Anxiety is a natural human emotion that all of us experience at some time, but when we experience excessive anxiety it can be very unhealthy. This intense anxiety is unhealthy for both our body and our mind and should be avoided. Of course some things are easier said than done, but there are some basic steps we can take to avoid anxiety or at least deal with anxiety. There are numerous books that address this issue and I'm not a psychologist or physician, but I can tell you what helps me personally when I'm anxious. Anxiety is generally the result of eagerness, distress, or uneasiness about the future. Let's tackle each one of these causes.
Eagerness can cause anxiety. Eagerness is another natural human emotion that we all experience and can often lead to excitement and joy. In fact, we are called to eagerly await the second coming of Jesus. We often eagerly await big celebrations whether it be a birthday, holiday, wedding, anniversary or other big life event. It is natural for us to be eager and anxious for such things and we shouldn't have to hold back these feelings of eagerness. Only when our eagerness affects our lives so much that it prevents us from functioning in a normal manner in our daily lives should be become alarmed. It should be noted however that eagerness can lead to anxiety, and anxiety will not do us any good. The best response to eagerness is patience.
Anxiety often leads us to a feeling of distress. When we are distressed we are in severe mental and sometimes even physical pain. We often feel hopelessness and constant misfortune. Obviously this is not healthy, but not only is it not healthy but it affects every aspect of our life. Nobody lives a stress free life. We all experience stresses in our lives and how we deal with these stresses is the difference between one who overcomes and one who is overcome. Any time we reach the point of distress we must pause and clear our minds. Take a minute and pray. If you don't have a minute, take 10 seconds. If you have time, rest and take a nap. Often times I go to sleep with a hundred stresses on my mind and wake up free from all stress. Prayer, rest, and sleep are three things that work for me.
Uneasiness about the future is silliness, but we all worry about the future. Planning for our future is smart, but worrying about our future is fruitless. We don't know what will happen in the future any more than a dog would know. We can help shape the future by our actions today, but we can not predict the outcome. We should never worry about things that are out of our control and concentrate on improving ourselves and focusing on things we can control. We can control our emotions and we can prevent anxiety. God does not want us to suffer from anxiety. Fear not for the Lord is listening. He knows our stresses, our pains, and our struggles. Remember that God does not abandon his people. Worry is for fools. Yes I worry so I guess I am a fool, but honestly when I look back I see it gained me nothing. Everything works out in the end and if you have faith in God there is no reason to worry. Trust in God and there will be no reason for anxiety.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Bella
What is Bella? Bella is a must see independent film about life and love. I will not pretend to be a movie critic, but I would like to encourage all of you to visit David's blog which has an excellent review of this movie. You can find a link to David's blog to the left under my Favorite Blogs.
Bella opened in limited theaters last Friday, and I had the pleasure of watching this movie with David, Megan, and Shelly. I encourage all of you to go to a movie theater that is showing Bella and watch this movie in the theaters. If it is not currently in a theater near you, they expect to add it to more theaters at a later date. Check their official website to find what theaters will carry Bella. We need to support people and films like this who do not necessarily have the financial means of big Hollywood films, but have a great story to tell and a positive message to send. For more information on the making of the movie and the people who made the movie I also encourage you to check out this site:
ignatiusinsight.com/features2007/sgreydanus_bella1_sept07.asp
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Saved By Hope
Pope Benedict XVI recently completed his second encyclical (a letter addressed by the pope to all the bishops of the church) entitled "Saved by Hope." As we are faced with many challenges it is important to remember the virtue of hope. We have seen a myriad of natural disasters recently and it is easy for those who have been affected to fall into despair. Even when everything in life seems bleak, we must remember that God never abandons his people, and he is alive and active in the world.
Likewise, when we work for a good cause, we don't always see an immediate return on our investment. We may work hard to make a positive difference and see little or no tangible progress. We must continue to pursue our work and trust that God has a plan for us. It has been said that he who serves God willingly is heard. We must place our trust in God's promises. We must not rely on the strength of our own, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Hope will bring joy even in the most difficult times. Faith, hope, prayer, and trust all go hand in hand. You can not have trust without faith, faith without hope, or hope without prayer. Hope is placing our trust in God. We express our hope through prayer. Prayer in turn strengthens our faith, which is based our our hope for eternal life.
Likewise, when we work for a good cause, we don't always see an immediate return on our investment. We may work hard to make a positive difference and see little or no tangible progress. We must continue to pursue our work and trust that God has a plan for us. It has been said that he who serves God willingly is heard. We must place our trust in God's promises. We must not rely on the strength of our own, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Hope will bring joy even in the most difficult times. Faith, hope, prayer, and trust all go hand in hand. You can not have trust without faith, faith without hope, or hope without prayer. Hope is placing our trust in God. We express our hope through prayer. Prayer in turn strengthens our faith, which is based our our hope for eternal life.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Middle School Provides Birth Control
Every weekday morning I awake to the sound of my radio alarm. Usually I hear a traffic or weather update, but last Friday I heard a topic of conversation that left me in disbelief. The topic: Birth control for Middle School kids.
Have things in our society gotten so out of control that we actually have a situation where a Middle School would provide contraceptives to their students? Middle Schoolers! These kids are freaking 11 - 14 years old! Excuse my language but this gets me riled up. King Middle School is the first Middle School in Connecticut and one of the few in the nation to provide contraceptives. The health center has apparently been handing out condoms since 2000, and has recently decided by a 7-2 school board vote to provide a number of girls with birth control pills. This is unbelievable! I literally laid in bed in disbelief and horror. Where are these kids' parents, where are the teachers, and where are the responsible adults? Under no circumstance should a Middle School provide birth control. None! This is absurd! Let's take a closer look at the situation, because undoubtedly there are people out there defending the school board's decision.
King Middle School is in an economically poor area, where half the kids take part in the federal free lunch program. There was one pregnancy last year and a handful over the last couple of years. The school is said to be racially diverse as well. Is that enough excuses? Is the situation so bad here that it is necessary to provide birth control to these kids? One supporter of the school board's decision had this to say, "it's much more important that we reach out to these kids and get these kids the tools they need to stay safe, stay in school and get an education." Let me pause and take a deep breath before I destroy this woman's argument.
You don't reach out to these children by providing them birth control, mam! You are encouraging bad behavior, and you are not being a responsible parent, mam! You reach out to your child by educating them yourself and instilling in them morals and principals, mam! Birth control is not a tool for kids but a vice, mam! Kids stay safe by staying pure, not by having sex, mam! When parents, teachers, and other respected adults support a measure which provides birth control to middle schoolers they are sending a terrible message. Birth control does not protect our kids, it is destroying our kids. It is destroying the moral character of our young people.
Under NO circumstances do I see providing middle school kids birth control as acceptable. They try to defend their position by saying that the kids must go through counselling before they get the contraceptives although they don't need their parents permission to receive birth control. They say they only provide birth control in rare cases. I'm sorry but this does not convince me that it is right to give kids birth control. There are no excuses. Thankfully, there has been loud and numerous outcry at the news and they are considering taking another look back at the issue. Hopefully, the decision will be overturned and the adults in the area will start acting like adults. We are talking about 11-14 year old kids! When we provide them with birth control, what kind of message does that send? What are we really telling our kids? Across the nation and the around the world we need to better educate our children not about the use of contraceptives but educate them on the consequences of their actions. If kids understand that they are responsible for their actions then there would be no need for birth control. I will not just 'get over it' like the supporter of the decision tells us to do, because I will not back down on this issue. I will not give up on issues protecting life and the well being of our young people. We need to instill in our kids character, morals and principals. It is a message you will hear me repeat often and a word my fifth grade teacher made us repeat every day: RESPONSIBILITY!
Have things in our society gotten so out of control that we actually have a situation where a Middle School would provide contraceptives to their students? Middle Schoolers! These kids are freaking 11 - 14 years old! Excuse my language but this gets me riled up. King Middle School is the first Middle School in Connecticut and one of the few in the nation to provide contraceptives. The health center has apparently been handing out condoms since 2000, and has recently decided by a 7-2 school board vote to provide a number of girls with birth control pills. This is unbelievable! I literally laid in bed in disbelief and horror. Where are these kids' parents, where are the teachers, and where are the responsible adults? Under no circumstance should a Middle School provide birth control. None! This is absurd! Let's take a closer look at the situation, because undoubtedly there are people out there defending the school board's decision.
King Middle School is in an economically poor area, where half the kids take part in the federal free lunch program. There was one pregnancy last year and a handful over the last couple of years. The school is said to be racially diverse as well. Is that enough excuses? Is the situation so bad here that it is necessary to provide birth control to these kids? One supporter of the school board's decision had this to say, "it's much more important that we reach out to these kids and get these kids the tools they need to stay safe, stay in school and get an education." Let me pause and take a deep breath before I destroy this woman's argument.
You don't reach out to these children by providing them birth control, mam! You are encouraging bad behavior, and you are not being a responsible parent, mam! You reach out to your child by educating them yourself and instilling in them morals and principals, mam! Birth control is not a tool for kids but a vice, mam! Kids stay safe by staying pure, not by having sex, mam! When parents, teachers, and other respected adults support a measure which provides birth control to middle schoolers they are sending a terrible message. Birth control does not protect our kids, it is destroying our kids. It is destroying the moral character of our young people.
Under NO circumstances do I see providing middle school kids birth control as acceptable. They try to defend their position by saying that the kids must go through counselling before they get the contraceptives although they don't need their parents permission to receive birth control. They say they only provide birth control in rare cases. I'm sorry but this does not convince me that it is right to give kids birth control. There are no excuses. Thankfully, there has been loud and numerous outcry at the news and they are considering taking another look back at the issue. Hopefully, the decision will be overturned and the adults in the area will start acting like adults. We are talking about 11-14 year old kids! When we provide them with birth control, what kind of message does that send? What are we really telling our kids? Across the nation and the around the world we need to better educate our children not about the use of contraceptives but educate them on the consequences of their actions. If kids understand that they are responsible for their actions then there would be no need for birth control. I will not just 'get over it' like the supporter of the decision tells us to do, because I will not back down on this issue. I will not give up on issues protecting life and the well being of our young people. We need to instill in our kids character, morals and principals. It is a message you will hear me repeat often and a word my fifth grade teacher made us repeat every day: RESPONSIBILITY!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
How Faith Is Lost?
How do we lose faith? In order to answer this question we must know a few things. Firstly, what is faith? Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing. As Christians, our faith is the trust in God and in His promises as made through Jesus Christ and the scriptures. We profess our faith every Sunday at Mass when we say the Apostle's Creed with the Church. When I ask then how do we lose faith, I am speaking in terms of our Christian faith. I am making an assumption that at some point we have faith in God and in His promises. I believe that the losing of one's faith is a gradual process. It is a process that may have been materializing for years, but I also believe that just as one can lose faith, one can find faith once again. My hope in this post is that maybe by discussing how one can lose faith, I can help prevent someone from losing their faith. If you have already lost your faith, maybe I can help you regain your faith.
Everyone struggles with their faith. I believe this is a very important message so I will repeat it once again. Everyone struggles with their faith. There is not a priest, bishop, or pope who has not at some time struggled with their faith. Nobody who is human is perfect, and faith is an ongoing process. Jesus' closest apostle, Peter, denied him three times did he not? God knows that we will struggle with our faith. We struggle because it takes so much work to keep our faith growing and strong. It takes work, and when we struggle with our faith we are looking for an easy way out. We all struggle with our faith, but we do not have to lose faith. There are a couple of reasons why we struggle with our faith and there are a couple of ways we can deal with these struggles. The important thing is how we react when we are faced with situations that challenge our faith.
As I said earlier, the losing of one's faith is a process. I don't believe that you just wake up one day and decide that you don't believe in God anymore. There has to be a series of events in order for this to take place. If we don't practice our faith, we will lose our faith. I think back to the press conference a couple years back when the basketball player Allen Iverson blew up at a reporter for asking him why he dogs it in practice. "What are we talking about here, practice? We aren't even talking about the game. We are talking about practice!" Iverson's words are very irritating to my ears. My ears don't like what they hear. Yes we are talking about practice! In order the be the best basketball player you can be, you must practice and practice hard! If you don't practice hard, you will not play as well in the games and you will not be the best player you can be. The same thing can be said for us in regards to faith. If we do not actively and passionately practice our faith, it will not be as strong as it could be. If we do not go to church every Sunday, we are missing out on more than just a one hour service. We are failing to practice our faith, and when we get into the habit of ignoring our faith we are bound to lose our faith.
Pray. Just pray. Turn off the television. Turn off your phone. Pray. Pray to God and see what happens. Your faith will be strengthened I can guarantee you that much. We can not possibly be strong in our faith without prayer. It's impossible. We must pray and pray as often as possible. When we let other things get in the way is when we start to lose our faith. When we don't have enough 'time' to pray or go to church or when we would miss out on our sporting events or movies or whatever is when we start to lose our faith. We must pray everyday. Pray that God will strengthen your faith and reveal his wondrous plan for us. We must pray and pray constantly or we will begin to lose our faith.
Lastly, I believe we lose faith because we place our faith in something other than God. When we are encountered with situations that challenge our faith, we are posed with a tough decision. It shouldn't be tough, but it is because we think we know better than God. We place our trust in people of earthly power, the environment, money, false idols, even ourselves. Sometimes we actually think that we know more than God. This may be because we don't like the answer God gives us. Living a good Christian life is not always easy. In fact it can be very hard, because the devil is good at tempting us. He knows our weaknesses and he tempts us often in the hopes that we will stray away from God. Wasn't it in the Garden of Eden when the devil in the form of a snake tempted Eve to eat the forbidden apple? How did he tempt? By making Adam and Eve believe that they knew more than God. From day one our faith has been challenged. We must always work to keep our faith strong, because the moment that we let up our faith will be challenged. The best way to prevent a loss of faith is to pray often and to stay active in our faith. Faith is a wonderful thing, and the more that we work on our faith the more God will reveal to us. Tonight I will pray that God will help me grow in faith, help you all grow in faith, and reveal himself once again to those who have lost faith. God bless.
Everyone struggles with their faith. I believe this is a very important message so I will repeat it once again. Everyone struggles with their faith. There is not a priest, bishop, or pope who has not at some time struggled with their faith. Nobody who is human is perfect, and faith is an ongoing process. Jesus' closest apostle, Peter, denied him three times did he not? God knows that we will struggle with our faith. We struggle because it takes so much work to keep our faith growing and strong. It takes work, and when we struggle with our faith we are looking for an easy way out. We all struggle with our faith, but we do not have to lose faith. There are a couple of reasons why we struggle with our faith and there are a couple of ways we can deal with these struggles. The important thing is how we react when we are faced with situations that challenge our faith.
As I said earlier, the losing of one's faith is a process. I don't believe that you just wake up one day and decide that you don't believe in God anymore. There has to be a series of events in order for this to take place. If we don't practice our faith, we will lose our faith. I think back to the press conference a couple years back when the basketball player Allen Iverson blew up at a reporter for asking him why he dogs it in practice. "What are we talking about here, practice? We aren't even talking about the game. We are talking about practice!" Iverson's words are very irritating to my ears. My ears don't like what they hear. Yes we are talking about practice! In order the be the best basketball player you can be, you must practice and practice hard! If you don't practice hard, you will not play as well in the games and you will not be the best player you can be. The same thing can be said for us in regards to faith. If we do not actively and passionately practice our faith, it will not be as strong as it could be. If we do not go to church every Sunday, we are missing out on more than just a one hour service. We are failing to practice our faith, and when we get into the habit of ignoring our faith we are bound to lose our faith.
Pray. Just pray. Turn off the television. Turn off your phone. Pray. Pray to God and see what happens. Your faith will be strengthened I can guarantee you that much. We can not possibly be strong in our faith without prayer. It's impossible. We must pray and pray as often as possible. When we let other things get in the way is when we start to lose our faith. When we don't have enough 'time' to pray or go to church or when we would miss out on our sporting events or movies or whatever is when we start to lose our faith. We must pray everyday. Pray that God will strengthen your faith and reveal his wondrous plan for us. We must pray and pray constantly or we will begin to lose our faith.
Lastly, I believe we lose faith because we place our faith in something other than God. When we are encountered with situations that challenge our faith, we are posed with a tough decision. It shouldn't be tough, but it is because we think we know better than God. We place our trust in people of earthly power, the environment, money, false idols, even ourselves. Sometimes we actually think that we know more than God. This may be because we don't like the answer God gives us. Living a good Christian life is not always easy. In fact it can be very hard, because the devil is good at tempting us. He knows our weaknesses and he tempts us often in the hopes that we will stray away from God. Wasn't it in the Garden of Eden when the devil in the form of a snake tempted Eve to eat the forbidden apple? How did he tempt? By making Adam and Eve believe that they knew more than God. From day one our faith has been challenged. We must always work to keep our faith strong, because the moment that we let up our faith will be challenged. The best way to prevent a loss of faith is to pray often and to stay active in our faith. Faith is a wonderful thing, and the more that we work on our faith the more God will reveal to us. Tonight I will pray that God will help me grow in faith, help you all grow in faith, and reveal himself once again to those who have lost faith. God bless.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Brownback To Pull Out of Race
Sam Brownback is expected to announce on Friday that he will be pulling out of the presidential race. This is very disappointing to those of us who are Brownback supporters. He was the obvious choice for Religious Conservatives, be he was never able to get strong political backing. The main reason for this was due to a lack of money. In the current political atomosphere you must have strong financial backing in order to succeed, and unfortunately the $800,000 or so Brownback was able to raise was not nearly enough. With Brownback out of the race the question now becomes; who do religious conservatives turn to now?It is not known at this time if Brownback will endorse another republican candidate, but if he did it would likely be his senator friend McCain or the man who most closely resembles his political stances Mike Huckabee. I have not done extensive research on any of the candidates besides Brownback, but it appears to me that our best remaining choice is Huckabee. Huckabee was a southern baptist minister who is very similar to Brownback on most of the important issues. He is a strong pro-life candidate unlike most of the front runners. I know that we need to look at more than just one issue when deciding on a candidate, but we must at least agree on the most important issue. Personally, I can say that I will not vote for a candidate that is not pro-life. If it comes down to a choice between Guliani and Clinton for president, I will not vote for either. In that scenario, I would probably vote for Brownback as a write-in vote. I can not vote for a person who is pro-choice because it would go against everything I believe and what I'm standing up for in this blog.
It's time to jump on the Mike Huckabee bandwagon and ride it as long and as far as he'll take us. I am so thankful for Senator Brownback's couragous attempt at the presidency. He is a great man and would have been a great president, but unfortunately his run has come to an end. If Huckabee eventually falls out, we will have to reevaluate who is left and find the best remaining candidate. One thing I will never do is vote for someone because I think they have the best chance to win. No candidate will be perfect, but we must chose one that lines up most closely with us on the most important issues. Now that Brownback is out, that man is Mike Huckabee.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Epic Drought Calls For Changes
Like the old proverb says, desparate times call for desparate measures. I grew up in Indiana where the grass is green and the water is a plenty, so when I moved down to Georgia and heard about the outside water ban naturally I was shocked. A ban on water? Are they serious? This has to be some kind of joke. We could never run out of water, could we?
They say that this is the worst drought the area has seen in over a century. Lakes are drying up, and the lack of water is really becoming a major concern. I can't speak for anyone else, but I had never thought much about conserving water. In fact, when I first heard about the outdoor water ban, I thought it was downright ridiculous. How could the government tell me that I can't water flowers outside? It's my water and I should be able to use it how I see fit. This drought has opened my eyes. I can look back now and realize how selfish I was being. Although I am still not sure that I like the idea of the government punishing individual citizens for watering flowers when big business are wasting thousands of times more water and without penalty than any one citizen could, I can at least understand the concern about a resource that is running dry.
I think that anyone who lives in the areas of severe drought has heard about the water issue. We know for a fact that there is a problem, so the question is will we continue to be part of the problem or become part of the solution? I'll tell you straight forward that I don't plan on skipping showers or stop washing my clothes anytime soon, but I will be more conscious about conserving water. I am willing to turn off the sink when I'm not using it or take a shorter shower. I'm not sure I'd even call these things a sacrifice. I just plan on being responsible.
A popular thought that goes through everyone's mind is: I'm just one person. What will it matter if I break a few rules? Everone else is watering their grass, so why can't I? I don't have any flowers or a yard that needs watered, so it might seem easier for me to say I will conserve water. This may be true, but making excuses is never a way to win an argument or solve a problem. Any time we try to justify our actions based on the negative actions or inaction of others, we have already lost the argument. Instead of looking at this situation as one that others will have to deal with, let's look at it as an opportunity for us to become part of the solution and not part of the problem. We don't often realize how important some things are to us until they are gone or on their way to being gone. Water is essential for life, and there is no guarantee that it will be around forever. We need to be conscious of our water usage and be responsible. Our awareness and minor change of lifestyle is a very small sacrifice, but if everyone makes a small sacrifice then we will all eventually reap the rewards. Now, can we please get some rain! (Just don't rain during my softball game :).
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
National Boss Day
Did you know that October 16th is National Boss Day? If you didn't, you are not alone. What is National Boss Day and how did it come about? I did some research and this is what I found.
This story about how National Boss Day came about is pretty brief. A woman named Patricia Haroski registered National Boss's Day with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1958. She was working for State Farm in Deerfield, Illinois at the time. She chose October 16th because it was the birthday of her boss, who happened to be her father. Hallmark did not create a Boss's Day card until 1979, despite popular belief that the day was a Hallmark invention. This "Hallmark Holiday" has been a source of some controversy in the United States because of its commercial nature. It is customary to provide your boss a small gift or a card, but the celebration of this holiday is not yet widespread. Some bosses use this day to treat their employees. Ms. Haroski's purpose for the day was not only for employees to show appreciation for their boss's hard work, but also in the hopes of improving the employee-supervisor relationship. So knowing all of this, what do I think about National Boss Day?
Although the idea of having a holiday to celebrate your boss is a little silly, I don't find any harm in a National Boss Day. In my opinion, anytime there is a reason for people to show appreciation for others, it can't be a bad thing. I don't know that it is necessary to have a big celebration with gifts and whistles, but I think a thank you letter or a few words of appreciation to your boss is a great idea. Of course we could do this on any day, but often times if we don't have a reason to do something, we don't do anything. Sometimes we get so caught up with work that we forget that we couldn't do nearly as much as we do without the people around us. It is also important for bosses to make sure to let his or her employees know from time to time that all their work is appreciated. So if you did not tell your boss today that you appreciate all the hard work he or she does, make sure to do so sometime this week. Everyone likes to know that they are appreciated - even your boss. Take this time to also let your other coworkers know how much you appreciate them. Just don't be a brown-noser, be sincere!
This story about how National Boss Day came about is pretty brief. A woman named Patricia Haroski registered National Boss's Day with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1958. She was working for State Farm in Deerfield, Illinois at the time. She chose October 16th because it was the birthday of her boss, who happened to be her father. Hallmark did not create a Boss's Day card until 1979, despite popular belief that the day was a Hallmark invention. This "Hallmark Holiday" has been a source of some controversy in the United States because of its commercial nature. It is customary to provide your boss a small gift or a card, but the celebration of this holiday is not yet widespread. Some bosses use this day to treat their employees. Ms. Haroski's purpose for the day was not only for employees to show appreciation for their boss's hard work, but also in the hopes of improving the employee-supervisor relationship. So knowing all of this, what do I think about National Boss Day?
Although the idea of having a holiday to celebrate your boss is a little silly, I don't find any harm in a National Boss Day. In my opinion, anytime there is a reason for people to show appreciation for others, it can't be a bad thing. I don't know that it is necessary to have a big celebration with gifts and whistles, but I think a thank you letter or a few words of appreciation to your boss is a great idea. Of course we could do this on any day, but often times if we don't have a reason to do something, we don't do anything. Sometimes we get so caught up with work that we forget that we couldn't do nearly as much as we do without the people around us. It is also important for bosses to make sure to let his or her employees know from time to time that all their work is appreciated. So if you did not tell your boss today that you appreciate all the hard work he or she does, make sure to do so sometime this week. Everyone likes to know that they are appreciated - even your boss. Take this time to also let your other coworkers know how much you appreciate them. Just don't be a brown-noser, be sincere!
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Passive Politics
Jimmy is a freshman in college. It's Friday night and the party is rocking. The clock passes midnight and everybody is having a great time. Jimmy doesn't drink but he's the only one that's not. Jimmy finally decides it's time to go, but a couple guys from his dorm bump into him. "Hey Jimmy, we heard about this other great party. It's in the big city. Do you want to ride with us?" Jimmy thinks about it, but he's tired and he really doesn't want to go, but he knows these guys shouldn't be driving in their condition. Jimmy says, "You guys have fun. I'm just too tired." He watches them drive away in their black corvette and walks home.
Jimmy wakes up later that morning and reads the newspaper. A black corvette carrying four college students crossed over the median on the highway and struck a minivan killing everyone in the van and all four college kids. Who is at fault for this accident? You could argue that Jimmy is partially at fault for knowing that these kids were doing something bad but did nothing about it. I made up this little parable, but it is a story that is very real. This sort of thing happens. Who is at fault could be debatable. There is probably plenty of blame to go around, but I ask you who in this story was at no fault whatsoever? The minivan carrying a family who was nearing the end of their trip to grandma's house was obeying all the traffic rules. When the car came flying at them, the driver had no time to react. This whole family died innocently. They never had a chance to survive, much like an unborn baby. We are like Jimmy, watching millions of innocent babies are killed and we watch this happen but do nothing. Yes those who are performing the abortion are making the choice, not us. You could also argue that those college kids were making a choice when they drove while drunk.
Drinking and driving kills between 1000 - 2000 people per year. Abortion kills 126,000 PER DAY! In the United States alone, abortion claims 1.37 million lives per year. On average, every woman will commit one abortion! Drinking and driving is against the law, abortion is not. We are hearing politicians say things like: "I am personally against abortion, but I don't feel I can legislate against abortion." Oh, so this is like: "I am personally against drinking and driving, but I can't legislate against a person's right to choose." Oh wait, we can legislate in regards to that choice. People have choices, but choices have consequences. It is ridiculous to say you can't legislate because it will interfere with a woman's right to choose if she wants to kill her child. Oh it's against the law if the child is outside the womb, but if it's still in the mother I guess it's not real. That makes sense. If we fight dogs we are looking at major time in jail, but if we kill our own child, we get off scott-free; sometimes we even get applauded for making a smart choice.
I'm tired of what I call Passive Politics. Passive politics - avoiding important issues so as to please the most people or at least upset the fewest. It is a fact that abortion is a split issue. Hundreds of thousands support abortion rights. The only explanation for this is that we are living in a culture where this gradually became an accepted position. A culture of death. If people understood the facts, I don't know how abortion could remain legal. Those who fight that keeping it legal will help reduce abortions are misguided. I want politicians to stand up for life, make it the number one issue and act on this issue. Words mean nothing, actions mean everything. The only presidential candidate that is pro-life, whole-life is republican Sam Brownback. We need Brownback in this critical time. When the primaries come around, I ask that you prayerfully consider the best candidate and go out and vote. No other issue claims as many lives, and no issue is more important.
Jimmy wakes up later that morning and reads the newspaper. A black corvette carrying four college students crossed over the median on the highway and struck a minivan killing everyone in the van and all four college kids. Who is at fault for this accident? You could argue that Jimmy is partially at fault for knowing that these kids were doing something bad but did nothing about it. I made up this little parable, but it is a story that is very real. This sort of thing happens. Who is at fault could be debatable. There is probably plenty of blame to go around, but I ask you who in this story was at no fault whatsoever? The minivan carrying a family who was nearing the end of their trip to grandma's house was obeying all the traffic rules. When the car came flying at them, the driver had no time to react. This whole family died innocently. They never had a chance to survive, much like an unborn baby. We are like Jimmy, watching millions of innocent babies are killed and we watch this happen but do nothing. Yes those who are performing the abortion are making the choice, not us. You could also argue that those college kids were making a choice when they drove while drunk.
Drinking and driving kills between 1000 - 2000 people per year. Abortion kills 126,000 PER DAY! In the United States alone, abortion claims 1.37 million lives per year. On average, every woman will commit one abortion! Drinking and driving is against the law, abortion is not. We are hearing politicians say things like: "I am personally against abortion, but I don't feel I can legislate against abortion." Oh, so this is like: "I am personally against drinking and driving, but I can't legislate against a person's right to choose." Oh wait, we can legislate in regards to that choice. People have choices, but choices have consequences. It is ridiculous to say you can't legislate because it will interfere with a woman's right to choose if she wants to kill her child. Oh it's against the law if the child is outside the womb, but if it's still in the mother I guess it's not real. That makes sense. If we fight dogs we are looking at major time in jail, but if we kill our own child, we get off scott-free; sometimes we even get applauded for making a smart choice.
I'm tired of what I call Passive Politics. Passive politics - avoiding important issues so as to please the most people or at least upset the fewest. It is a fact that abortion is a split issue. Hundreds of thousands support abortion rights. The only explanation for this is that we are living in a culture where this gradually became an accepted position. A culture of death. If people understood the facts, I don't know how abortion could remain legal. Those who fight that keeping it legal will help reduce abortions are misguided. I want politicians to stand up for life, make it the number one issue and act on this issue. Words mean nothing, actions mean everything. The only presidential candidate that is pro-life, whole-life is republican Sam Brownback. We need Brownback in this critical time. When the primaries come around, I ask that you prayerfully consider the best candidate and go out and vote. No other issue claims as many lives, and no issue is more important.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Eternal Reward
We work hard for that bonus our boss promises us for a job well done. We work hard to beat our best friend in a competitive game of one-on-one basketball. We work out every other day and drink protein shakes so that our biceps will one day look like the Terminator's. We work hard to accomplish our earthly goals, but do we work hard to accomplish the most important goal of all?
Often times we set ourselves up for disappointment by expecting too much. We set a goal and imagine this great feeling we will have when we finally reach our goal, but when our goal is actually reached we feel an odd and often intense feeling of disappointment. I believe that often our disappointments and frustrations in life are due to the fact that we don't understand our real goal and our true reward.
Life is God's gift to us, and just to be able to breathe and have life is a blessing. We should not live for earthly rewards, because earthly rewards are the result of earthly goals. Our purpose on earth is not to accumulate power, praise, or wealth. These things in and of themselves are not evil, but often times the means we take to gain these things are. We set these goals for ourselves and when we reach them, we often find ourselves wanting more. We want more and more, but we are never satisfied. Setting personal goals for ourselves is a good thing, but we must go about achieving these goals the right way, and we must never lose sight of our supreme goal. Whenever our personal goals interfere with our supreme goal, we must reevaluate what is really important.
The one goal we can have that will never leave us disappointed is the goal of reaching heaven. It is the only goal that is truly worth our desire. All other goals should help lead us to achieve this much larger goal. Our reward for living a humble and holy life is eternal. Our reward is eternal happiness! What greater reward is there than having eternal happiness in the presence of God? Nothing. We get so caught up with the grinds of every day life that we forget our purpose in life. We see people succeed in life who are of poor character, ethics, and morals. On the surface they appear to have everything, but I guarantee you when their life comes to an end and the time of judgement comes, none of their earthly possessions will join them. God knows and sees all things. No good deed goes unrewarded and no good life goes unrewarded. Those who live a lifetime of serving others and serving God will be rewarded. Make heaven your ultimate goal, and as long as you keep that as your ultimate goal all other goals will be stepping stones. You will be walking the stairway to heaven and your reward will be eternal.
Often times we set ourselves up for disappointment by expecting too much. We set a goal and imagine this great feeling we will have when we finally reach our goal, but when our goal is actually reached we feel an odd and often intense feeling of disappointment. I believe that often our disappointments and frustrations in life are due to the fact that we don't understand our real goal and our true reward.
Life is God's gift to us, and just to be able to breathe and have life is a blessing. We should not live for earthly rewards, because earthly rewards are the result of earthly goals. Our purpose on earth is not to accumulate power, praise, or wealth. These things in and of themselves are not evil, but often times the means we take to gain these things are. We set these goals for ourselves and when we reach them, we often find ourselves wanting more. We want more and more, but we are never satisfied. Setting personal goals for ourselves is a good thing, but we must go about achieving these goals the right way, and we must never lose sight of our supreme goal. Whenever our personal goals interfere with our supreme goal, we must reevaluate what is really important.
The one goal we can have that will never leave us disappointed is the goal of reaching heaven. It is the only goal that is truly worth our desire. All other goals should help lead us to achieve this much larger goal. Our reward for living a humble and holy life is eternal. Our reward is eternal happiness! What greater reward is there than having eternal happiness in the presence of God? Nothing. We get so caught up with the grinds of every day life that we forget our purpose in life. We see people succeed in life who are of poor character, ethics, and morals. On the surface they appear to have everything, but I guarantee you when their life comes to an end and the time of judgement comes, none of their earthly possessions will join them. God knows and sees all things. No good deed goes unrewarded and no good life goes unrewarded. Those who live a lifetime of serving others and serving God will be rewarded. Make heaven your ultimate goal, and as long as you keep that as your ultimate goal all other goals will be stepping stones. You will be walking the stairway to heaven and your reward will be eternal.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
In God's Image And Likeness
I am convinced more now than ever before that people are naturally good. There is a bible verse in Genesis which reads that we were made in the image and likeness of God. God is within each and every one of us! This is an amazing thing to think about and something we should never forget. It can be hard to remember sometimes when we look around and see evil surrounding us. We see terrible things being done around us and we ask ourselves how anyone could do these things. Our tendency it to conclude that these people are just naturally bad, but I do not believe this is the case. God did not say only Americans are made in the image and likeness of God, or only those with blond hair and blue eyes are made in the image and likeness of God. He said WE ALL are made in the image and likeness of God.
We are made in God's image, but we are not God ourselves. We are sinners and God knows that we will sin, but he still loves us. We should treat all our neighbors, regardless of their weaknesses, as brothers and sisters. It should not be the sinner we hate, but the sin itself. Instead of hating people we should try to help them rid their sinful ways. Afterall, we are also sinners, and we need help at times too.
I am thoroughly convinced that if everyone looked at each other as an image and likeness of God, most if not all the world's problems would be solved. I am thoroughly convinced of this. Violence begets violence. Peace begets peace. Anger begets anger. Forgiveness begets forgiveness. Hate begets hate. Love begets love. When we show kindness and love towards one another, kindness and love will spread. I am thoroughly convinced of this.
When we see people do bad things on television or hear about it on the Internet or see it with our own eyes, instead of cursing them publicly or even privately, perhaps we should pray for them. I believe that it is very possible that the reason they commit terrible crimes is because they don't know God. It is very possible that they were not raised in a stable household. Their parents may have never told them about God and all of his goodness. We can not live another person's life, and we cannot know everything they have been through or where they've been, but we can show them God's love. We can lead by example. We can have a great impact on people's lives. Remember that through God, all things are possible. We can save a sinner. We can save a person. We can save one who is made in the image and likeness of God.
We are made in God's image, but we are not God ourselves. We are sinners and God knows that we will sin, but he still loves us. We should treat all our neighbors, regardless of their weaknesses, as brothers and sisters. It should not be the sinner we hate, but the sin itself. Instead of hating people we should try to help them rid their sinful ways. Afterall, we are also sinners, and we need help at times too.
I am thoroughly convinced that if everyone looked at each other as an image and likeness of God, most if not all the world's problems would be solved. I am thoroughly convinced of this. Violence begets violence. Peace begets peace. Anger begets anger. Forgiveness begets forgiveness. Hate begets hate. Love begets love. When we show kindness and love towards one another, kindness and love will spread. I am thoroughly convinced of this.
When we see people do bad things on television or hear about it on the Internet or see it with our own eyes, instead of cursing them publicly or even privately, perhaps we should pray for them. I believe that it is very possible that the reason they commit terrible crimes is because they don't know God. It is very possible that they were not raised in a stable household. Their parents may have never told them about God and all of his goodness. We can not live another person's life, and we cannot know everything they have been through or where they've been, but we can show them God's love. We can lead by example. We can have a great impact on people's lives. Remember that through God, all things are possible. We can save a sinner. We can save a person. We can save one who is made in the image and likeness of God.
Monday, October 8, 2007
The Jim Jones Story
ESPN recently aired a story about Reverend Jim Jones on its popular Sunday morning show Outside the Lines. Those of you who were around in the 70's might already know the Jim Jones story, but I had never even heard of Jim Jones before I watched this show. It was a very sad ending to a very sad story. I would like to give you a brief summary of the events that transpired and my thoughts on the story of Jim Jones and the Jonestown mass murder-suicide.
Reverend Jim Jones was the founder and leader of the People's Temple, a religious organization founded in 1955. The People's Temple was organized in California; the one place Jones thought could survive a nuclear holocaust. Jomes was able to recruit new members through manipulation and by his supposed miracle healings. The People's Temple moved to a secluded area in Guyana after there was an investigation over tax evasion. Jones envisioned setting up a utopian society based on socialistic principals, and his members truly thought they were going to make a difference in the world. Little did they know that their time left on earth was nearing an end.
Jim Jones was widely believed to be a drug and human rights abuser. He was always looking for positive press, but he also feared negative press. When a U.S. congressman came to visit with a number of People's Temple detractors, Jones staged a party based on the false announcement that the People's Temple basketball team won their game. When the congressman interviewed the People's Temple members, surprisingly most of them appeared happy. The congressman invited anyone who wanted to leave (about a dozen people) to join him back to the states, but when they were boarding the plane they were fired upon. The congressman and four others were killed and Jones knew this would bring bad press. This led to the unimaginable events that followed.
Children were ordered to go first to drink the poisonous kool-aid. Audio recored crying kids and Jones speaking of the necessity of the act. Just listening to this tape makes me sick to my stomach. It is unknown if all 900+ casualties committed suicide or if some were murdered, but judging by the tape it didn't sound like many wanted to die. The Jonestown mass murder-suicide occurred in 1978, but it is a prime example of what can happen in a culture of death. People can easily be manipulated to believe just about anything, and when fanatical leaders have the power to manipulate people, tragedies like this are possible.
Over 900 people were murdered or convinced to commit suicide by a fanatic who thought he was solving society's problems through a revolutionary suicide. We must never let anyone convince us that abortion or premature death is right. Life is priceless, and the cowardly act of suicide is never the answer to our problems. The basketball players are among the few People's Temple members that survived this terrible tragedy. Tonight I ask that you pray for the victims and survivors who lost someone in the Jonestown mass murder-suicide. Pray that a similar tragedy will never again occur.
Reverend Jim Jones was the founder and leader of the People's Temple, a religious organization founded in 1955. The People's Temple was organized in California; the one place Jones thought could survive a nuclear holocaust. Jomes was able to recruit new members through manipulation and by his supposed miracle healings. The People's Temple moved to a secluded area in Guyana after there was an investigation over tax evasion. Jones envisioned setting up a utopian society based on socialistic principals, and his members truly thought they were going to make a difference in the world. Little did they know that their time left on earth was nearing an end.
Jim Jones was widely believed to be a drug and human rights abuser. He was always looking for positive press, but he also feared negative press. When a U.S. congressman came to visit with a number of People's Temple detractors, Jones staged a party based on the false announcement that the People's Temple basketball team won their game. When the congressman interviewed the People's Temple members, surprisingly most of them appeared happy. The congressman invited anyone who wanted to leave (about a dozen people) to join him back to the states, but when they were boarding the plane they were fired upon. The congressman and four others were killed and Jones knew this would bring bad press. This led to the unimaginable events that followed.
Children were ordered to go first to drink the poisonous kool-aid. Audio recored crying kids and Jones speaking of the necessity of the act. Just listening to this tape makes me sick to my stomach. It is unknown if all 900+ casualties committed suicide or if some were murdered, but judging by the tape it didn't sound like many wanted to die. The Jonestown mass murder-suicide occurred in 1978, but it is a prime example of what can happen in a culture of death. People can easily be manipulated to believe just about anything, and when fanatical leaders have the power to manipulate people, tragedies like this are possible.
Over 900 people were murdered or convinced to commit suicide by a fanatic who thought he was solving society's problems through a revolutionary suicide. We must never let anyone convince us that abortion or premature death is right. Life is priceless, and the cowardly act of suicide is never the answer to our problems. The basketball players are among the few People's Temple members that survived this terrible tragedy. Tonight I ask that you pray for the victims and survivors who lost someone in the Jonestown mass murder-suicide. Pray that a similar tragedy will never again occur.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Welcome To My Blog
Welcome to my blog. I hope that my blog will touch you in some way and motivate you to join me in fighting for life. This is the single most important issue of our time. If we don't stand up for life, who will? I know the unborn babies have no say in the matter. This blog is more than just a blog to promote life, but it is a blog about any number of issues and my perspective on those issues. Every day in our lives brings new hope and new opportunities. We often go through life like a zombie and lose sight of what is really going on around us. I will talk about things that I see happening and give you my perspective on life. I hope you return to my blog and invite your friends and family to read my blog and join in my discussion. I feel very strongly about life and I am determined to make a difference any way that I can. I am very excited about this blog and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing. I ask that you take a quick moment and join me in praying for all those who are denied the right to life. Once again, thank you for visiting my blog and God bless you!
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