Comments on Life, the Universe, and Everything

just something to think about

2009-01-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

While speaking with a friend last night, I commented in agreement that I would give my right arm to go back in time to 2007, which I believe was the best year of my life.

As soon as I said that, however, I began to think about the implications. When we get hurt, we automatically want to withdraw back into a crevice of time past when everything was ok. When we were safe and snug in the ignorance of things to come. When we were comfortable, content, and compliant.

The future is not so forgiving. We don't know what is to come. While that may not concern us in the pleasant times, it causes deep furrows on the brow of present strife. Unwanting to face the future, we choose to reside in the past. To retreat. To escape. To hide. And if Earth was all there was to look forward to, who could blame the aching heart that put and end to its pain by stealing its own beating?

But thank God, we know there is more to come. While we may see only the fog ahead in the Earth's orbit, we can know that beyond the fog there is no more pain or division or death. Knowing that, how can we desire to live in the past? It would never lead us to that glorious future. Paul writes in Philippians 3:13, "Brothers and sisters, I am not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead."

Hearts may be broken and dreams may be crushed, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes you may have to crawl forward. But never stop, never try to go back. The past is frozen as ice and the future is rushing toward us like a current.

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans to prosper and give you hope and a future." (Jer. 29:11)

A future.

So don't look back. What's done is done. So you're broken and bleeding. Wounds heal over time. Always keep putting that foot forward and racing to the goal. The best is yet to come.

Besides... If you give your right arm to return to the past, what left will you have to give when you return to the present?

Devotion

2008-11-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

Luke 5:12-13

While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately the leprosy left him.

Now think about it. Jesus had unlimited power. With a single word, He healed people from a far distance. He spoke the universe into existence. But in this instance, he chose to heal the leper by touch. This man was a social outcast. Diseased, unclean, and forced into exile by Jewish law. To come near a leper, let alone touch one, was forbidden. But He had great compassion on the man, and gently, lovingly put His hand on him.

Think of how the man felt at that moment. He asked Christ for just one thing - to be healed so that he would no longer live in pain and loneliness, and so that he could get a life back. Jesus gave him that and then some. This was the very first time in years that he had been touched by another human being. Jesus met his physical need, but also saw past it, and met the strong desire inside of him for the long absent, loving touch of a friend.

God isn't some far off, mysterious being who answers our prayers at a distance. He doesn't care about only one aspect of our needs, but longs to meet all of our needs. He's right there, waiting for you to ask Him to cleanse you. He knows your every need, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, and He's waiting for you to ask so that He can amaze you with His response. Let Him blow your mind.

-- Mandy Carroll

Thoughts on a Poem I Hate

2008-10-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

THE LIES THAT LIE

by Michael Pain

I see the hate and fear in your eyes
If only you would take a look and realize the lies that lie behind your eyes.
the holder of the scripture is the breeder of hate.
He fills you with the misinformation, falsification And fabrication.
you take the bait.
The hate spreads like a virus.
A neurological disease
I am now a demon to the world.
If only you would take A look and realize the lies that lie behind your faithful eyes.

He states "the holder of the scripture is the breeder of hate" when the bible constantly teaches love. Love is not the same as acceptance, because a christian doesn't condone a lifestyle doesn't mean we hate nonchristians. It says also "the hate spreads like a virus".....again i ask what HATE?? while i wanted to beat the author of the poem with a bible, i also wanted tot pray and weep for him. that someone is so oblivious to Christ's existence and better yet, his love. It makes me wish that i could open his eyes and show him Christ's glory. It also makes me wonder how christians portray themselves though. the question rings in my head "Is it maybe partly our fault?" could we really have some of that hate in us? Could we have gotton so rooted in religion that rather our hearts fill with love for the sinner, we are filled with condemnation and hate for the sin and the sinner both?

-- Sara Johnson

Note to Feminists

2008-09-12T16:23:00.000-07:00

By Lacey Henderson
9/12/08
(Taken from an online community forum with permission and edited slightly for clarity and content.)

My dad had the crappiest paying job in town while he and my mom were raising SIX kids. He's also the hardest working man at the job and is the highest achieved skill-wise. He built machinery and other equipment for the plant (orange packing company) and he still got paid squat. He was supporting a wife and six kids, all under the age of 12 or so, as well as other things that require money-- car payments, rent on our broken down little house, etc.

He was a man supporting a huge financial need in his family. Six kids and a wife plus many more needs. And he still got paid nothing.

In my family's situation, his marital and family status had absolutely nothing to do with how much money he made. There were people working at the plant with no, or little, family to support and they made more than my dad did.

My dad is still with the same company, and the only reason his pay has increased was because he demanded to his bosses that it be so. And even though three of us six kids have moved out and are no longer dependent, he still is underpaid for his skill level and work performance.

Don't assume just because you're a single mom you're going to get paid less. I'm so sick of hearing women complain about "unfair wages." You want a higher raise? Get it. Boss wont give it to you? Get a different job and stop whining.

There's nothing I cant stand more than women who boast their feminist attitudes. "Extreme" or not, they are all insensitive to men and their God-given roles. Is it possible, just maybe that men are scorning feminists so much because they feel cheated out of their roles as providers and leaders?

What would happen if men started protesting because they felt like women thought they were idiots, big bumbling morons, incapable of emotions, insensitive to what women want, stupid and unintelligible, unable to capably lead anything? Oops, thats what feminist believe already.

Whatever happened to Ephesians 5?

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

I don't know about you guys, but I think it says something about how women should be with their men. It is reflected with the role of Christ and His followers.

Only an idiot would take offense of this verse and let themselves be victimized by it.

No, this verse doesn't mean men can rule a woman and she has no say in anything. I quoted the rest before and I'll do it again.

25 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. 28In 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.

When feminists hear this, Christian or not, they become defensive, victimized, and whiney. It's these kind of people, the pick-and-choosers of God's Word, that have no business calling themselves "strong," "opinionated," and "intellectual."

Isn't it our job as Christ-followers to do just that? Follow His Word and commandments?

1 John 5:2-4
2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

1 John 14:15, 23-24

15 If you love me, you will obey what I command... 23 If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

I think He was onto something when He wrote that.

Something else I read about feminism in Christianity:

"It is feminism that fuels the murderous abortion industry. It is feminism that causes women to usurp authority over men in our churches, infesting our pulpits with doctrines of devils. It is feminism that causes women to dress immodestly, make pornography and sell their virtue.

Satan successfully deceived Eve into believing that she would be EMPOWERED by rebelling against God's Word. Likewise, feminists today have been deceived into believing that they are exercising their WOMEN'S RIGHTS by murdering their own precious little babies by abortion. What about God's rights? What about the baby's rights? What about the fathers rights? Feminism is selfish—causing women to do what's best for them—even if it costs them their marriage, their relationship with God and the life of their own child.

Satan uses reverse psychology to deceive women. The Devil actually convinces women that they are being "liberated" and "empowered" by disobeying God's Word. Just as Eve was deceived, so are feminists today utterly brainwashed. Wives who refuse to submit to an authoritative husband will never be pleasing to God. If you don't like your husband because he is controlling and authoritative, then you will absolutely hate God—because it's God's way or the highway!"

Feminists disgust me. They victimize themselves and cheat their men out of the roles given to them by God. All the while boasting of their godly lifestyle, their devotion to Him, and how strong they are spiritually.
I can't judge your faith. But how can you be claiming to love God and follow His plan if you are blatantly going against His natural design?

I know this isn't part of the discussion [in the topic], but another thing I may as well say while I'm throwing all this out there-- women are always complaining about how chivalry is dead. Why do you think that is? The feminist movement has caused guys to become insecure in being a gentleman, afraid of being rebuked or shot down for trying to help a lady with something heavy or by opening a door. How confused they must be nowadays, getting signals left and right that women "don't need their help, they can do whatever they want without a man" while at the same time constantly hearing crap such as "men disgust me; what happened to an old-fashioned gentleman?!"

Also, is it so bad to be a stay at home mom, a keeper of the home? Feminists have caused the high role as a mother and home keeper to be looked down upon. These few women that still stand up for God's calling to be a homemaker have become demeaned and looked upon as "lesser" or "weaker" because they aren't bringing home money and competing for the role of leader with their husbands. There are a few women I know, my mother, my sister, my sister-in-law, and a few rare others, who are the strongest women I know and probably ever will know, who, coincidentally, are mothers and home keepers.

You want to be a leader? Raise the next generation of the human race to bring people to Christ. You want to be empowered? I don't know if you guys have noticed, but men can't support another human being inside of them for 9 months. You want to be seen as hard-working? There's no harder job than to be a mother, and running a home at the same time.

Another thing that makes me so riled up about feminists: they aren't mothers anymore. They let other people raise their kids while they try to fulfill some need to be seen as an equal in everything to men. Then they go whining about how their kids don't do anything but play video games, watch TV, text, etc. Why do you think they do this? They didn't have a mom raising them, encouraging them to be creative, try different things, go outside, be something else besides a robot. Stop whining if you aren't going to do something about it.

I realize most of this isn't on topic of what you women define as a "feminist." And I wouldn't be surprised to see my post deleted come tomorrow. I just want to say though, if my post is deleted for saying "mean words" (gasp!), shouldn't this whole thread be deleted for being Biblically illiterate? It wouldn't be the first time truth is rejected by the people contradicting it.

I really don't care what label you guys put on me now, if you haven't done it already. I am riled up right now by this thread and other things pertaining to this, and I just decided to speak my mind on the subject. I really don't care anymore if I get banned, I'm done being silent when it comes to matters such as these.

Feminists, stop trying to be something you aren't. What's so bad about being a woman? I rather like it myself.

Lacey Henderson
visit Lacey online

Random Encounters of the Christian Kind #2

2008-09-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

Math class.

The entrance to the gates of Hell itself.

Or, at least, I think so.

Anyway, it was in that rotten dungeon that I found yet another random brother where I didn't expect one. When the clock finally inched to the coveted 10:50 mark and we were released from our tri-weekly torture, a guy who sat a row to my left and a seat back caught my attention when he said:

"Hey, is that a 'pray for China' band? I thought my church was the only one that did that."

You can imagine that my happy meter went from low to high.

Suddenly, math class doesnt seem so close to Hell.

Thanks, bud.

Steph
9/10/08

Resources on Sarah Palin

2008-09-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

Everyone has seen John McCain's spunky choice for Vice President. But at the end of the day, who IS Gov. Sarah Palin? I've compiled several reliable sources to help you sift through the media.

Palin's Experience

Conservative Female Abuse

Commentary on Palin

Still, as always, I believe in providing BOTH sides of the story and letting the reader decide. So I give you this source:

Letter from a Wasilla, AK resident

I'd like to hear opinions on that last one, especially since there is a definite lapse in credibility imbedded somewhere within it. Can you find it?

Cheers,

Steph

9/07/08

Random Encounters of the Christian Kind #1

2008-09-01T20:27:00.001-07:00

A few days ago while I was wandering around campus, I happened to notice a guy sitting on one of our many staircases. There wasn't anything special about him, except for the sign that he had set up beside him.

"Need prayer? I will pray for you."

A little prayer booth right in the middle of my campus. It brought such a delight to my heart.

Of course, being me, I had to go thank him. We talked for a little while and I found out that he was a representative of the local Church of Christ student group. Such desire to reach out to the campus is not often seen in the other groups.

So rock on, buddy.

Comments on my Orientation

2008-09-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

Thursday and Friday I had the mandatory obligation to attend my college's new student orientation. I had assumed they would spend those two days discussing academics and giving us tips and tricks to succeed in our college life. I had assumed our professors would be stationed around campus, available to talk to eager new students like myself who just can't know enough about anything. I had assumed we would have a huge rally to inspire school spirit in uncertain new students who had probably intended to attend other schools. I did not expect to spend two days learning about the hottest places to party, how to avoid being caught by the university police once you were drunk or high, and where to buy the cheapest condoms.

I don't know why I bothered to be surprised. When my best friend went through his orientation at a nearby university last year, he had come home and told me that he had been shocked how little they discussed the things that actually mattered. It had seemed like all the incoming freshmen wanted to know was where to go to get drunk without being flagged as underage. I had thought that since my university was smaller and ranked in the top schools of the nation, the students would be a little more focused on academics. Talk about disillusioned.

I knew I was in for a very interesting day the first time we were separated from our parents. My small group was actually two groups meshed together, dubbed "group 89" by our leaders, two student workers. They immediately apologized for having to go over the university's policies and rushed through the rules, regulations, and academic information. Then came the flood of questions about student activities, often involving sorority or fraternity gatherings. And beer. Always beer. One of our adult-led sessions included a thirty-minute lecture on condoms. Another one spoke of a designated driver program where, if you HAD to get drunk, you should at least call a cab or have a sober leader to drive you home. The emphasis was never placed on making the right choices, rather on making "responsible" ones once you had already messed up.

But by far the lowest point of the evening involved our second small group session. A student in the front row called for a random poll of the thirty or so of us in the room to see who was a virgin. There were only around seven virgins, including myself. And five of those immediately cried out their intentions to lose it.

Morality is at an all time low in our schools and universities. There seems to be nothing that we can do about it. After all, what could I and one other quiet virgin do or say in a room full of those who were all too happy to sell themselves so early in life? For once in my life, I was speechless. I wanted to get up and argue, but I just didn't have the words. The seriousness of the situation finally struck me. The moral are a minority. We are looked down upon, laughed at behind our backs. And, for the most part, we let them do it. We're a minority. But we need to stick together and help one another out. We need to start support groups and stand together because there is strength in numbers. While we may not change the lives of people around us, we can at least prevent them from changing us.

Steph8/2/2008

Devotion

2008-09-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things get rough. We get sick, get disappointed, lose loved ones. As Christians, we know that as long as we cling to Christ, He will lead us through the rough times. It's these periods of trial that allow us to grow in spirit and character. We learn to lean more on God and less on ourselves. And if we see it through faithfully to the end, we're promised a heavenly reward. One that can't be taken away by time and decay.But what about here on earth? Why does it always seem like bad things happen to good people? Psalms 27:13 disagrees:

"Yet I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living."

God made this world for us, His prized creation. He made the good things for us to enjoy. It brings the Father joy to see His children happy. We don't have to wait until eternity to taste of the goodness of God. The psalmist David was confident he would see God's love and mercy before he died --- and considering he lived in daily peril, that took a lot of faith.

When you're going through a though time, trial, or period of impatience, remember that God promises to reward you not just in Heaven, but here on earth as well. Does that mean you'll be rich, good looking, and popular? Of course not. He may choose to reward you materially, but those gifts won't last.

It's the sun on your face, the rain on your skin, a hug from a friend, a kiss from your spouse, the smell of a rose, the breath of the wind, and so much more--- things that have existed since the earth was formed. These things were made to bring us, God's beloved children, joy. We can look at them and detect His fingerprints. We will be refreshed and we will know that no matter what we're going through, God thought ahead to provide just a little bit of relief in the pain. His goodness is here, right now. It is in the land of the living.

We can be confident in that.

Steph
8/2/2008

Devotion

2008-09-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

Emotional hormones, specifically at this age, tend to bounce off the walls in dramatic form. These emotions cause different reactions depending on one's feelings. In multiple cases, you can use self-mutilation as an outlet of escape. Whereby the emotion is unknown, your feelings become messed up, and self-mutilation is the result of that. We was given foreknowledge and the capability of control to overcome these things as they present themselves in our lives.

2 Peter 1:3-5 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. 4Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

What exactly has He promised?

1 John 2:24-26 24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what He promised us—even eternal life. 26I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.

Everyday is a new day and also a new battle. Our arch nemesis, the father of lies, will tempt, torment, and delude you by any means possible. Ways he does this are innumerable. Forms of addictions, obsessions, harming oneself, sexual sin, all those forms are included. We, ourselves, cannot stand up to the battle of sin on our own given strength, we are flesh, therefore weak. Paul wrote about just how weak the human state is when absent of God's strength, in saying, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." Which says even the lesser of God's knowledge, wisdom, and strength is numerically significant than the wisest, most strong human. Acquiring His strength in our lives is about taking a step off the edge of faith, and freefalling in knowing that, though we have a sin problem, He in His entirety is flawless. If we accept that we can move a mountain solely in our own strength, we've also accepted no hope. No hope paves the pathway to many different ruinations. It's the root that sprouts branches of depression, apathy, and loneliness. It is sailing to the ends of the earth in expectation to fall. It is the emotion that drives us to harm ourselves instead of others, yet we can't grasp why exaclty we do this. Consciously, a decision is made, our minds react to that decision with our actions. Actions brings consequences that are often regretted. With such regret comes the lack of hope. How do you get hope?

1 Peter 1:3-7 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Faith is the substance for which is hoped for, and of that which is unseen. Without faith, there is no hope. Without the invisible, nothing can be seen.

Randy Ragan
5/5/2008

Letter to a Would-Be President

2008-09-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Barack H. Obama,

Hello! How have you been lately? I've seen you in the news and I just wanted to let you know some of the things I respect about you.

You have a very unique talent, Mr. Senator. Every time I see you on the news, you have a profound effect on me. You have the amazing ability to turn this happy teenage girl into a spitting, rabid, murderous, remote-throwing monster in a matter of seconds! What's more is you don't even have to open your mouth!... Mostly because I already know what you are going to say. I heard somewhere once that if you repeat something enough, people will start to believe it. Now that I know it works, I'm going to keep telling my best friends that my natural hair color is purple. I've always loved purple.
Your followers are very loyal to you. I heard reports that people were actually fainting at your speeches! It must take a lot of work to be the shepherd of that many people. A lot of world leaders seem to really like you, too. President Ahmadinijad of Iran would probably invite you to visit him in Iraq. It's always nice to travel to new places.

Oh, and congratulations on being voted the most Liberal Senator of 2007! That makes twice you've had to really fight Hillary for a title. It must have taken a lot of effort to make yourself more elligible for the award than a Clinton. I bet you had to preen your voting record for years to manage it. Your record redefines true blue!

I wish you well in the Presidential election come November! I have just one suggestion for helping you win--- if you're basing your victory on my generation's votes, you might want to hand out alarm clocks instead of t-shirts and buttons at your rallies. That way they might remember to go to the polls instead of the mall.

Best wishes,
A Texas Maverick

*DISCLAIMER: this was NOT intended as a personal attack on Mr. Obama. Rather, it is a satirical overview of his political liberalism

Starting a Long Race

2008-09-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

Man Sues Bible Publishers over Verses on Homosexuality
A Michigan man is suing Zondervan Publishing and Thomas Nelson Publishing, claiming biblical references to homosexuality as a sin violate his constitutional rights and have caused him emotional pain and mental instability.
Bradley LaShawn Fowler, 39, is seeking $60 million from Zondervan and $10 million from Thomas Nelson, The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press reported. He is representing himself in both claims.
Fowler claims the Bible has made him an outcast and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of "demoralization, chaos and bewilderment."
"As frivolous as this case may sound, it's an indicator of where the homosexual agenda is headed," said Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action. "Ten years from now, this type of case won't be humorous at all; we'll see organizations like the ACLU dedicating resources to them because such 'language' will no longer be considered protected speech.
"Sweden, Canada and the U.K. are already prosecuting religious speech as 'hate' speech, as it relates to the biblical view of homosexuality."
Man Sues Bible Publishers over Verses on Homosexuality 9 July 2008 Focus on the Family Action, INC http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000007787.cfm

Laugh if you want to, but it's there in print. The beginning of a greater hate speech movement. What's going to happen if the courts eventually rule that the Bible publishers must take out all hateful references to homosexuality? They've already changed all references from "brothers" to "brothers and sisters," which, although a harmless change in itself, has set a precedent for more Biblical alterings based on gender and sexual tolerance.

I don't personally believe that changing the Bible is going to be a major problem in the near future. But the increased pressure on Christians to be "tolerant" of non-Biblical worldviews is already sinking in. The question is, where do WE draw the line? Where does being true to our beliefs end and being tolerant begin? Is proposing a federal marriage amendment really in the best interest of Christians?

The Prohibition amendment of 1919 set a precedent for regulating behaviors. Although the writers and supporters had overall good intentions and intended to rid the nation of a true sin--- drunkenness--- they lay the foundations for behavior modifying amendments to follow. While I personally strongly support the notion of marriage existing only between one man and one woman, I cannot support the federal marriage amendment. Should accountability lie with the government or with God? In addition, setting a federal marriage amendment would only open the door for it to be overturned when the power shifted. What was a conservative attempt at providing Biblical binding to the nation could become the liberal banner of tolerance.

During the Prohibition era, it was only the law-abiding citizens who refrained from achohol. Black markets thrived. Prohibition was later repealed in 1933 and the nation went right on drinking--- legally now, but there was very little change in the nation's behavior. It only became easier for the drunkards to obtain their beers and liquors.

Setting a federal ban on homosexuality would allow that same ban to be eventually repealed. And what would happen in the meantime? Morally, the ban would be ideal. But politically, it's dangerous. What could they eventually pass against our beliefs? Could an overturn of a marriage amendment become the beginning of hate speech crime?

So even when you're reading cases like the one cited above, remember that cases like that are becoming a fast issue. Take your positions carefully. And don't back down from them.
Steph

The Little Things

2008-09-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

I miss my kids.

All sixty of them.

I recently returned from my church’s summer youth mission trip to an area called the Warzone in Dallas, TX. It’s an area with such a terrible reputation that at one time the police were even afraid to patrol there. It was the center of the city’s drug and prostitution rings. In fact, the apartments where we lodged had once been a prostitution compound.
But all that has begun to change. The Warzone is being slowly transformed by God’s amazing work through a small church called Cornerstone Baptist Church and their shepherd, Pastor Chris. It was to this small neighborhood church that we drove four hours just to aid the good work being done in the community.

The number one priority of our trip was to touch the lives of the children that Cornerstone took in every day for a vacation Bible school. These precious kids ranged in age from first to sixth grade. Some of them walked to church, some of them caught rides. Some of them were athletes, others were studious. Some of them already understood who Christ is, some of them had never heard of Him before. But they all had something in common. They all wanted love and attention. And they all wanted to give it.

Pastor Chris told Brian, our youth pastor, that only three out of the sixty plus kids actually lived with parents or a parent. The rest of them stayed with grandparents or other relatives. Their parents were on the streets. Many of them didn’t even know where their moms and dads were; even if they did, they were often not allowed to see them.

These were the most loving, thankful children I had ever been around. As soon as you walked in the room, you’d be tackled by waist-high munchkins all wanting to hug you and get a big smile and a hug back. They loved being read to in the mornings and would take off running to get a new book as soon as you had finished the one you were reading. When Amanda saw one little one crying and asked what was wrong, the kid sniffed and replied “Why do you care?” Amanda hugged him and said “Because I love you. I care about how you’re feeling.” She said his whole face immediately lit up and he threw his arms around her neck. He wouldn’t leave her side for the rest of the week. He was amazed that someone he had never talked to before loved him.
Recreation was a blast. The older kids showed amazing good sportsmanship and tried hard to follow the rules and enjoy the game. The younger ones just loved to play even though they usually had no idea what they were doing. But they loved the games. So did we. Volleyball drove Jared hoarse from shouting excitedly “Get it get it get it get it— oh!... Dead ball!” When the day was done, we decided that we’d had even more fun than the kids had. Considering that even the shy girls in the back had huge smiles on their faces, that is a lengthy claim to make.

All of them— the older ones especially— got very into the Bible study. Brian would pass out small acting or miming roles to some of the kids to perform while he read. With huge smiles, the boys playing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would leap to their feet and shout “We will not bow down!” at the slightest hint of their cue while Nebacanezzer puffed up his chest in the background and the rest of the kids waved their arms like the flames of a fire. Keeping them involved in the stories helped them to listen and understand. And, of course, it was just fun to play.

We used crafts to explain various elements of Christianity, from the ABC’s of Accept, Believe, and Confess to colored beads representing everything from the blood of Christ to the sin of our lives. I always smiled every time one of the older guys rolled their eyes and said they wouldn’t make a necklace because I knew they would be the first to ask for help.

The indoor games were just as fun as the outdoor games. We did everything from Gorilla, Man, Gun— a rendition of the classic Paper, Rock, Scissors— to the Cupid Shuffle, the Cha Cha Slide, and the Macarena. The little ones loved it if you took their hands and did the motions with them. Some of the older ones did, too. “I love watching you do it.” Tanesha told me after finishing one round of the Cupid Shuffle. “You’re not afraid to dance. I’m gonna try to do it like you do.”
Being able to love and get such sparkling love in return made me feel like I was accomplishing something amazing, even though it felt like all we were doing was little things. Just tickling, hugging, or playing patty-cake with the kids lit up their faces like Christmas had come early. You couldn’t sit down without having someone plop down in your lap or put their little arms around your shoulders. “Every one of your kids,” Pastor Chris told Brian once, “has one of my kids in their lap or in their arms except for that one— she’s got one on her back.”

At the end of the day on Thursday, nearly everyone was in tears. It was one precious little boy named Jacob who started it. He put his arms around Sami and looked up at her with his big brown eyes and said “I don’t wanna leave.” All of the kids were like that. They’d hug you, start to leave, then run back for another one. Even when they did go, they looked back until they couldn’t see you any more. Or wave until you couldn’t see them.

I had always sworn I could never work with small children. I didn’t have the patience or the capacity, I thought. But these children blessed me the same way I blessed them— with a hug and a smile. If I touched their lives, they touched mine in direct proportion. If more people would forget themselves just long enough to see that there are children who just want to be showed attention, they would receive an equal gift.
If not more.

Welcome to the Frontlines!

2008-09-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

With all of the chaos surrounding the elections, the Iraq War, and everyone's favorite hysteria-- global warming-- we hear tons of opinions from the experts. This is yet another blog to plunge the depths of personal opinion in this world of mass media.

Everyone who knows me will say that I am not shy with my conservative Christian opinion. But conservative or liberal, if you get in my way, you will pay. You have been warned. You don't REALLY want your cookie jar raided, now do you?!?

Also a VERY important part of my blog comes from you-- comments are much-desired. As a poli sci major, I need your ideas. But that isn't the only thing this place needs--- I want articles and devotions from you, too. Send all of your work to maverick_2012@ymail.com and remember that here Christian views are encouraged, but I want opinions, not dogma. So here we go on what I hope will be an interesting journey! Full speed ahead!

Steph 06/20/2008