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Entertainment

Entertainment captivates people. It’s something people pursue. Entertainment is a part of life, we all want to be entertained at some point or another during our day. Some people live for it, while others just enjoy it from time to time. Where does entertainment go from being just something we enjoy, to being an idol, something we obsess over?

I’m not going to say I know that answer, because I really don’t know exactly myself. Entertainment in itself isn’t bad. I like to watch movies sometimes, play games, and the like. There is always a point where too much can become a bad thing, though. There’s a point where it can steal away and blind a people from the things of God, from living our life in positive worship to God.

I enjoy playing video games. Is this wrong? No. Too much time spent playing them can be though. I’m writing to myself tonight. There’s been weeks I’ve spent hours and hours just wasting away at video games. I’m not alone, I’m sure there are other people who spend three and four times as much time as I do playing games. I think many times it’s a way to fulfill a need of just something to do.

I’m, in no way, trying to say spending a little time playing video games is wrong. There are certain games, movies, and music (all entertainment) that I do believe is wrong or can be wrong. I’ve wrote several things about my thoughts on those here.

I’ve been thinking a little bit tonight. I think often times pushes us away from Christ. From a military standpoint, I believe this would be a good idea for an enemy. If there is a way to preoccupy the opposing foe with fun and enjoyment, it will both blind and weaken the enemy. If this enemy is blind to the army all around it that is about to overtake it, it cannot fight (blinded). It cannot attempt to fight if it’s not trained (weakened). It’s a great strategy, and is used in diversions – where the opposing side brings a small force to the diversion front, but then surprise attacks from another direction.

In the same way, I believe, we can be – and are being – blinded and weakened. We spend time entertaining ourselves, while not realizing there’s an enemy at our doorstep. We are weakened by not knowing the Word of God. I think we’re all guilty, and no one can ever fully be prepared. However, we can prepare. We all cave in to sin at times even though we don’t want to, but even so God has given us everything we need for life and Godliness.

Do I know all of the Bible? Of course not. I dislike, and think I’m horrible, at memorization, and honestly take less time than I should at trying to memorize. I still need work in areas. There’s obvious things we can do though, such as limiting our time on the computer, watching TV, and just wasting time with stuff that doesn’t matter ten minutes from that point. I guess what I’m trying to say, is that I need to get more serious. It’s not always easy going through stuff alone. Sometimes it feels like I’m alone, but I know that I’m not alone. There’s always going to be valleys and trials, those are always the times where faith is decided. And we must go through those valleys, because those are the times where character is built.

To sum it all up, we need more of Jesus, less of us. More love for Christ and others, less self-love. There’s a real enemy out there. We, myself included, need to wake up. What are we going to be committed to?

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New Things Come in Time

I’ve been looking at getting a new computer this year.  I’m not totally sure I’ll be able to get it yet because of monetary reasons.  I should have enough for college, cell phone, and gas and a little left over to use however I want to.  I want to keep a fair amount stored away because of anything I may need it for (ie: the clutch in my car needing replacing).  I still want to get something going in helping someone.  I’m still thinking of sponsoring a child; however, I don’t want to commit and then find something else I want to contribute to that’s closer to home.  It’s not an excuse for waiting, I would rather focus on my community first before hand.

I’ve got a few more minutes left on the last message in the “Living In Graceland” series from theMill.  In the last one Aaron Stern talks about helping the needy.  I want to help them.  I would really love to focus on my age group (which is fast approaching: “used to be my age group”).

There was an entry I added, ironically, a year ago tomorrow.  I wasn’t even aware that it was the “anniversary” of the post, but either way — I was going to talk about.  In brief, the post is about who I’m looking for in a future wife.  Recently, I’ve just about grown to the point where I’m not sure it can be met — and others around me have told me the same.  So I’m keeping the list until September 15th, 2006 — unless something changes.  That’s a full month.  If nothing has changed from now and then, I’m changing it.  Some of the things that I feel are essential for me to connect to whomever I date (and hope-to marry), are the things I’ll probably reform or remove.

Of the items on my list that’ll be changed is music.  Why did I add music in the first place?  It all comes down to this: garbage in, garbage out.  I want a pure relationship.  I can’t relate to music that has ungodly content.  I mean, the music doesn’t have to have plain out “wrong” lyrics.  Even if they’re about just relationships, I don’t relate to most.  Does that mean I specify all secular music as “wrong”?  Of course not, I like a few (key word: few) secular groups.  They’re not on my media library, though.  I don’t listen to them in the car.  I just don’t have enough time to listen to Christian music and secular to see what I like and don’t like and worry about the lyrics.  This is just one of the few things I’ll change.

A few days ago I felt like just striking out most of the entry, but have decided just in the past hour or so to wait.  If I get rid of some of the constraints, I may find someone whom I like.  I suppose I could talk about it all day, but right now it’s not going to change anything.

All I’m going to do now is pray and hope for the best.  I’ve prayed that if I’m living in legalism, or my list is legalistic, that it’ll be revealed to me.  I want to be real with people, but I also have deep convictions.  I try to be as real with people as I can.

I’m enjoying work this year.  The air conditioner doesn’t work in our office, but that’s life.  Last year I complained of it being too cold.  So I shouldn’t complain, I guess.

I’m ready for school to start … I think.  Next week is going to be different.  I’ll probably go eat lunch at least one day out of the year.  Maybe I can see some people in class and sit with them at lunch.  Meeting people is horrible though.  Especially if you don’t have anything in common …

New things, they come in time …

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Emotions, Leadership, and Odd Stuff

The days are short, but oh so long.  The time spent complaining fills a bucket.  The point when good looks evil, the problems begin.  There’s just days when it’s so hard to add two plus two together.  Emotions lie but tell the truth.  They aren’t always lying, but they aren’t always telling the truth either.

God’s timing is perfect.  God is perfect.  God is the author and finisher of our faith.  He loves us and molds us and makes us into his image.  After years and years of knowledge, when does the knowledge become the religious?

Why aren’t anyone passionate?  Why is everyone fine with complacancy?  Is it because it means that sin can still run rampent (in some circles, anyway)?  Or is it just because it just means we never have to step out of our comfort zones?  I don’t know.  One thing I love about my church is this: the people there are passionate.  The core of my church, I can actually see in my mind passionately seeking God at every time during the day.

I love the night.  The night is when I can really connect with God in prayer and worship.  It’s so hard to do at 8 o’clock.  It’s so very hard.  I’ve not been able to figure that out.  It’s just how I’m wired.  I think there’s a lot of college aged people that fit into this category though … it’s just the church doesn’t (for the most part) do anything, so it’s used for drinking, sex, and drugs.

I have a passion for …

  • those who feel hopeless.
  • those who feel like no one is there for them.
  • those that don’t know where else to go, or who to turn to.
  • those who are broken (emotionally, spiritually, physically).

I suppose that’s just a small list, but I want to help these people.  I love helping people.  That’s what my “job” essentially is: helping people.

I want to see people whom are passionate about prayer and fasting — who we can all help push each other in.  I don’t want to lead.  Maybe I’m called to lead though.  I think why I don’t want to lead is because I’m so young, look even younger, and am quite (shy? maybe).  I just don’t have much vision of how to run things, though.  Or maybe I do, but I don’t want to jump head first in it.

That said: my passion right now would be to have a weekly corporate prayer time (not once a month, or year, but weekly) between midnight and 2am (or longer, depending on where God leads).

The basic problem with this is this: will ANYONE else catch this vision?  Will there be anyone (besides me) who would like to do this (or even maybe not, but wouldn’t mind doing it just out of love for God and the people of this city)?  Personally, I loved being challenged by others to press deeper into God — ie: fasting.  Even if it were just two or three people.  With fasting it’s hard to challenge myself.

Either way, I’m letting it be known … if I’m supposed to lead, I’ll lead.  I just want a vision, the words (please?), or something so I can move from point A to point B.  Doesn’t matter if it’s bumpy, just matters that it works — and more importantly: if lives are changed.

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Yawn

I’m so tired, but I can’t go to sleep.  So I’m just sitting in my bed trying to do something instead of lay here just trying to go to sleep.  I hate it when that happens … but it happens.  I’ve been thinking about a lot of things today, and really putting it all down is hard, because I’m not sure how to explain it.

Anyhow …

Our friends from Georgia are over visiting.  There wasn’t much going on today, for me anyway.  I probably need to do something productive, which I do sometimes, but sometimes it’s hard to find something to do.  I need a job, but I want to work here in Tallassee because anywhere else just wastes more of my time (when I get off work, I want to go home … not wait 45 minutes and then be home).  I’m thinking about just trying to get a job where my sister works, but I’m not sure I’ll do that just yet.  I’ve just been praying for something to open up … I’m really out of ideas.  All I can do is prayer and have faith, and so that’s what I’m going to do.  God will never fail me.

I watched Remember the Titans tonight (because it came on TV).  We have the DVD, but when we moved the disc became bent, it’s very strange.  None the less, it won’t play anymore.  I almost got half of it to copy, but I could never get the entire thing to copy, so I guess it’s just a loss.  The movie is one of my all time favorites though.  The moral of the story is great, it’s based on a true story, and it’s pretty clean.

Ah, I got a hair cut the other night … finally.  I was starting to have some really long hair, haha.  It’s still much longer than how I use to have my hair, though.  I thought I wouldn’t like it, but turned out diffrent.  Boring, I know.

Well, that’s about all for tonight.  I’m supposed to go to the church tomorrow at 10a.m.  Oh, this reminds me, my church is having a “commitment Sunday” (where you commit to the church, as it doesn’t take membership).  I’m honestly not sure what I’m going to do.  I’m committed, however, I also am committed to my other church.  They offically open their doors on Easter Sunday, so I’ve got some time to pray about it.  As of now I’m not a member of any church (“offically”) nor am I “offically” committed to a church (although I did say I was committed to my other church, though the length of that commitement I didn’t specify).  Right now I think I may just leave it that way, however I’m committed to both — meaning if they ask me to do anything I’ll do it.  I believe this is the way it may stay.  Only prayer will tell.

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I Did it Because …

And then there’s some excuse. Sunday night was another one of the “special Sundays” where church was at my house. My mom brought up a good point that I had really had not thought about, and that is: trying to justify our sin. That may seem like it’s an okay thing to do … until we see in the scripture how large of sin it really is. I’m going to focus on King Saul for a minute; God gave Saul specific orders in First Samuel 15 that Saul was to “go and completely destory the entire Amalekite nation” (verse 3), which was a nation known for their guerrilla terrorists who lived off of raiding other nations. Saul went out and did part of what he was commanded to do. He left the better of the livestock alive, when God had said that everything had to be destroyed. When Samuel confronted Saul about this Saul stated that his “troops brought in the best of the sheep and cattle and plunder to sacrifice to the LORD” (verse 21). Then Samuel said one of my favorite quotes in all of Scripture:

“What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you from being king.”

1 Samuel 15:22-23 NLT (emphasis added)

I don’t know if Saul was really planning on offering those as sacrifices, but what is evident is that he used an excuse for his sin. There was no fear of the Lord there — he was therefore rejected as King.

How many times do we travel on the highway over the speed limit and then we try to justify our sin with, “everyone else is doing it” or “people will get mad at me for going slow”. What if we really believed what Paul said in Romans 13? “Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God. So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow. For the authorities do not frighten people who are doing right, but they frighten those who do wrong.” (verse 1-3a NLT) I’m definatly not saying I go the speed limit at all times — however, I do always try to. And honestly, there is no justification for going over the limit. If you see a state trooper and you’re frightened (and thus slow down and tick the people going the speed limit off) then obviously you’re doing something wrong — you’re sinning. Of course, this isn’t fun to hear because we, as humans, don’t like going slower than the limit … it means it’ll take us 2 more minutes to get to work or school. Even if you’re speeding to get to church … there is no excuse.

I wanted to share that because I thought about it earlier today, and I wanted to expand upon it.

I went, for a third time to see The Chronicles of Narnia. I do believe it’s the first movie I’ve saw three times in the theater. Honestly, I want them to make as much money off the movie as they can — not for Disney’s sake, but as a statement of the type of movies people are really interested in seeing. Also, I found it interesting that at a 1:00pm showing it still had a pretty large crowd — after almost a full month after it’s release. I’ve still yet to read the books, although I am planning on doing so sometime soon.

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A New Years Resolution?

In less than four hours it’ll be 2006. A lot has happened this year. Now a new year must begin. I’m glad 2005 has left. 2005 has been the best year I’ve had in Tallassee since I moved here almost four years ago, and I’m hoping 2006 will be even better.

Now comes a little New Years Resolution. I’ve honestly never really remember making one (that I really intended to keep), but maybe I’m wrong. By the end of 2006 I will: be speaking more, worshipping GOD much more freely, believe what God has said about me, have some friends (and a girlfriend that exceeds everything on my list), and finish reading the Bible (actually I think that may have been an old resolution, but I’m going to finish everything I’ve yet to read). That’s my list, not too long, but not too short either.

I think those speak for themselves, so I’m going to leave the list alone for now. I’ve been thinking more and more about something: secular music. It’s something I don’t like at all. Maybe it’s too deep for some people to understand, but there’s a reason to why I don’t like it. Speaking from a Christian stand point, the majority of the lyrics in non-Christian (secular) songs are against morallity. When we make the decision to become a Christian, things have to change. This includes music. Then there’s the: why? Why we should change our music style is because of the lyrics. Some will say they can “relate to the lyrics”, which is understandable — for a non-Christian. Most secular songs should not be “relatable” for Christians — especially single (unmarried) Christians.

There are some okay songs written for married people in the “secular” arena. Spoken has some awesome lyrics relating to relationships (see “Wind in My Sails” and “Sleep Well Tonight“). The good thing about these songs, though, is that it doesn’t really have to be directed to a wife … because it’s not talking about sex or anything else. Then there are songs for people having relationship trouble. BarlowGirl has a song called, “I Need You to Love Me“, and while it’s not directly related to “relationship” trouble, it’s an honest song written directly to God.

Secular music puts you in the center — sex is about you, drugs make you feel good, women are objects, men are untrustworthy (although, sadly, this is true a lot of times). With Christian music — God is number one, sex is not about you, women are sisters, men are spiritual leaders. These are the reason why secular music is not fit for a Christian.

There are many awesome Christian groups out there. Sadly, the good groups seem to be overlooked, with some not as good being “propelled” — even in the secular world. There are many good Christian bands out there, yet very few ever see light outside of the Christian music industry (unless they comprimise to some extent). Generally, I’ve found those that have “crossed over” tend to produce worse content (I love the old Switchfoot, dislike much of the new). Am I really trying to just make a case for Christian music? Maybe. Moreover, though, I’d like to see Christians listenings to Christian music. Why? Life is all about God, singing about some girl your whole life is seriously on the verge of insanity. I’m going to forever love, cherish, and honor my future wife — I’m not, however, going to worship her, use her for sex, or anything else.

That’s where I stand on that issue. The music I relate to most is Praise and Worship music, and the truth be told, that should be the music all Christians should relate to most.

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Christmas Eve Eve

Almost Christmas. We opened family presents tonight. I got some AXE stuff. Tonight at church we went to the Dobbs House and (the ladies of the church) House of Love and Mercy. I actually enjoyed it. After that we had a worship service, followed by a candle light thing. I enjoyed it. We got out at about seven, and so I came home and ate, then we opened the presents. Afterwards I asked Jenna and Mitchell if they wanted to go rent a movie, so we did. I rented The Island. It was a good movie (I love the sci-fi’s/futureristic movies). It had a few things I wish were left out though (like sexual refrences, anti-Creation propaganda, and anti-God propaganda). Over all good movie, it just should have left those few things out.

Last night I went back out with Lynette. I’m not sure how it went, lol. I had fun. We went bowling and then we went to the mall for a few hours. It was a “double date” with Jenna and Mitchell. At the mall we split up, so we got to talk (and we actually did talk). I think, though, that I’ve been saying I’m shy, but I really don’t think I am. I’m quite, that’s my nature. That’s how my parents are. I’m shy to an extent, but I think why I am is because I really don’t have a lot to say a lot of times. Personally I love to hear what’s on other peoples minds (as long as you don’t talk monotone, and aren’t just saying the same stuff over and over) … but in dumb peoples terms: I’m a listener. I can be vocal, however, but normally I’m thinking and processing what has already been said, that I’m not saying anything else (and it’s better to think before you speak). Honestly, I hate getting up in front of an audience; however, when I’m actually up there I’m not as bad (just very nervous). I actually enjoy talking about something I’ve spent time and researched or thought through. I’m not sure why I’m saying all of this though. Oh, we also went to Krispy Kreame and Mitchell and I bought two dozen donuts. As for the date, I’m not sure how it went — I just had a good time with someone I want to know more about.

I’ve got to keep this short because I noticed my old church finally readded the messages that were lost when some server crashed or something. It’s part of their college group, and I really enjoy his messages. So, I’m out for the night!