper, the first premise was assumed as I am a Christian speaking on the subject. After this basic syllogism idea in my paper, I go into how Christians should view the women's role. (I didn't go as much into submission because I was trying to address the attitude of a Godly woman v. being a slave woman rather then addressing a household headship system. Though the subjects are tied together, I felt I needed to address this topic of a biblical womanly attitude first. I did mention some references to headship in the home, but focused more on the actual equality of role importance and attitude instead of the roles themselves. I could fit more in if you'd like me too. )

Defining Apologetics - building a foundation

2010-05-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

Welllll, this was going to be a post on Christian Existentialism, but I have temporarily misplaced my stack of notes...
So, until then, here is something I put together for a presentation I did during my showing of Collision [Wilson v. Hitchens] ...a special thanks to my teacher, Mr. Tollefson, for teaching me and for the help of his notes from class this last year. :)

Apologetics comes from the greek word apologia, meaning "a verbal defense." It is used eight times in the new testament: Acts 22:1, 25:15, 1Cor 9:3, 2Cor 7:11, Phil. 1:7, 2Tim. 4:16, and 1Peter 3:15. Basically apologetics can be divided into two schools on thought today, Evidential (often called classical) and Presuppositional.

Evidential apologetics deals with evidence that God probably exists. It only uses evidence that both Christians and atheists can both agree on, that is to say that you need no presupposition that God exists.

Presuppositional apologetics deals with the presuppositions of those who oppose Christianity, because presuppositions affect how a person views evidence and reason. A presupposition is an assumption taken for granted. A Christian presuppositionalist presupposes God's existence and argues from that perspective to show validity to Christian theism.

Presuppositional are open to using the evidence that evidentialist use, but evidentialist don't presuppose God's existence in their arguments like presuppositionalists do.

 1Peter 3:15 says "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give  the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and  respect,"

Apologetics according to 1Peter 3:15
FIRST: Set Christ in your hear at Lord - You are a Christian, rest in Him
then...
ALWAYS: Be prepared to give an answer - Study, study, study, and live it out
then...
WHEN QUESTIONED: give an answer to anybody and everyone who asked you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do so with gentleness and respect. -Share your faith and then give the reasons for it, disclaim theirs, but do so as a Christian example. Be consistent. You can't do this step without the foundation of the first.

Matthew 7:24-17

Therefore everyone who hears these words of  mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house  on the rock. 

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the  winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it  had its foundation on the rock. 

But everyone who hears these words of mine and  does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his  house on sand. 

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the  winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

You have to stand on something in order to get anywhere. If your foundation is wrong, you'll be washed away. This is easy to argue. Take down people's foundations because none can stand up to yours as a Christian.

BIBLICAL APOLOGETICS is reasoning FROM the scriptures - not simply reasoning ABOUT the scriptures from man's reasoning.

The answers are revealed. Know them. Live them. Use them.

God's word sets us apart - John 17:17 
We need the right building on the right foundation - Matthew 7
God's word changes people's hearts - Psalm 19
Sound reasoning begins by fearing God and obeying His word - Proverbs 7:1

God give us an order to argue.
Proverbs 26:4-5
"Do not answer a  fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself. 
Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will  be wise in his own eyes."

"As a Christian, I believe this..." when somebody (the fool) is in folly.
......then if taken further.......
"Here is why that is wrong...." addressing the folly from Christianity.



   God Bless, 
               The Brownish Spider - LeeAnna

Psalm 31:16

2010-05-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

[Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.]

Messes of Men

2010-05-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

"I do not exist," we faithfully insist
sailing in our separate ships,
and in each tiny caravel -
tiring of trying, there's a necessary dying
like the horseshoe crab in its proper season sheds its shell
such distance from our friends,
like a scratch across a lens,
made everything look wrong from anywhere we stood
and our paper blew away before we'd left the bay
so half-blind we wrote these songs on sheets of salty wood

you caught me making eyes at the other boatmen's wives
and heard me laughing louder at the jokes told by their daughters
I'd set my course for land,
but you well understand
it takes a steady hand to navigate adulterous waters
the propeller's spinning blades held acquaintance with the waves
as there's mistakes I've made no rowing could outrun
the cloth low on the mast like to say Ive got no past
but I'm nonetheless the librarian and secretary's son
with tarnish on my brass and mildew on my glass
I'd never want someone so crass as to want someone like me
but a few leagues off the shore, I bit a flashing lure
and I assure you, it was not what it expected it to be!
I still taste its kiss, that dull hook in my lip
is a memory as useless as a rod without a reel
to an anchor-ever-dropped-seasick-yet-still-docked captain spotted napping with his first mate at the wheel floating forgetfully along, with no need to be strong. we keep our confessions long and when we pray we keep it short
I drank a thimbleful of fire and I'm not ever going back

Oh, my God!

"I do not exist," we faithfully insist
while watching sink the heavy ship of everything we knew
if ever You come near I'll hold up high a mirror
Lord, I could never show You anything as beautiful as You

-So that you better understand mewithoutYou's song Messes of Men (the first song on my playlist)-

You'll love this if you're pro-choice.

2010-05-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

This is for all the pro-choicers....
And for those who are pro-life, watch to see what you're up against.

I think the choice is an easy one.

Mormonism; my responce

2010-05-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a short position paper I wrote on Mormonism. For reference on Mormonism (so that you better understand this paper) I posted some information in the previous post.

Against Mormonism

First, as a Christian, the Bible is my basis for all truths. Mormonism can not be considered a Christian religion unless they base their religion on the Bible. They claim some (most) scriptures have just been mistranslated. This is determined by whether or not the scripture match up with their other texts. They cannot consistently stand on any scripture if they don't believe in all of it. 2 Titus 3:16-17 says “16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Mormons only take the scripture they like. "The Bible is considered usable, but suspect due to its many errors and missing parts" (Articles of Faith No. 8, Ensign, January 1989, pp. 25, 27) They don't use it as a basis for truth. They use it selectively as a tool to enforce their own doctrine. In my opinion, Mormonism shouldn't be considered a Christian denomination, because it's truths are based on man made ideas, not God inspired scriptures. Nothing they say can be true. If they speak what is true, it is not true for true reasons. If you use scripture, anything they believe can be disputed.
Using scripture, Mormonism's belief in a polytheist god is easily disputed. One God exists. We shall serve our one God, and no other gods. PS 113:5 Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,” There is one God, not many, nor will we be gods ourselves. EX 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.” We shouldn't worship other false gods. Mormons believe that we are potential gods ourselves, and that there are other gods, even above our God.
I believe that Mormons rely on man's word as the source for truth. By rejecting Adam's fall as a true fall, and by placing humans up as potential gods is claiming that man is basically good. Genesis 3 explains the actual story on the fall. We are not basically good, but we are sinners, fallen men. We are not spirit children, whom were spirits with God before we were created human. 1 Corinthians 15:46 says "The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual." If the natural is first then how could we have lived in heaven as spirits?
To close, I will remind of my earlier statement, that I do not believe that Mormonism should be considered a Christian denomination. It is nearer to a religious cult then a Christian religion. Even the leaders of Mormonism will admit that their Christ is not ours, nor is their god (any one of them) the same as our God.

Mormonism; what is it? (not by me)

2010-05-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Mormonism
Mormonism is a steadily growing religion that claims absolute truth (as most religions do.) They are considered a Christian denomination because they believe in Christ and use the Christian Bible as one of their main texts of authority. However, they also use three other books called the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. These three books are often contrary to the Christian Bible. Mormons excuse this with their belief that when these three books collide with scriptural doctrine, then the scripture has simply been mistranslated. "The Bible is considered usable, but suspect due to its many errors and missing parts" (Articles of Faith No. 8, Ensign, January 1989, pp. 25, 27)
Polytheism is part of the Mormon belief (as opposed to the Biblical Christian belief that there is one God, also known as monotheism.) Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism in the 1840s, declared, "I will preach on the plurality of Gods. I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 370.) They also believe that our God was at one time a human before the became God. Through much work, self-effort, and with help from his father-god, he was granted god on earth. Mormons believe that if they are good men who do good works and live “holy lives,” they can also become gods as well, and that they will populate their world with their many wives (polygamy.) Joseph Smith explained, "I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see. He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did" (LDS History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 305). "The Father has promised us that through our faithfulness we shall be blessed with the fullness of his kingdom. In other words we will have the privilege of becoming like him. To become like him we must have all the powers of godhood; thus a man and his wife when glorified will have spirit children who eventually will go on an earth like this one we are on and pass through the same kind of experiences, being subject to mortal conditions, and if faithful, then they also will receive the fullness of exaltation and partake of the same blessings. There is no end to this development; it will go on forever. We will become gods and have jurisdiction over the world, and the world will be peopled by our own offspring. We will have an endless eternity for this" (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 2, p. 48).
Mormons also believe that the fall of man, as depicted in Genesis chapter 3, was a good thing, beneficial to man. It was a fall 'upward' in that man was then able to procreate and enjoy The Book of Mormon states “And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. Polygamy is a popular practice within the Mormon religion. They believe that it important to populate the world this way. They also believe that Jesus himself was a polygamist during his time on earth and that His wives included Mary and Martha (the sisters of Lazarus) and Mary Magdalene. Mormon leaders have consistently taught that God the Father ("Adam-god") had sexual relations on earth with Mary (his own spirit daughter) in order to have their son-god, Jesus.

mewithoutYou, January 1979

2010-05-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

January, 1979 saw a terrible crash (and couldn't help but laugh.)
My ear pressed against the pass like a glass on a wall of a house in a photograph.
My forehead no longer sweet with the holy kisses worthy of your fiery lips.
I was floating in a peaceful sea 'rescued' by a sinking ship.
If I could become the servant of all - no lower place to fall. you watched me like a 10 car highway wreck with detached, vulgar curiosity. this looking
down at the tops of the hats of us passers-by from your 7th story balcony... from such a height you missed the creatures too small for sight carry on covert
conversation and the misguided insects crowned me their grasshopper king with a dance of celebration! after years with a crown on my head I've grown
overfed, unconcerned, and comfortably numb kept busy indulging in pleasures of the wealthy (someone make me afraid of what I've become!) At the first sign
of possible trouble I turned my heels and ran (Oh, I'll never learn) my life is a cup of sugar I borrowed before time began and forgot to return, it was a
matter of time - I always said I could see now I'm going blind, it was a matter of miserable time -- but I heard somewhere there was a cure for useless eyes?

2010-04-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

Damnation Ballad By Ashley Parker, music by Joella Deal

Vs. What is this sound of battle for,

When you raise the banner and start a war?

And I won't lose any sleep tonight

Just to justify what you think is right

CH: Calamity Cloaks when winter breaks

Curse the day we made mistakes

A picture's worth a thousand words

And people fear what they don't understand

So dip your finger in the holy water

and wish yourself a perfect ever after

your cause is breached, our bridges burned

If you're gonna preach, teach on what you've learned

Vs. Find redemption in damnation ballads

Drink salvation from the good works challis

A healthy mind at needle point-

Injection site, where your fear is just their toy

Alternative CH: So dip your finger in the holy water

and wish yourself a perfect ever after

A picture's worth a thousand words

And people fear what they don't understand

Men are jerks, and women should be more like them.

2010-04-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

Paper I did for apologetics class this year, on feminism. :)

MEN ARE JERKS AND WOMEN SHOULD BE MORE LIKE THEM

Equal or greater roles, goals, and opportunities for women are what feminism's cultural and political battles parade for. “Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less,”states Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906), a proud feminist during the first of three “waves” of feminism.
Abortion, equal-opportunity jobs, and headship-less households are just some of the “rights” for which feminists stand. Abortion being a major one, many famous feminist leaders have been advocates for this act, including Margret Sanger (1879-1966), a feminist who worked hard to legalize birth control and founded Planned Parenthood.
Many feminists believe that marriage is completely unnecessary; they believe that it is limiting in many ways, including their sex-lives, and hope marriage will eventually be a thing of the past. They often believe men are useless for anything except reproduction. Of course this is somewhat hypocritical of those who desire equal social stature with men. Feminists are the ones complaining of being used by controlling men for nothing more than childbearing, sexual pleasure, and cooking. By lowering men to tools of reproduction, they are not equating themselves with men, but exalting themselves above them. However, they don't admit that. They want equality!!!
Feminists protest that woman's rights, abilities, and opportunities should be equal to, if not greater than, men's. Thus, feminists are pushing to give women the right to any occupation, household, or political role that men can obtain. Constantly working towards these “equal rights” goals, women protest in the streets and in the home their equality with men. In the process they are becoming “man-haters.” How, you might ask? They do because their view of men becomes distorted. Men are looked at as the opposing force. In our culture, men are seen as the ones currently retaining all the rights from women, not women retaining rights from men. Feminists believe that if men would just step down and share their rights and roles, there would not be a problem! Because they don't, they are considered jerks. You see, feminists believe: Men are jerks, and women should be more like them.
For the sake of feminists, I will over-look the above illogical nature of their thinking and leapfrog right into the ultimate issue. Should men and women be equal in rights, social abilities, opportunities, roles, and goals?
Answering this question from a Biblical standpoint, feminism is rejecting the roles of men and woman given by God. While embracing the roles that Godless evolutionary thinking provides, feminists are rejecting God's perfect plan for His creation. The question whether or not woman and men should be equal in all aspects of sociology and politics is easily answered by simply flipping open your Bibles.
“In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth...” We've all heard the story. But there is key evidence of the God-given plan for our roles of men and women in the account of our creation and fall. Genesis 2:18 reads “The LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'” Then God created a woman, Eve, who was to be Adam's helper. If men were able to fill all the important roles and duties of taking care of this world alone, why then did God create Eve a woman instead of another man? Of course, a feminist might argue that if God created man and woman, woman was created as a lower or secondary creature then man, to be used as a tool for reproduction. They bring up how God commanded wives to submit under her husbands (Ephesians 5:23).“This is a burden to woman, a hindrance to women's freedom,” they might add. We find out, when we look at the next set of verses, that husbands have just as heavy of “burdens” and “hindrances” as the wife. They are not the same, but as different as men and women themselves; Ephesians 5:25- 33 reads, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- 30 for we are members of his body. 31 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' 32 This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”
What a task! To be willing to give yourself up for another, to love your wife as Christ loves the Church!
WAIT!....
Men commanded to love their wives?! Not hinder them? Not control them? But, instead, give an unconditional sacrificial love to them?! Give them the love that 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 describes as patient, kind, not envious, not proud, not rude, nor is it self-seeking. Love that is not easily angered and that keeps no record of wrongs; Love that doesn't delight in evil, but rejoices in truth; Love that always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres; Love that never fails. This is simply unheard of by feminists!
Is it worth it for feminists to “lower” themselves to biblical womanhood just to be loved by men like this? Most women roll their eyes at this passage because Paul must have been in a “fantasy land” when he wrote this. No wife of a man like that would feel the urge to even set a foot into the realm of feminism. I admit, most men don't help paint the picture of Christ and the Church in their marriages. The Passive Man's Guide to Seduction by Franklin Parlamis is a perfect example of today's world-view on marriage and companionship. Joshua Harris, in his book Boy Meets Girl, points out that “the book's [The Passive Man's Guide to Seduction] basic premise is that women today want to be the aggressors in relationships – they want to make all the decisions and call the shots. In effect, they want to be 'the men.' Thus, the most effective way for a man to seduce a woman is to sit back, be passive, and let her take charge.” This is exactly what is happening. There is no room for two male roles in the home, just as there weren't two male roles in the Garden of Eden. Thus, the feminist wife steps up and takes the man's role and the husband becomes a passive meat-head, and the woman's role is long forgotten.
“How romantic,” Harris continues sarcastically. “This couch-potato vision of masculinity is just one example of the current confusion about the role of gender in romance and courtship.”
What feminists seem to misunderstand is that the wife's role is a very important one. Men who are meat-head couch-potatoes are just as guilty. Being a wife involves having an attitude of motivation. It is perhaps one of the hardest jobs there is. It is right up there with being a loving self-sacrificing husband, easily respected by woman.
Proverbs 31:10-31 characterizes a Godly noble adult woman, a wife. Most women read this passage with one eye-brow raised. “Yeah, right... like that will ever happen!”
Hey, nobody said being a woman of nobility was easy! God isn't saying that every good woman should literally select wool and flax (verse 13) and wear purple linens (verse 22.) He's saying that these things portray the attitude of a noble woman. Often times people think of women as being the lowly ones, commanded to stay at home to cook, clean, bare-foot and pregnant, and be submissive like a servant to her husband. However, would a woman of that weak character consider a field and buy it? Does she do business with local merchants? A wife of biblical nobility does. Being a Christian wife doesn't mean being a bare-foot pregnant slave! It means being a business woman who works effectively for her family. It means being strong and wise. It means cooperating with her husband, who himself has an equally important job of loving and providing for his family. Both provide for the home, just in different ways.
What is all of this saying about feminism? It is saying that it is unnecessary. Women should be noble characters, such as that explained by Proverbs 31. As her very non-passive husband is respected at the city gates, the husband and wife work together to keep a household. Both are dependent on God, complimenting each other instead of one over-riding the other.
I'm not laying all the blame for feminism on women's shoulders, though most of it is their doing. Men are also responsible for feminism. If men learned to display good Christian masculinity and proper love and service to women, women would not feel they need to take control. Can you imagine a properly loved Christian woman even having thought of feminism? I can't. The fault lies at both ends.
Feminism is simply rejecting the perfection of God's roles for man and woman; roles that are as different as men and women themselves. These roles are to be cherished and worked hard to accomplish.
Antifeminist, Jim Kalb, spoke accordingly when he said “To be antifeminist is simply to accept that men and women differ and rely on each other to be different, and to view the differences as among the things constituting human life that should be reflected where appropriate in social attitudes and institutions. By feminist standards all societies have been thoroughly sexist. It follows that to be antifeminist is only to abandon the bigotry of a present-day ideology that sees traditional relations between the sexes as simply a matter of domination and submission, and to accept the validity of the ways in which human beings have actually dealt with sex, children, family life and so on. Antifeminism is thus nothing more than the rejection of one of the narrow and destructive fantasies of an age in which such things have been responsible for destruction and murder [abortion] on an unprecedented scale.”
True equality does not mean women over-riding men, nor does it mean men over-riding women. It does not mean identical roles, goals, and opportunities, but equal in importance.
Women, be women and be good at it.

So, you want a revolution?

2010-04-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

People long for direction. They respect authority, they fear authority, but sadly they often misplace authority. We are taught in the bible that God is our ultimate authority. We have a government outlined for us within the scriptures, but we often forget and follow our own ideas and notions. We tend to follow our own politics and direct ourselves. We tend to chose our own kings.
“We want a king!” The people came to Samuel and asked him for a king as other nations have. Samuel was a busy man. He was a traveler and was gone quite often. His sons were not walking in the right direction. When Samuel was gone, his sons were in charge of his work, but they were not doing a good job. When the people of Israel came to Samuel with their request for a king, he knew that a king was not what his people needed and was very upset by this news. He prayed to God and asked for answers. God told him in 1 Samuel 8:7, “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” He told Samuel to warn the people about what would happen if a king took over. Samuel did so, but they did not listen. They wanted a king like the other nations.
Disaster comes with imperfection. Israel had a perfect King, but they wanted what other nations had. Unfortunately, Israel was blind to the fact that what they wanted was something imperfect. They rejected a perfect king and a straight government structure only in the prospect of rising up something new. They rejected a perfect king for an imperfect king. They were warned about the disaster that this would cause, but they did not listen. Consequently, they were to have a king who would take their sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses. They were to have a king who would take the best of their fields and vineyards only to give them to the king's attendants. He would take food and money, and wealth of any other kind. He would do these things and so much more, and yet the people still wanted a king.
During the French Revolution, the same ideas were applied. The people rejected a good Godly government and, as a result, were challenged with the disasters of the French Revolution. It was not only the loss of their wealth that they suffered, but the loss of their lives.
Even now, our government takes this shape. Without the heart to want God, we settle for disaster. Imperfect leaders who do not base their politics on Christian principles, but they use worldly human ideals control our country and impact our lives. If we set our government according to Christian principles and set God as our highest and most powerful authority, we would prosper as a nation.
When Samuel warned his people, but they chose to not listen. Israel wanted with an imperfect king who would take their wealth and children. The French Revolution became a revolution of murder and death. We look at these examples in history, we study them, we talk about them, we even write papers about them, but we do not learn from them. In our nation today, we have our wealth taken away and given to others and our children taught in ways that will only perpetuate the problem. We promote promiscuity with our media and educate children about “safe sex” out of wedlock. Then, we murder our unborn children when plans don't go as expected. We have our rights taken away and children educated for us. We have redistribution of wealth and people get paid to take care of our elderly. All of this is conducted and enforced by our state government.
If we centered our government around our true ultimate authority, we would not have as big of a problem with promiscuity. We would have no legal abortions (I also believe that because of the decrease in promiscuity, the demand for legal abortions would go down as well.) Those who needed help, such as the elderly or jobless, would be helped in a Christian way and not with government handouts and nursing homes. If our nation had it in their hearts to trust in God, as our late motto stated that we do, our country would have prosperity and less fall.

Ultimate Beginings

2010-04-20T15:20:00.000-07:00

A short paper on evolution and creationism I wrote for biology this year. Please read (and excuse my grammar and misspellings, I'm awful.)

There are a few ultimate questions we face everyday. “What is the purpose of the slug?”, “Why aren't moon boots still popular?”, “How come Mom can see things behind her without having to turn around?” and, “Why can't I do that?” Though, these questions may often boggle the mind of everyday American citizens, the more popularly asked ultimate question is “What is the origin of life?”
Depending on who you ask, you will usually get two extremely different answers. A Christian creationist will tell you that God created us during a six day roll, during which He not only created human life, but animals, plants, water, land, sun, moon,stars, light and dark, everything including the vary earth on which we tread. This creationist will probably flip open the front cover of his or her Bible and read aloud to you this account of creation that is clearly described in Genesis chapter one. On the other hand, if you ask the same question to an evolutionist, he is sure to have a completely different explanation. He will go on to tell you that we were evolved from a spontaneous single-cell organism, our common ancestor, from which every living thing has evolved from over a time span of approximately 3,500 million years, all of which is based completely on human theory and incomplete production of evidence.
Notice here, however, that the evolutionist didn't answer the question, “what is the origin of life?” After all, from where did that single cell originate? He didn't answer that because, quite frankly, he can't. According to evolutionists, the origin of that cell is unknown. Speculation upon speculation, people have theories, but nobody can say with absolute certainty. One chemist's calculation says that the odds of amino acids lining up to form even a small protein by undirected means is about 10 to the 67th power to 1.This is basically saying that for even a small protein to have formed spontaneously, the odd would be 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000:1. Mathematics generally agree that anything with a 10 to the 50th power (17 less zeros):1 have a zero percent chance of happening (and that's even being generous!)
Unlike most people think, Christians are not against science. As a matter of fact, we are quite attached to it. The word “evolve” isn't an evil word. Nobody can deny that micro-evolution exists. Variation within species happens according to surroundings and situation, like habitat and breeding, which can sometimes cause small genetic mutations. However, developing a animal like an ape into a reasoning human being is absolutely impossible. That would be like turning a piece of wood into a piece of metal, or visa versa. The material for that major change just isn't there! God created science. He created it to our benefit, so we can have order, form, and understanding, somethings that consistent macro-evolutionists can't offer.
When paleontologists dig up remains of a primitive human being who, from what they understand, ran around in loin-clothes chasing animals with big sticks, they tend to jump to a few conclusions. Finding him somehow proves that cavemen inhabited the earth during the process of evolution from ape to man. However, what is often overlooked is that in other parts of the world, there are such men now. They aren't any less developed then we are, they just have a less developed society in which they live. Things like skin and skeletal structure are often used as evidence for evolution. However, often times these variations are a result of micro-evolution and even genetic mutation within the specimen's family. Just like we know that Asians look different then Africans, who look different then Latinos, variation in people is a common thing. Adolf Hitler was of the mind that certain races of man where further ahead in the evolution process then others. Hitler was indeed consistent with the theory of evolution by believing this way, but inconsistent with reality.
Science is a helpful tool for learning the weight of rocks or the life cycle of a butterfly, but it can not answer ultimate questions. According to Christian creationist, Doug Wilson, this is because science assumes a common universe. Both creationists and evolutionists can try to use science to back up their theories, however, both are assuming a different common universe.

Presuppositions are the foundation on which you believe something to be true or false. Christian creationists base their presuppositions on the Bible and evolutionists base their presuppositions on human reason. Neither one can defend their presupposition without using circular reasoning in one form or another. Both rely on faith in the foundation on which they base all truths.
No matter how hard one tries not too, everyone is realizing that there is a problem with being grown-up germs. The problem is that we have no basis for a moral standard without an outside resource. According to evolution, why is it wrong to kill your neighbor? Perhaps because of society. It would be socially unacceptable to kill your neighbor. But by what or who's standard is society living? What if your neighbor killed your cat? Creature for creature, evolution shouldn't have a problem with killing your neighbor for that, surely. A consistent evolutionist will argue that abortion is right, or rather that abortion isn't wrong. For the convenience of the mother, human reason (which often leans towards convenience) allows the death of a baby, a human baby. However, for some obscure reason, killing your neighbor out of convenience is absolutely wrong.
Evolutionists cannot have a moral standard unless they borrow from Christians, who's basis for all truths provides a reasonable moral standard.
The problems with being grown up germs don't end there. There are other problems with evolution that concern emotions and trust. If evolution is true, emotions and thoughts are merely chemical reactions within a brain. If so, how can we trust our own thoughts? How can we trust other people? According to evolution, we can't. It goes even deeper. What is trust? If we are only but small wondering evolving creatures with no reason to be here but by the pure chance that millions of years ago a tiny one-cell organism spontaneously formed and evolved over millions of years into what we now know as human beings, why do we bother living? Consistent evolution equals nihilism. We are meaningless grown-up germs in a meaningless universe for no apparent reason.
Our world is truly amazing. The earth is outstanding. The animals and plants that crawl on, fly over, and swim under our lands are incredible. Our earth is full of order. The food chain, photosynthesis, and the water cycle are just some of the most outstanding scientific discoveries that further explain the order of the world in which we live. The most incredible part of it all is it does not, in any way, point to macro-evolution's change by chance. All these things, scientifically, point solely to a divine Creator.
While science is great for learning about our world, it cannot answer ultimate questions. Rather, ultimate answers to these ultimate questions are the foundation on which science lays its bricks. By faith, Christian creationists understand the world for what is is according to scripture. By faith, evolutionists understand the world for what they hope it has been according to theory.

2010-04-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hello People,
My name is LeeAnna and I am 17 years old. I'm finishing up 11th grade in a small private classical Christian school. I am unusual in that I stand for things that most people my age rarely even notice.
I write papers on subjects that effect the world I live in. I am an apologist.
This is a blog full of my thoughts and my papers on things that I believe are right according to my faith in God's word. I hope you read and that my thoughts will provoke yours.

Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae,

et in Iesum Christum, Filium Eius unicum, Dominum nostrum,

qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine,

passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus,

descendit ad ínferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis,

ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Patris omnipotentis,

inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos.

Credo in Spiritum Sanctum,

sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum communionem,

remissionem peccatorum,

carnis resurrectionem,

vitam aeternam.

Amen.

God Bless,
LeeAnna