The Little Facts

Swim meetin

2011-11-13T22:36:00.000-08:00

Summer of '11

2011-11-13T22:30:00.000-08:00

Much Ado About Nothing

2011-11-13T22:27:00.000-08:00

Here and there

2011-11-13T22:25:00.000-08:00

Family Pictures

2011-11-13T22:22:00.000-08:00

Horses:The beauty in the Beast

2011-11-13T22:00:00.001-08:00

It’s a cool crisp autumn day. The leaves have turned yellow and have slowly begun to

decay. Exhaling a deep puff of breath forms delicate wispy wreaths, encircling my mouth

before disappearing. Snuggled up in a warm winter jacket, I walk into a rustic red barn. A

whinnying neigh greets me from a nearby stall. I grab the saddle and riding equipment

before proceeding to ride my horse into the distance to discover the wonders of a magical

fall day. These memorable days of adventure and fun are not the only benefits in owning

a horse, for these magnificent animals also fulfill many useful and practical functions.

Some may complain that horses are too expensive. After all, there are countless food bills

and veterinary bills to be paid. Also, living in a city could cause a few problems to a

horse owner. But to every difficult problem there is always a solution. Food bills for

horses can be exorbitant, but if the owner lives on a farm food bills can be easily

decreased by growing grain on the farm. Veterinary costs will be in place for any animal,

little or small, but by keeping the animal on a healthy diet, trips to the veterinarian can

simply be lessened. Many urban dwellers can own a horse quite simply because various

farms often provide boarding for horses. This means that for a reasonable price, a horse

can thrive on a farm while it’s owner lives in the city, visiting the horse whenever he or

she chooses.

One of the great benefits that horses provide is their usefulness on farms. Cowboys

greatly rely upon the abilities of this swift, surefooted animal to herd wandering farm life.

Using modern day equipment such as tractors results in a disturbance to the animals,

often causing them to scatter further as they react in fright. In contrast, horses normally

do not arouse fear in the animals while they work. Before tractors were invented, horses

were used to plow fields or to pull other equipment that was required on a farm. Besides

practical usefulness, pedigreed horses can often be shown at country fairs or national

shows. Many horses have become famous for their exceptionally performed tricks, or

impeccable beauty. Numerous amounts of young adults spend their adolescent years

grooming and training their horses for their various events. Competitions for successfully

trained horses can be worldwide, and the thrill of winning quickly repays the stressful

hours that can be spent in training.

Horses require not only basic care, but they thrive when surrounded with a nurturing

environment and a loving companion. They have been known to die from depression

caused by a neglectful owner; for they are capable of responding with love and a genuine

loyalty to their caretaker, which can create a deep bond between them. Their lifespan is

around 30 years, and thus a horse can provide a friendship that may last longer than a

relationship with a human being. Friends may come and go through the changing

vicissitudes of a person’s life, but a horse would never be loyal to anyone else other than

its owner. The horse’s world revolves around its master, and so they are indeed very

loving and life- long companions.

In conclusion, whenever someone is in need of a friend who is also willing to be of help,

look no further. The horse is the perfect solution to all problems. Whether one is in need

of an equestrian adventure or a friend to whom one can pour out one’s heart and

innermost troubles without worrying about hasty judgment, or whether one needs help

around the farm, all these things and more a horse can successfully fulfill. These majestic

animals provide many benefits that are both useful and enjoyable. Horses are stately

creatures that God lovingly created. At times the world may seem so full of evil, but one

look at God’s creation, quickly shows the good that was originally created for man’s

benefit. Horses are just one manifestation of God’s endless love. These magnificent

animals portray virtues that are good, such as loyalty, companionship, servitude, and

love. Horses are a beautiful gift sent for the good of mankind in the midst of a fallen

world.

How should Christians fight sin?

2011-11-13T21:57:00.000-08:00

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no

one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is

no one who does good, not even one.”-Roman 3:10-12. Sin has captured the world. It has

overtaken everything. In the book of Romans, during the time that Paul ministered in that

region, there was not even one honorable man. Not one. Although there may be some in

our world who still seek to worship and honor God, the numbers of those are sadly way

too small. In this book, Paul laments the situation of sin in the world. And in Romans

3:23 he again says, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Fighting

against sin is hard, and many don’t have sufficient strength to fight it. Many let sin and

Satan rule their lives. But for those few who truly desire to dedicate their lives to Jesus,

they should fight sin, until they take their last dying breaths. When Jesus came down to

the world as a mortal, he resisted and fought against sin. Jesus is our perfect example and

our Savior. Even though we fall short of the glory of God, we should still try our best to

hate sin and fight the devil and his temptations until we are translated into glory.

In our present day, conquering sin is not as easy as pulling out a sword and slashing fire-

breathing dragons such as the character, Christian, in Pilgrims Progress is called upon to

do. Fighting sin is much more of a challenge as it might not be as easy to identify in

everyday life. Walking down the street, one may enter a grocery store and be confronted

with an array of gossip magazines and frivolous tales of ‘famous’ actors, actresses or

models, which line the multiple shelves next to the cashier. Some might be tempted to

read the headlines in order to catch a glimpse of what is going on in the ‘world’. But by

spending one’s time reading about pop culture, one’s mind is being filled with junk, and

Satan has succeeded in his grand evil scheme by tempting us and causing us to sin by

planting a desire in our minds, making us to want to read about the sinful lives of those

who live in Hollywood. Another example would be going to the movie theatre and

watching a movie that contains foul language, perverse images or sexual content, those

are all things that are unnecessary to see or watch. If you have friends that are doing it,

and seeing it, or buying it, think first about what Jesus would do. Would Jesus buy it?

Would he do it? Or would he watch it? Fighting sin can be a whole lot easier when one

can identify it as a sin, and think first whether or not Jesus would do the same. Learn to

say no, even though it might cost one their reputation in this world. But this world’s

‘reputation’ is useless, and after all, sacrificing this world for the next is the smallest

sacrifice one can make to live forever in heaven.

In the Space Trilogies, Ransom represents man. The Oyarsa represents sort of a god-like

character that is the angelic ruler of Mars. In the first book, Ransom is captured and left

at the planet Malacandra. There he eventually meets Oyarsa and is given a special task

for planet Perelandra. Perelandra is a recreation of the garden of Adam and Eve, and sin

is yet to be discovered. But Ransom’s job is to prevent evil from corrupting the queen of

the Islands who is an Eve-like character. The queen is not allowed to sleep on Fixed

Island, but when Professor Weston arrives, he tries to persuade the queen to spend a night

there. Professor Weston represents Satan, and his job is to be the tempter in order to

cause the queen to sin. Ransom’s job is to prevent the reenactment of the fall of sin on

Perelandra, and he realizes that Weston is trying to get the Queen to sin. At first he is

hesitant to confront Weston, also known as the tempter, but eventually he realizes that

God sacrificed himself in order to conquer sin, and he knows that he must do the same.

Attacking the tempter unexpectedly, Weston now flees because he cannot withstand the

pain and the strenuous fight, for he can only fight with lies and rhetoric. After a long

battle with Weston, Ransom eventually conquers him, but not without a bite on his heel

that continues to bleed for the rest of his life.

Fighting sin is a battle. It is a battle that cannot be easily won. But with the help of
God, we can do it. By trusting Jesus and leaning on him for strength we can conquer
sin. At times we will fall, we will give in to the tempter, and we will sin. But if we try
our best and fight sin, we may be able to resist it. But if we do fall, we must be sure
that we treat others around us the way that we want God to treat us, for if God should
forgive us our sins, we first have to forgive others of their sins against us.” If you
forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you
refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6) And in
Luke 6:37, Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not
be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Forgiveness is ours if we forgive
others. But we must always be on our guard, vigilantly watching for sin. If we ever
forget and lay our guard down, sin will kill us. But if we rely on God, we can stay
strong to fight against it, even if it causes our death. Whatever comes our way, the
most important thing is that we always keep watch and pray so that we are not tempted
to let anything distract us, lest it cause us to fall. And nothing in this world is worth
giving up our seat in heaven for a place in hell.

In conclusion, sin is a dark and dangerous thing. Battling sin is a dangerous and violent
war. Sin is hard to identify if we become weary and let our sin detectors fog up. If we
do not lean on God every single step of the way, we might lose our path and walk
down the path of sin which will eat us alive. But by staying in the Word of God
allowing it to sharpen our discernment and trusting in Christ, doing as he tells us to do,
we can successfully fight most sin, and eventually live with Jesus in glory forever in a
place where there is no more sin, no more battles, and no more suffering.

A Tail of Responsibility

2011-11-13T21:56:00.000-08:00

The sound of flip-flops and the smell of hot dogs and strawberry lemonade wafts through

the air. It’s a warm sunny day at the animal fair. A little girl is walking down a dusty

gravel road with her parents. In her hand, she carries what might be the largest pink

cotton candy cone ever created. Strolling down the road, they pass many exhibits that

show a variety of wild and fabulous animals; lions, bears, parrots, and penguins. The

little girl takes no particular interest in any of the animals, until they pass the barnyard

exhibit.

Sitting in the corner of the stage, in a silver cage are two white rabbits. With floppy ears,

piercing blue eyes, and a never ending wiggly nose, they beckon the little girl to come pet

them. Away she dashes from her parent’s side and down to the rabbit’s cage she drops.

She is in awe of the stunning beauty of the rabbit. The pristine white fur, and

crystal clear blue eyes showcase God’s magnificent power and talent in the small body of

this little, yet magnificent animal..

Julia is a twelve year old girl who is passionately in love with animals. Although now,

in passing the rabbit cage, she is in turn passionately in love with rabbits. For a lengthy

stretch of time, she sits on the floor next to the rabbit cage and in reverie gazes upon the

two angelic white creatures. At last, her parents find her and bid her to move on, but

nothing in the world can convince Julia to leave the rabbit’s cage. She stares at them as if

she had been hypnotized by their extreme beauty. As Julia longingly gawks at the two

white lagomorphs, the keeper in charge of the barnyard exhibit walks up to Julia’s

parents and says,

“Would your little girl like to pet the bunnies?”

Julia’s reaction to the keeper’s question is like that of a little girl on Christmas who just

peeked at all the presents lined up under the Christmas tree. She beams from head to toe

and nods her head in an answer that could only mean there isn’t anything she would

rather do in the entire world.

As Julia pets the smooth, silky fur of the white blue eyed rabbits, she has completely

forgotten the rest of the world and would probably lose all sense of time if her parents

hadn’t coaxed her to get up and move on. The keeper then clears her throat and says,

“You know, these two bunnies are both for sale. The rabbits are a year old, and we

have been looking for a home for them. Both need a loving home, and if you are at all

interested, we would love to sell them to your daughter.”

This news is too much for Julia to handle. Jumping up and down she begins

pulling on her parent’s arms, pleading at the top of her voice.

“Well, honey,” her mother begins,

“I’m not sure you are responsible enough to own a rabbit. Seeing how the last pet

you owned died of neglect, I don’t think that you should have another one until you are a

little older.”

“But,” her dad said, “If you can provide a few reasons why we should let you

own a new pet, I’ll consider them and afterwards we will make our final decision.”

Julia dejectedly shuffled along a few feet, thinking of convincing reasons why her

parents should let her buy a new pet.

“AAACHOO!” “AACHOO!” The sound of a sneeze echoes through the area.

“Honey, I think I might be allergic to the bunnies,” the father remarks.

Now all hopes and dreams of ever obtaining a pet bunny are suddenly gone as if someone has

flushed the toilet of Julia’s 12 year old dreams. Her chin quivers as she fights against

the tears that threaten to pour down her face.

“Well, on the bright side, we could always get a fish!?” her dad states hopefully. Yet

Julia ponders the fact that a fish is not soft and cuddly, nor can it be affectionately held.

One can only stare at a fish. With these thoughts she runs back to the bunny cage to say

her goodbyes. Her father continues sneezing for a few minutes, until he suddenly

discovers that his faded gray pheasant hat, which he was wearing, had a few feathers next

to his nose tickling him.

“Honey,” he says to his wife, “I think the feathers might have been causing me to sneeze,

not the bunnies.” His wife responds,

“Well, let’s not tell Julia just yet, I want to hear what she is going to say about your

allergies. I have a plan.” And with that she begins whispering into his ear.

After a few moments of thought, Julia walks up to her parents. In her heart, Julia knows

what the right thing to do would be. Although sacrificing is hard to do, in the end the

rewards more than make up for any losses accrued.

“Daddy,” she says, “I know I want to own a pet bunny, but I would rather not have one

if I have to watch you suffer with allergies.” She had to stop there or she might have

released a torrent of tears.

“Julia, I am very proud of you for making the right choice,” her mother answers, but

from the expression on her face, one could easily tell that some secret plan had been

formed. Instead of a sad expression on her face, she beams with a smile.

“Mommy, why are you smiling? This isn’t funny,” Julia states emphatically.

“No, honey, I am not smiling because you can’t have a bunny, there is a another reason

for my smile,” her mother replied. Julia wanted to hear anything to divert her attention

away from her disappointment.

“Ok, fine. Then tell me why you are smiling.”

“Well honey, when you were trying to prove to us that you were responsible and mature

enough to own a bunny, your father and I strategically devised a plan to test your

maturity . We decided that if you would be able to put others first and to sacrifice

something you love for another’s well being, then you could acquire a new pet.”

Julia was puzzled. So her mother continued,

“When your father began sneezing, supposing he was allergic to the bunnies, we

discovered your maturity and sense of responsibility in preferring his health over your

own desires. If you transfer this attitude

into the care of your pets, we would enjoy giving a loving home to both of these adorable

bunnies.”

Julia was greatly pleased when her mother announced that she could possess these

irresistible bunnies, so she ran and jumped high into both of her parent’s arms and

thanked them repeatedly. That night, a jubilant 12 year old little girl drove home from the

animal fair comfortably nestled in the back seat, adoringly stroking her two soft furry

friends. The two white bunnies were affectionately named Blueberry and

Iceberg. And together in a little house in Seattle, Julia, Iceberg, and Blueberry lived

happily and responsibly ever after.

THE END

How is a high view of Christian marriage a political act of war in pagan cultures?

2011-11-13T21:55:00.000-08:00

In many cultures, marriage and family are very unimportant. In pagan uncivilized cultures, many men will have multiple wives. Respect for the spouse, or spouses isn’t something that is very common. Children are treated in a similar way. The Orwellian view is somewhat similar. In 1984, the people were forced to believe that marriage was bad. Children were forcibly created for just because they were needed. Each new life was not treated with joy and excitement, but rather with disdain. The Christian view is completely different from all of these views. In Christianity, marriage is a holy sanctity, and children are a gift from God.

In many pagan cultures, children are viewed as property. Not little children who need to be nurtured and taught how to behave, but as cattle. Some cultures, such as in the Middle East, many families sacrifice, or abuse their children. And many men will have sometimes have up to 40 wives. They don’t treat marriage as the bible says it should be. The treat their wives like property, the more they have, the richer they look. This is all common behavior in pagan cultures. But in the modern world, many activists will rise up and speak against the abuses, which can cause riots, violence, and sometimes straight up war.

The Orwellian view is quite similar. Marriage is viewed as a cumbersome process, and so it never happens. Love doesn’t exist. And the creation of children is viewed as a mechanical and painful process necessary for new life. Everybody has been brainwashed to love the Big Brother who is constantly watching them, and children as well as adults are separate and alone. They are forced to believe what is put in front of them. Thoughtcrime is not to be committed. The children, and marriage are all precious things that in an Orwellian world have been dissolved.

Christianity differs from these views, as night differs from day. The bible says that marriage is holy. It is from God. Children as well are a gift sent from above. Things that are sent from God, should be treated in a likewise and holy manner. Many Christians do uphold these beliefs and follow what the bible says. But we do live in a world where things are taken for granted. Children are left to grow up and learn whatever they please from their friends, and marriages fall apart as husbands leave their wives for another affair with a younger pretty woman. Marx, in The Communist Manifesto, doesn’t uphold the views that the bible shares. He thinks that everything should be treated the same. No one and nothing is more special than another. Everything is worth the same. Everything is plain.

To conclude, Christianity treats marriage and children the way they should be treated. As a holy gift from God. But many people become lazy, and forget to treat them as they should, thus our culture slips and joins the rest of the world in their ungodly attitudes towards one another. Pagans will continue to disrespect, abuse, and ignore the Lord’s commands, but as a Christian, we need to fight the good fight against evil, and always honor and obey whatever God sends our way.

Survey Report

2011-11-13T21:54:00.000-08:00

There are many questions in the world, and as many questions there are, there are even more diverse answers. Nobody believes the same thing. Everyone has their own view, opinion, belief or religion. In a perfect world, everyone would believe one thing, and there would be no arguments, debates or war. It is a good thing for everyone to have their own opinions and beliefs, but when it comes to religion there is only one way, one truth, and one God.

According to a recent survey that I conducted, many people believe that you can hold faith in two different gods at the same time. Many believe that one can be a Buddhist and a Christian at the same time. While both religion hold similar values and morals, there are two different gods, and you can only serve one master. One person who answered the survey from a Christian standpoint said, “Someone can not be a Christian and a Buddhist at the same time. Christianity is set apart and aside form every other religion. It's entire focus is on the One and only God as revealed in Christ Jesus. It can not accept any other gods it says that there is only one true god all other gods are falce. John 14:6 Jesus says that He is the way the truth and the life NO ONE comes to the Father except by Him. If someone accepts Jesus as God they have no choice but to honor Him alone and deny all other gods and declare them false.” There will be debates concerning this question, but as a christian, many uphold the view stated above.

Another question that was discussed, was concerning absolute truth. From a cultural viewpoint, many people answered the question saying that there can more be more than one truth. One even said, “I think that as long as everyone believes in a certain truth, that’s fine. But you really can believe anything to be right or wrong, truthful or not. It depends on what you believe. I wouldn’t say that there is only one truth though; everyone has their own truth. So there are actually many truths. Not just one absolute truth.” From a Christian view, this question was answered much differently. From many different Christians, I got the same answer, “I do believe in absolute truth as is found in the bible.”

One interesting question was, “How do you determine wrong and right?” While many Christians would turn to the bible and see what Jesus does in order to determine wrong and right, a few Christians answered saying, “ I think that our conscience basically tells us what is morally wrong and right. I really don’t need a map to tell me what I can and can’t do, cause I pretty much know that stuff internally.” Many might think that way, and still call themselves Christians, but in this world many Christians aren’t actually Christians, they merely use that name as a title, but don’t live the life of one. A true Christian answered this question by saying, “I look to the word of God, the bible, in order to determine what is wrong and what is right.” A non christian liberal also answered this question, and they said, “ You shouldn’t live your life always determining what is wrong and right. That is a really legalistic way to live. If something sounds like fun you should do it. You don’t have to check the ‘dictionary’ on wrongs and rights in order to live your life. If it feels good, do it.
In this world, many people have different faiths, religions and ideas. If you are a christian it is very easy to become lukewarm, and eventually be drawn away from christianity by all the false ideas that we are daily surrounded by. From some of the answers that were given from the non christians, it may seem like what they believe it true and some may begin thinking from that viewpoint, but if you read the bible and truly listen to what it says, you will see how dangerous it is to surround ourselves with false doctrines and ideas such as those. We must live in faith, knowing that there is only one God, one Truth, and one Faith.

Life as a Lilliputian-Pretend diary

2011-11-13T21:53:00.000-08:00

Life as a Lilliputian

Day 1.

Today I am starting a journal of my adventure to Grandoisey. I’ve heard that the people there are larger than the average man of Lilliput, but I want to go there myself and see what it is like. I suspect that it is all a mere exaggeration; you never can really trust what people say. I mean, the other day I was told I was dumber than an ox, and come on that just can’t be true! Just last night I read a book about a Cat who sat on a Mat! Smart stuff right? But once I was told that I was prettier than a flower, and that I believe, but sometimes people just don’t get it all right. Right now I am on a ship, and I suspect that it’ll be a few more hours of voyage till we reach our destination. For now, I think I might get some shuteye. I’ll write again bout what will happen, tomorrow.

Day 2.

Holy Cracka Figgly Moly! They really weren’t joking when they said the people were big. The stairs for them were so huge, that when I got off the ship and on dock, the stairs looked like a mountain to me! But I am so small in comparison, that I jumped on this random guy, and held onto his pocket. He carried me up the entire staircase, and didn’t even know I was there! But then I got hungry, so I went to this place called McDonald’s. The tables and chairs there were sorta tall. But, I ordered a regular size cheeseburger, but the burger was almost bigger than me! And I swear the fries were as long as my legs. But I ate most of everything, and now I think I ought to go exercise.

Day 3.

You wouldn’t believe what I saw in the park! While I was walking, the biggest scariest animal came up to me and started licking me. Its tongue was longer than my legs. I was so frightened than both my knees knocked against one another; the sound was louder than a drum set. Turned out that the creature was a dog by the way. Also later on, I was walking by a river. It was pretty hot outside, so I decided to dip my feet in the water to cool off, and what did I see then? A whale! I was almost swallowed up by it, but suddenly out of nowhere, a huge string pulled it out of the water, and it disappeared. Strange world these people live in! I will always remember this day!

Day 4.

So, I only have a couple more days to spend in this place, so today I went to this place called the Space Needle. I don’t understand these people’s need to feel huge and superior to short things. The space needle literally touched the sky I think. I also rode up a moving staircase, and apparently in this country many people are fascinated with short things, wherever I go people point and stare at me. I might be unusually sized in this country, but I think they are the ones that are unusually sized! And when I bought a coffee from the café, the Barista asked me where my mommy was. To think that a full-grown man looks like a child. This world is just plain upside down.

Day 5.
So today I thought that I should buy some souvenirs from this strange country. I bought a t-shirt that said Grandoisey, Americanio on it. But when I tried it on, it trailed on the floor. And it was size extra small! I guess I can forget that diet I was planning on beginning, but may be the people from this country should consider some sort of diet. But I also took the bus today. Since the bus was packed full, I had to stand. I felt as if I was standing in a forest of legs. Except this forest was clad in black and blue instead of sunshiny green. But on the bright side I was so small, the bus driver could not find me and did not make me pay!

Day 6.

Today I am going home. I’m so happy to leave this strange land. Everything is so large. I thought that everyone back home was exaggerating, but as it turns out they really weren’t. Everything’s larger than they had said. I felt smaller than an ant on an Elephant. Well back to Lilliput land I go. Hopefully everything is still small, I dislike large things now. My favorite souvenir that I will be bringing back home is a penny. It’s larger than my head. How is that for strange?

The End

The importance of Relationships and Affections-according to Frankenstein

2011-11-13T21:52:00.000-08:00

The importance of Relationships and Affections

Relationships are very dear. They are the few things that people have left on this earth

that aren’t corrupted. Without relationships humans become empty and lonely. Other

people are there to help us in our time of need, and or distress. If a man or woman is

friendless in this world, he or she is without one of the greatest gifts this world has to

offer. This world is harsh, and one doesn’t pass through without suffering; but with the

help of a friends anything is possible Affection is an emotion, shown forth when a friend

truly loves or cares for her, or his friend. Frankenstein, lacked both these after he created

his Creature. He was alone and forsaken in his world of misery.

Frankenstein did lead a happy life up til when his “beloved” creation came to life. He

had his playmates whom he dearly loved, and his parents who did everything they could

to make Frankenstein happy. In contrast, his creation immediately suffered rejection the

minute he was born. First, the creature was born with a good heart, but then whenhis

creator was disgusted with him , he became sorrowful. He was a monster. He consoled

himself with killing. The monster was loved by not a single soul on the earth. Nobody

knew who or what he was. This caused the creature great anguish and misery.

Although Frankenstein lived rather a comfortable life, this creation soon changed

everything. Once the Monster strangled his only companion in this world, Frankenstein

was left alone and forgotten in the world. He was left to deal with the misery alone. Not a

single soul that had befriended him in the world remained living. That was what moved

Frankenstein from compassion for the monster, to revenge. The monster had ruined

Frankenstein, so Frankenstein wanted to ruin the monster.

But the monster was just a zombie who destroyed all in his path. In fact, he was a very

emotional creature, because he did what he did out of pain for what he had experienced.

The monster had tried to reason with Frankenstein to ask him to make him a bride.

Frankenstein wanted a person of his race and looks that would tolerate and accompany

him through life’s journeys. He was a kind and logical monster until he realized he was

being toyed with.

But when all else failed in the monster’s life, he made his arch enemy, his creator his

friend. Even though it wasn’t obvious to either character, for the last several years both of

their lives, they relied on each other for their next step. Even though Frankenstein was in

pursuit of the monster in order to end it’s life, he actually cared enough about him. The

monster would let his pursuer see him at times so that he wouldn’t lose heart and stop hi

chase. They journeyed in such a pattern for several years until finally Frankenstein’s

health rapidly began to decline. Then, on his deathbed Frankenstein began to regret how

he had treated the monster. And after he died, the monster howled and declared he would

burn himself with his dead creator.

This all proves how very dear it is to have relationship with all those people who pass in

and out of our lives. In the bible, one cannot survive without a close relationship with the

Lord. The same for those who have to deal with the World, if you do not have

friendships, with those you surround yourself with, be careful lest they become your

opponent, and then you will have not a soul who will help you fights your troubles and

cares. And if you place all your worries and cares in Jesus, then let him be your friend,

and he will fight your battles, and lighten your burdens on this earth, but still place not all

your hope on things or people of this earth, because unless they follow you to heaven,

they might not lead you in a way that is good and safe for your ever precious soul. SO,

fight the good fight, and walk the good walk, because that is the only true way that will

lead to eternal rest where moths and rust do not corrupt, your treasures and where you

will foever live in peace and joy with your dear Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Short Biography of Madame Guyon

2011-11-13T21:51:00.000-08:00

Madame Guyon

In the year 1648, on April 18th, a child by the name of Jeanne Marie Bovier was born into

this world to two happy parents. This young child would grow to be a powerful and wise

young woman. She would endure many sufferings for her beliefs, and religion. But

through it all she would rise to glory in the end in heaven, where no opposition is shown

to religion. This young Guyon would be a strong, noble, patient and virtuous young lady.

Jeanne was of a sickly constitution. She suffered with her health for many of her

childhood years. Due to her constant illnesses, her parents neglected her education, and

often left her to the care of the servants. As a child, Jeanne frequently met with various

precarious situations. Such as once, when she nearly fell head first down a cliff, but was

rescued at the last moment, before she could have tumbled to her death. Jeanne always

seemed to escape unharmed from all her dangerous adventures. Thanks of course to her

all watchful protector, God.

Jeanne’s parents were very moral and pious. They considered themselves religious, but

they didn’t follow Jesus in an earnest manner. Religion was a mere tradition to Jeanne’s

Parents. Jeanne’s mother rarely tended to her children, and consequently they were often

left at will to make whatever mischief pleased them. Jeanne lacked a motherly influence

because of this. But Claude Bovier loved his daughter, and so he sent her to the convent

of Ursulines where Jeanne’s older sister taught. There, Jeanne was taught to be pious and

she learned many educational arts. Jeanne’s sister always carefully tended to her moral

and biblical, education, and Jeanne learned about God through her older sister’s virtuous

and pious influence.

Jeanne’s marriage was a tumultuous experience. At the age of 15, she married Monsieur

Guyon. Her mother in law caused her marriage to fall apart. Her mother in law would

critic Jeanne’s family and religion in way that put Jeanne into many emotional

breakdowns. Jeanne was caught in a love less, and difficult marriage at such a young age,

and may not have escaped alive, if it hadn’t been for her God that rescued her from many

tearful situations during her marriage.

Daily, Jeanne also suffered from vanity. She prayed that she might be rid of it, and even

gave all of her mirrors away, and left her hair dressing to the servants. Jeanne tried her all

to be virtuous sinless woman, but life was difficult, while she suffered with her health,

and persecution from her mother in law. But she tried to believe that her sufferings were

for a purpose to make her a stronger person and a better Christian, so that she would

receive glory from God at the end of her life.

When Jeanne turned 29, her husband died, leaving Jeanne behind as a young widow.

Soon after, she was given an opportunity to go on a spiritual quest, tour with a priest. It

was sort of a pilgrimage for Jeanne. It helped encourage her to seek a more personal

relationship with God. She spent her pilgrimage with her friend, father Lacombe and

visited many European countries such as Germany, Italy and Spain.

But for Jeanne, life didn’t become easier. In 1687, Lacombe was arrested for heretical

teachings and not long after Jeanne was arrested as well. She spent close to 8 months in

prison. There she daily prayed and worshipped God, who eventually delivered her by the

compassions of Madame Mantenon who was the wife of Louis XIV. After, she began

writing poetry and investing all her time into her Lord.

In 1695, Jeanne was again thought to be spreading heresies and was imprisoned at

Vincennes, but later was transferred to the Bastille. There she was refused any company,

including her draughts, which was a great blow to her strength.

But, in 1703, Jeanne was released and lived in Blois, under strict house arrest. There

Jeanne stayed and wrote her many books, and poetry till her dying day.

Jeanne Guyon is an inspiration. She lived a life of sufferings, but never once did she

leave her beliefs to avoid the consequences. She spent her life trying to become holier,

and more pious. Whenever she faced situations that were difficult, she would remain

calm and ask God for deliverance and courage. Jeanne was a strong, noble and

courageous woman. Many can be influenced and learn from this virtuous woman.

Progymnasmata

2010-11-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

There is a law which gives complete control to parents over their children. So much control that the parents could kill their child if they wanted to. Ancient Greece believes and upholds this law, but I question it. Should parents be given so much control that killing becomes legal, just because the victim is an offspring of the parents. I think not! Parents can become overbearing and can easily start to pressure their children to do things they would not ever dream of doing. In the situation with my good friend, we shall call him Julius, he was given an order to kill his daughter unless she married who he had chosen for her to marry. That would have been an outrageous deed to commit.
In the Bible, it clearly states that killing is outlawed. And according to the Christian culture any sort of complete takeover of his or hers child’s life, would be unacceptable and intolerable. The bible says that children are supposed to obey their parents. But parents at the same time are not allowed to provoke their children to wrath.
According to modern culture, children’s rights are very important. If anything doesn’t go the right way for the child, the parents are accused and the children will be taken away from that family. That is an exaggerated form of what should be. A proper balance should looked at and considered, such as, a home where the parents lay down simple rules, the children obey and so forth. And when time for marriage comes, it should most definitely be up to the children to decide whom they would want to marry, and not the father. Parents should never use their children for earthly gain.

It would work well if the Parent’s over see the probable future mates, because supervision should be involved with any child’s life. But if the parents are the type who don’t care as much about their children as they do themselves it could end terribly. The parent might choose someone from a family who is wealthy and famous which might increase their chances of becoming rich and famous, but their son or daughter might be abusive or years older than the child which would cause the child their opportunity of ever finding true love.
This law would be so impractical because not every one’s parents are naturally inclined to be kind to their children. Many children would rebel from their parents thus causing a great uproar around the world continually, because everyone is sinful and tries to seek the best for themselves in this world whether they are a Christian or not.
Is it even moral for parents to have the ability to have so much control over a child’s life? Just because one person might use their power over their children to the benefit of the entire family including the child, it doesn’t mean that the next family nessacerily will. Sin comes naturally to all people. And whenever there is an opportunity to sin, people who are not walking with the Lord will fall in Satan’s traps.
As I again go back to the story of my good friend Julius, he would have been given the rights to kill his daughter just because she didn’t want to marry some old geezer that would have made Julius richer and famous. His daughter would have lost her opportunity to live the life of a young maiden, and eventually find true love in some knight in shining armor.
In conclusion, I think this law could have dreadful consequences if it becomes official. There would be much unhappiness among families, rebellion would become the new ‘love’ and so on. If families are not a close knit place of love and comfort when the world is harsh on us, where can one turn to for friendship? I say let families live as before without laws that are cruel, unjust and unbiblical!

Coded poetry

2010-11-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. ~ Abraham Lincoln

~Another ones need can determine future incidences. Not meaning that it however will even possibly eventually require, need and discipline.
~Imagine the times seen not full of violent terror. Times of happiness that ended in years happily ever ever after.
~Raven’s will see not inside the nothing that you have officiated. Universally the Ravens enjoy life forever in peaceful forests.
~Even sometimes though complete happiness won’t accomplish one total or countless times of wasteful, useless unnecessary nothingness.
~Think on imaginations to solve questions that might have needed explanations during life. It is the little, small questions that will haunt for ever.
~If someone needs for you to openly and unannounced to recant faith, you should explain then, about the risen Lord, SAVIOR

Code= First letter of every other word in light equals every letter of the Quote.

Prophecy of young greatness

2010-11-08T10:50:00.004-08:00

I’ve seen the future. Many predictions are made. But how many are true. Mine is correct. Mine is a story of a man’s greatness. Greatness starts at a young age for some. For some it begins past the prime of life. But the future that I have seen is that of a small boy. A boy who is yet to come of age. But he will succeed in many ways.
Who believes that greatness begins in youth? Every decision that is made during youthful years is what either will or will not make a man. An honorable character is a virtue often required. Patience, love, joy compassion are all needed to make a dent in historic happenings. Men who lack virtues are read about in history, but not as great men, but as violent, scoundrels, or villains. Villians rarely are victorious in their life’s endeavors. When one fights strongly against goodness and truth, failure is undoubtedly going to swim down the lane and drag you with it.
But the future of the young child I have seen is great. He will have virtues. He will steal from the unvirtueos, and for the good of the poor. He will live his life as an uncaptured outlaw, but he will live merrily in the company of a few. The life he lives will be haunted by One. But that one’s life will be haunted by him. He will dress only in the color green. Never will there be such a man before seen. He will be a hero to the poor, a villain to the rich. And if his character was ever questioned, shame on you.

Robin Hood Ballad

2010-11-08T10:50:00.003-08:00

Across the meadow I have seen,
Twelve men who dressed in Green.
They laughed and cheered to times most merry,
And with them much drink they carried.

Sometimes it seemed as the the One,
Was haunted by a gun.
This One was known as Robin Hood,
And do great deeds he would.

No greater man before was there,
He was so just and fair.
Robin and his twelve men I’ve seen,
Across the meadow green.

Who Am I?

2010-11-08T10:50:00.001-08:00

Do you know me?
Happiness never ending,
Thankfulness in waterfalls,
Energy abounding as high as the sky,
Joy that will turn sorrowing widows to brighter hopes,
Soft as lilies at their first birth,
Adoring all as Mother Mary;
Tender love and fear of some,
Is administered to that one.
Who is this that God created,
A piece of Heaven here on Earth!
Who Am i?
Answer: Gresham (family pet dog)

A confession

2010-11-08T10:49:00.003-08:00

Praise the Lord for he is great his love is boundless. His patience lasts forever, and then a little longer. Praise him for his redemption and saving grace on poor lost sinners such as I am, and many are. My name is Evangeline Sophia Munson. I was born in the year of our Lord 1995. It was a blessed year. My parents praised God for a sinner such as me that had joined their joyous family. I was a gift from above as it had seemed. I kicked and screamed as merrily as other babes at their first entrance into life apart from the stomach. Though the standards of other adult sinners expect babies to cry and scream till they get what they desire, that is not the standard of God. Everyone is born in sin. Everyone lives in Sin, and everyone sins.
Sin is atrocious. Sin is common. I sin. Once I sinned simply because I could not keep my anger within myself. I sinned by reacting with violence toward someone who had unknowingly lit my anger fuse by taunting me with some useless and harmless tease. My reaction towards the taunter was outrageous and inappropriate. My sins would have haunted my being forever, if God had not sent his son to die for my sins. My heart was evil; my intention was evil; Satan had captured my heart for a period of time. But not for long. Satan might be successful in tempting us to fall and commit horrendous things, but God will step down and save us from him.
Many people commit sins that are simple and may not seem like a big deal. But to God, any sin is the same to Him as murder. One sin is the same as the next it does not matter what it is. It is a common modern misconception that some sin is ‘not sinful’. The same thing is believed about a white lie. Any little sin is a big sin, any big sin is a little sin. And there is most definitely no difference between a white lie and a lie. Those are just simply excuses for the freedom to commit sins such as those.
After God saved me, I still fell and sinned. But God was by my side to pick me up from where I had fallen. He always rescues us if we fall too far. Remember to avoid Satan and look forward to Jesus for your every need. Learn to trust and rest in Him, because you will always be safe in the arms of Jesus. In the words if the Hymn author, Jean Sophia Piggot: we need to rest in Jesus, rest in the joy of who and what He is.

A story

2010-11-08T10:49:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time there lived a small, humble family. They lived on the borders of a mighty forest, yet not far from their abode was the great city, Seattle. This family was a normal family as far as one could tell from the exterior, but this family lived a life drastically different from modern culture in general.

This family, (who will be called the Jones), loved to imagine their life as that of a hardworking farmer. The Jones lived in a technological world yet they lived simplistically and with few aids from the modern world that surrounded them. In order to further assist their visionary dreams of living in the wild, the Jones bought several animals, and not just ordinary city pets, but actual farm creatures. This family invested in several chickens as well as chicken coops.

The Jones bought the chickens when they were no more than a week old. They raised the chicks by hand. They were fed, held, and watched by all the four Jones’ children. The chickens, whose names were, Peaches, Scarlet, and Speckles, were obviously pampered more than regular farm chickens. During the chickens first few months of their life, the chickens lived luxuriously in a cage specially engineered for comfortable living for chickens. The Jones also had a German Shepherd. The German Shepherd loved to sit in front of the chicken’s cage and stare at the chickens for hours on end. In fact it became such a habit for the dog, that the Jones called the chickens the ‘Doggy TV’.

Many adventures took place with those spunky, but well loved chickens. One particular adventure that is more significant than the rest of the adventures took place in the unusually warm month of July. Here is what took place. One day during the unbearable heat of Seattle, the chickens were strolling around the yard without supervision. These chickens that were naturally inquisitive wanted to see the world outside of their spacious yard. Since the rest of Jones family who had most probably passed out somewhere because of the rare sudden heat that was inflicting the usually rainy Seattle, the chickens had several hours on their own to discover what happened on the other side of the wooden fence that held them from a supposed ‘green pasture’.

Not long after the chicken’s decision to escape on a journey to a foreign land, they found an opening in the fence. So the three chickens ran away on a merry adventure into the streets. It might be normal to see a couple of dogs run around in a residential neighborhood, but seeing three adult size hens run the streets is another story, consequently the one that is being told.

Because of the unbearable heat, and lack of air conditioning in the houses in this Seattle neighborhood, almost all doors and windows were open in order to circulate the air to cool down the houses. The chickens of course found this as a great opportunity to explore
the entire world, and not just the streets, but also the neighbor’s houses. The three chickens clucked, and waddled their way to the first strange yard in site and immediately began investigating the entire premise. Eventually after they had strutted and clucked to their hearts content around the yard, they felt that it was time to visit the house itself. So, wobblingly and cackling they slowly made their way into the fancily designed Japanese style house. Since it was about mid-day the inhabitants of this modern house were in the middle of consuming their scrumptious lunch. These people who most likely had never seen a chicken aside from fake pictures of chickens on Easter, were quite surprised and startled when suddenly from around the corner in walked three chickens happily jabbering of their recent discoveries in the yard. Of course the neighbors, having known that the Jones were aspiring to be ‘country folk’, presumed that they were the owners of these ‘outlandish creatures’ and begged to them to come and rid their house of the chickens. While the Jones gathered necessary equipment to retrieve their pets from the neighbor’s kitchen, the neighbors in horror fled to a safer location. Eventually the chickens were captured and returned to their home. But, the neighbors were scarred for life. The Jones were ever so humored at this adventure, and the chickens…well who knows what other plots they were brewing up in their head.

The End

My sister

2010-11-08T10:48:00.000-08:00

There is a person in my life that is
Quite different from the rest she ‘tis
A miracle divine to have such
Wisdom, blessed is she much.
Sometimes I wonder why or how,
She is my sister to whom many bow.
God gives great gifts to those who praise his cause,
Embrace the Lord and worship Him in Pause.

New favorite Song!!!

2009-07-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

I really like the lyrics to this song :) Tell me if you like it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPbLrs1fQg4

Too many papers!

2009-05-27T23:18:00.002-07:00

If you are wondering why I posted so many of my paper's on my blog, it is for this reason. I picked out the best papers that I wrote this year and wanted to share them with you guys. Comment and tell me what you think of them!!

Compare and Contrast the true God to the gods of ancient pagan literature

2009-05-27T23:18:00.001-07:00

The gods of ancient pagan literature can be compared in the light of their similarities and differences to the true God. Although they were worshipped and depended upon as true gods, there exist a multitude of differences among the similarities which they borrowed from the true God. An exploration of this analysis will be shown here.

Unlike the Lord Jesus Christ, the gods of ancient pagan literature weren’t very stable nor where they loving in their intentions towards man as in contrast to the true God . They were fickle and less likely to fix problems when they arised. For example, when Odysseus and his men were left forsaken by the gods after they won the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men were left to die on their journey back home because the gods disfavored him. Although the goddess Athena was still on his side, she wasn’t all- powerful, so she couldn’t completely protect him. This brings up the point that the gods weren’t omnipotent. Because they weren’t omniscient and they couldn’t do everything by themselves they had to have the permission of all the gods before taking action on anything. The true God is omnipotent and loving.

The true God is holy and wise, maker of every living thing; the gods of ancient literature in contrast were glorified humans. They had the same body as humans, they had to eat the same food as humans, and drink the same water as humans. Although the gods of ancient literature supposedly created the earth and everything in it, they still had to work within a created order and obey the laws of nature. But the true God, who also created everything, is above the created order, and thus does not need to obey the laws of nature. The true God is all-powerful and is not restrained in any manner whatsoever.

The gods of ancient pagan literature were also very partial to who they favored and disfavored. An example of this is when Odysseus and his men landed on an island that was inhabited with goats. Odysseus thought it was a blessing from the gods for they found a cave that contained plenty of stored food. Not minding the dangers that were at hand, they feasted till the sound of footsteps approached the door. Then they feared for their lives. It turned out that they were in the one-eyed giant Cyclopes’ cave. The Cyclopes’ name was Polyphemus. Every night Polyphemus drank wine and ate one or two of Odysseus’ men. Till one night Odysseus came up with a genius plan to injure the one-eyed Cyclopes. That fateful day while Polyphemus was gone tending to his goats, Odysseus and his men created a makeshift sword out of a log.When Polyphemus came back to his cave that night, Odysseus tricked him into drinking too much wine, causing him to become drunk. Slumped over in the stupor of drunkenness which overtook his entire body, Odysseus and his men gouged out the Polyphemus’s only eye. This caused Polyphemus to be enraged and later on in the story Odysseus and his men finally escaped, but not without many trials. But the one very important fact that Odysseus did not know was this, that Polyphemus was Poseidon, the god of the ocean’s, son. So Poseidon exercised his revenge by trying to kill Odysseus on his journey back home to his beloved family and island. The true God would have overlooked this, as he does many of our sins. But he would not avenge himself. Instead he would forgive our sins. And in real life He even gave his only son's life so that our sins could be forgiven. The gods of ancient literature only sought revenge if their people sinned and did not possess the power of salvation.

Some similarities include the gods living in a different place than mankind. They lived in Mount Olympus, which is referred to in all Greek literature. The true God also lives, not on this earth, but in a spiritual realm that is separate from sin. He lives in heaven.

The gods also share another commonality with the true God. The gods of ancient pagan literature could prophecy through oracles and affect man’s destiny. Through Scripture, God also reveals his overarching will for mankind in one’s life and shows His sovereign hand working to accomplish that which pleases Him in all things great or small.

In conclusion, the gods of ancient literature have their similarities to the true God and their differences. But all in all, the true God is the only one who can grant salvation through forgiveness of man’s sins, and who can affect our lives throughout eternity. The Greek gods did not have the power to touch the spirit of man, only the one and true God who created man holds man’s spirit within His sovereign hands.

Do the events in Jerusalem refer to events to 70 AD or do they refer to the events yet future to us?

2009-05-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

The events that passed in Jerusalem in 70 AD have nothing to do with the future judgment that will happen when Jesus comes down on His chariots of fire to take His elect to His kingdom. Those who did not praise Him, show Him honor, and most importantly, did not embrace him as their savior, will be sent into the fiery pit of hell. Many believe that this came to pass when Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. The Bible confirms quite clearly that Jesus will come soon to judge the earth. But Jesus has not come yet and this is shown in many different verses in the book of Revelation and other books in the New Testament.

Firstly, if the judgment that is described in the book of Revelation had been already fulfilled in 70 AD, Satan would have to have been bound up for a thousand years (Rev. 20: 1-3). Jesus also would have had to come down himself to make his final judgement with His white horses surrounded with chariots of fire, as is stated in the book of Revelation. And in 1 Peter 5:8, it is confirmed again that we are still waiting for God’s judgment. We are to "Be sober, and be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, is as a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour." Thus it is clear that Satan is still alive and well, not bound up to hold his peace. There will be a time when God removes all evil from the earth, but that time has not yet come.

It is the preterists that think that Jesus returned and pronounced his judgement upon the Jews in 70 AD. But the judgement was meant for all nations and tribes, not just the Jews. In Matthew it says “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory "(Matt. 24:30). Did that happen yet? Obviously not, it is pretty clear that the entire earth is waiting for Jesus’ second coming. And the entire earth is quite clearly waiting for their judgment.

Preterism says that the book of Revelation has already been fulfilled. Now if that is correct, this particular verse in Revelation would be false. The verse says this, "And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found."( Rev. 16:20) With this mindset then one would conclude from this verse that mountains should no longer exist, thus half of Colorado should be destroyed, and the Philippines and Hawaii and many other islands should have long ago disappeared! Also in Matthew 29 it says,“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven , and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken “. Nowhere in history did anyone ever hear of that event taking place. In these verses alone the preterist view is cut asunder.

In addition, there is another way that Jesus' coming was misunderstood. In the last chapter of Revelation, Jesus says thrice that He will come quickly. And in verse 6, He says "things which must shortly be done,” And in verse 10 He states again, “the time is at hand.” The point that He was trying to get across was that he was coming back very soon. The preterists think that this means that he would come back very soon, as soon as the first century, which for them was 70 AD, when Jerusalem was destroyed.

The term one thousand years is most definitely not to be taken literally. Jesus did not return in one thousand years and even preterists agree with this statement, because 70 AD was not one thousand years after Jesus left. God’s timing is much different than man’s ,so it will never be known what He meant by one thousand years. God views the world through the eyes of eternity; He doesn’t necessarily see one year cut up into certain blocks of time, as most people do.

In conclusion, the book of Revelation very clearly refers to events that will happen in the future. That day when Jesus rides down on his chariots of fire will be a glorious day. All will praise Him and recognize His majesty. And for those who did not believe in Him, there will be much sorrow, because they will know that Jesus reigns in glory, a glory which they may not partake of. But His saints will be gathered in His Holy rest forever.

The working of providence

2009-05-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

One of the most gratifying privileges as a Christian is to view God's guiding hand
weaving together circumstances to bring about His perfect design in our lives. So also
C.S. Lewis presents this idea of providence very clearly as we see this being worked out
in his books The Horse and His boy and The Silver Chair. Similarities and differences
exist in the way this concept is played out through the characters. Throughout this paper I
will show different examples of how provisions are made and how doors are opened and
closed, ensuring the completion of God's will.

In the Horse and His Boy we see one instance that is purely the work of God's
providence. It was one of the afternoons of Shasta's and Bree's escape. When they heard a
roar they began to run for their lives for they discovered that there were two lions and
what seemed to be a Tarkaan chasing them. Eventually they escaped the jaws of the lion
by taking a swim in the water. The Tarkaan turned out to be a female escapee whose
name was Aravis along with her horse Hwin. Later we find out that the horse is from
Narnia and has the ability to speak. This providential intervention introduces the lion as
one who thrusts Aravis into the story in order to help and encourage Shasta and
Bree on their journey to Narnia.

Similarly in The Silver Chair, as Jill discovered Scrubbs's fearfulness of heights, she felt
compelled to show him her lack of fear by walking near the precipice. Her pride
heightened her desire to dare him in his area of weakness. Her rash actions would have
caused her to fall had not Scrubb's heroic act prevented her plunge into the depths.
Because of her foolishness SCrubb fell, but Aslan rushed into the scene in time to rescue
him by blowing him away to Narnia. Providentially through this crisis situation, Jill's
heart is softened and she cries with the realization of her need for water, symbolic for
grace.

In contrast to the providential circumstances in The Horse and His Boy, Jill doesn't have
a yearning to go to Narnia in the beginning. Unlike most of C.S. Lewis's characters, she
had not found out about the wonderful land like Shasta had through Bree.It's often
through hardships in our lives and the consequential inner yearnings that we are
lead onward to seek for the things we are thirsting for. Bree saw that yearning in Shasta
and since he was also formally from Narnia, his heart went out to Shasta. He began to
formulate ideas of how he could escape with Shasta But in The Silver Chair, Jill's sin first
has to bring her to tears before her heart softens, then Aslan reveals himself to her and
gives her direct instructions and signs to find Prince Rilian. He commanded her to repeat
the signs every morning and every night even if she woke up at midnight. This was to
ensure the remembrance of the signs so that when circumstances would arise where she
would need them she would have internalized the signs to such a degree that she would
act according to Aslan's directions in her time of need. But she sadly failed to do so, and
they missed several of the signs. Aslan used this opportunity to teach her obedience while
preventing the sin to affect their quest. He used her disobedience to bring about the
circumstances and the change he desired. But in The Horse and His Boy, in
contrast, Aslan's guidance is given in various circumstances without actual encounters or
directions by him.

There are bits and pieces of visible or hidden providential happenings tucked in the
corners all over these two books. For example one time in The Silver Chair, where the
two children and Puddleglum wandered into the kitchen as they were touring the house.
They saw the cook asleep next to a giant cookbook. Curious as to what might be in the
book, they climbed the chair and read some of the horrifying information written in the
cookbook. It was recipes on what type of men are better to eat and, as Puddleglum
pointed out, disturbing information on how to make Marsh-Wiggles taste better. This
warned them that they were not going to be honored guests at the upcoming feast, but
rather the feast themselves. Aslan knew that they were unaware of the giant's bad
intentions, so he used a very random opportunity to show them otherwise. That was his
way of directing the circumstance in order to protect them.

In conclusion, C.S. Lewis shows how God's hand guides our lives in various ways. As I
ve shown, He can provide the circumstances to direct us in the way He wants us to go, as
in the meeting of Shasta and Aravis.This is a more indirect form of His guidance. Yet He
can also reveal his will through personal instruction as when Aslan presented the signs to
Jill. Even through her disobedience he nevertheless accomplished his will. So C.S.Lewis
portrays through these books God's sovereignty in our lives at all times and in all
circumstances through his provisional care.

Screwtape letters

2009-05-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting assignment recently, I had to write a paper copy cating the style of the book The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis. Check it out.

Letter 1

My Dearest Wormwood,

I’m afraid that you have one of the toughest souls alive in your hands. Your patient is very courageous and brave for her cause (finding Prince Rillian). She’ll be a tough nut to crack, but not if you use a few simple techniques that almost conquer any person no matter what his or her personality.

First off, since she is a girl, there are bowlfuls of distractions that can lead her off into the wrong path. Most little girls like pretty things. I am sure that she could easily be distracted by even something so simple as a field of daisies. Sleep is also another way of leading her to forget her “signs” that were given to her from the most hated enemy, to help her find Prince Rillian. Remember my dearest Wormwood, the most imperceptible things are what actually distract the most.
Your affectionate Uncle Screwtape

Letter 2

My Dear Wormwood,

I write to you again concerning your little patient. It looks as though you have done a good job with her, as she missed one of the signs. Because she was lured to sleep, and forgot to repeat the signs, she had no recollection that it might be a clue to finding Prince Rillian when she passed one of the signs. But that was just one small step in the direction towards our success. She must be further confused and maneuvered in the right way toward becoming one of ours, and not one of the enemy’s.

Her soul is very important to the enemy, and he fights daily to win her over to himself. Wormwood, you must conquer the enemy and lure your little patient into the net of our diabolical ways. As you well know, pride is man greatest weakness. Try to convince your patient that she is being undermined by Scrubb, her companion on her journey. Since Eustace is a boy and your patient a girl, there are many ways that Eustace can belittle your patient. And since she isn’t exactly the type that would want to be undermined in her abilities as a girl, instigate Scrubb to compete with her and make sure that he brags more than necessary. Wormwood, you must try your hardest to gain your patient's soul!
Your affectionate Uncle Screwtape

Letter 3

My Dear Wormwood,

It has been a while since I have last written you. With some clever thinking on your part, I dare say that you won’t need my wise advice in the business of evil much longer.
Your patient has recently come into the clutches of the evil giants who want to eat your patient and her companions for their feast. They don’t know what their future is, and it won’t do to have them eaten when they are not yet yours.

This is a sticky situation. But once they do find out what their future is, give them ideas how to escape and make your patient believe that her ideas are better than her companion's. This is another way of pride distorting relationships and making you patient do what our enemy likes to call sin. Your patient is a little sinner, she constantly sins and for the rest of her life she will do so. Even though her will tries not to. Little sins are the same as big sins. Just as long as she sins, you are on safe ground.
Your affectionate Uncle Screwtape

Letter 4

My Dear Wormwood,

It seems that your patient likes to apologize for the bad and mean things that she says and does. She also has a tendency to feel bad about her attitude when it isn’t ‘nice’. Repentance and remorse are feelings that are lead on by our Enemy, and they need to be discouraged by all means if those feelings are detected.

One feeling that can easily replace the feeling of remorse of ‘sin’ is justification. When your patient does something that causes her to feel remorse, talk to her conscience, and convince her that she really didn’t do anything bad. Make her believe that it really wasn’t her fault that caused her to do or say what she did. Have her blame her sin on another, by whispering to her that they really made her do it. I have confidence that you will have much success in this area.
Your affectionate Uncle Screwtape

Letter 5

My Dearest Nephew Wormwood,

This is the last time I will write to you. I fear that your patient and her companions are at the end of their journey. Whether you shall win her and catch her soul in your nets is yet to be seen. The struggle for your patient’s eternal soul will continue till her last dying day. Only then will it be known who is the real conqueror. I encourage you ,Wormwood, to try your very hardest to win your patient's souls. Without them we shall lose this battle against our Enemy. Wormwood stand strong and make me proud of your talent in diabolicalness!
Your very affectionate Uncle Screwtape

Paper

2009-05-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

Check this out, tell me if you like it or not.

Is acting on our emotions a good thing?

Emotions are given from God to enrich one's life by enabling one to scale the heights of joy or plumb the depths of sorrow as one experiences the blessings or trials in life. Yet in fallen man these need to be under the control of the Holy Spirit in order to properly restrain their range and timing. Thus emotions are not necessarily one's enemy if they are not acted upon with rashness or without forethought to possible future devastating results to one's own life or to a loved one's life, leading to great sorrow. It all comes down to what choices one decides to make. If destructive emotions rage within such as anger and pride, one can foolishly give in to one's fleshly desires and act on them, or those feelings can be wisely bypassed by self-control and the help of the Lord. If good emotions such as love and feelings of repentance fill the heart, the end result of such gifts only provide bounteous godly fruit such as in an increase of charity toward one's neighbor, or godly character such as humility before God. Several examples will be shown on how and why it is foolish to act on bad emotions, and why it is good to act on one’s good emotions or feelings.

The all too popular “if it feels good, do it” by Felicia Flake in Peter Kreeft’s book, “The Best Things in Life", is sadly an attitude taken on by many in this generation. Such people act on their emotions without any discernment, enjoying the moment's pleasure and giving no thought to future consequences simply because at the time it is what appeals to them the most. In the book "The Last Battle" by C.S. Lewis, a Narnian man named Tirian sees a Narnian horse being abused by the Carlomene’s with heavy work; he lashes out at the Calormene workers and kills two of the men but rescues the horse. After the incident he was mournful because he had murdered two men. Tirian had acted on his angry emotions. He saw the horse being abused, he was angry, and in his anger he killed two men. His emotions led him to do something that broke the sixth commandment, which is, ‘Thou shalt not murder’. Obviously from this incident it can be proven that bad emotions are not to be followed without much thought given before they are carried out.

In another book by C.S. Lewis "The Silver Chair", a character from the story makes a move that she later regrets. The character’s name is Jillian Pole, who during one point of the story is filled with great pride. She walks to the very edge of the largest cliff to prove that she isn’t scared of anything. Her companion Eustace Scrubb screams to her to come back from the cliff lest she should fall and die in the depths below, but she is proud and doesn’t want to be told what to do. When Scrubb tries to rescue Pole from falling down the cliff as she is about to do, Pole frees herself of Scrubb’s grasp, and by doing so she makes Scrubb fall down the cliff. Pole’s reaction to Scrubb was one of pride, because she didn’t think that she needed help from danger. Her companion risked his life to rescue her and almost lost it. Her emotion was composed partly of anger and partly of pride when she wanted to free herself from Scrubb’s protection. This proved to be very destructive. And did her emotions lead her to do anything good?

Of course there are emotions that lead one to do good things which can result in a good future. For instance a Christian can be led to Christ when he or she realizes the depths of his or her depravity and sin. If they are God’s elect their emotions of sorrow could lead them to repentance for their sins and ultimately they would be led to Christ through His forgiveness of their sins and His abounding grace. One would embrace good things by following these emotions, ones never to be regretted.

In conclusion, emotions are strong feelings which can, without proper restraint, discernment, and application, powerfully determine one's actions whether good or bad. Aware of their ability to affect one's decision making process, great care, foresight, and reliance upon God needs to be taken. Emotions are like a flower patch that need to be tended to and watched over; and when bad weeds come along, they need to be pulled out and thrown away. God watches over His people to prevent them from stumbling, but when they do fall, they can turn to God and ask for His mercy and grace on their lives.

Mother's day Pictures!

2009-05-13T05:25:00.001-07:00

Mother's day

2009-05-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

Mother's day was this last Sunday, and this year I was in charge of all the preparations and cooking :P But don't worry there weren't any house fires or kitchen fires...For breakfast I made breakfast parfaits with Blueberry crumble coffee cake which was quite yummy! After church we all changed into more casual clothing and headed out to Mount Tiger with a picnic. Mount tiger is known for its plentiful variety in it's wildlife which include mostly bears and cougars (my little brother totally freaked at this). So we (Gabriel) made sure that we carried at least ten sticks per person...jk. That night after dinner we gave mommy her presents (i gave her these pretty silver earrings from Icing) and watched the movie Fireproof...great movie btw! I'll post pictures soon! :)

The Recital

2009-04-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I told which piece I was going to play for the recital...but you didn't hear about how my performance went.My little brother Gabriel played a piece for the recital as well. First I'll tell you how Gabriel's went. So to start off, he likes to play piano pieces that are to be played FAST! He played Le Coucou for this performance. When he played I think he was kinda nervous about playing in fron tof around 90 people ...which caused him to play super fast! Everyone literally held their seats for the wild ride!! But he did a really good job:)
My piece was slower and I was kinda nervous...but I think I did okay:) I have the video footage of my performance so maybe when I get around to it I'll upload it to YouTube...
For now here is a picture of both Gabriel and I playing the Sauter concert grand piano...you can only see about half of the piano in this picture :P

Only Hope

2009-04-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

This Saturday I have a recital and I am going to play the piano piece that is linked below. :) The song is from the movie A Walk to Remember. Starring Mandy Moore and Shane West...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ofeDruIwTM

(You can google the Only Hope piano cover to hear it played without the singing...)

The Abortion topic

2009-04-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

Recently I wrote this paper for a school assignment, tell me what you think!!

Manipulating the True Meaning of Life

One of the most controversial topics today is the subject of abortion and the subsequent questioning of the human characteristics of a fetus. If a fetus is human, then abortion is murder. In order to redefine the status of the growing baby in the mother’s womb, words like fetus and embryo are used by scientists to replace the word baby in order to blur the human qualities when conversing about abortion. Their primary motive for this word manipulation is that it sounds less like they are talking about a real human, and more like they are conversing about some special type of a scientific specimen, thus subtracting some of the guilt from committing the horrid act of abortion. There are many different views on the subject of whether a fetus is a human being or not. From a Christian stance, one can look to the Scriptures to find the truth of man's origins, add to those findings what natural and medical science reveal, and conclude from those discoveries the proper perspective on this controversial matter.

According to the biblical viewpoint on whether a fetus is a human or simply mere matter, one can turn to the Bible and consult Psalm 139: 16, which says, "Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." The Bible states clearly that before men were conceived, God ordained and fashioned their days before they even received life. So this negates the argument which says that during the early stages of fetal development human qualities do not exist. Clearly, God's intimate involvement is quite evident by this passage and thus confirms the preciousness of life at each stage of development. Again, one can turn to Jeremiah 1:5 where God restates the same thing saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." If so much thought is placed before one's birth, surely there is much preparation and hope for future life wrapped around this very intricately and preciously designed baby that is growing to full maturation in the womb. Another example in the Bible tells of Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth who is also presently pregnant with John the Baptist. As Mary joyfully exclaimed the wonderful news to her dear cousin Elizabeth, her baby John leapt with joy in her womb. This shows that the 'fetus' had life and emotions.

In Latin, the word fetus in actuality means "off spring" or "child". Most Christian scientists have come to the conclusion that a fetus is an "unborn offspring from the end of the eighth week of conception until birth". Other sources say that a fetus has a visible human body structure, and has full capabilities to feel pain and emotion at the age of 8 weeks. Science has clearly shown that life begins immediately at fertilization. But this leads one to wonder what the true definition of the noun Life means. Basically, life is anything that grows, feels, and breaths. So if Scientists say that a fetus doesn't have human qualities, but yet it has life, unless it isn't a human, what are they trying to say that it is? Because most scientists have come to the conclusion that a fetus can feel pain and emotion at 8 weeks, therefore a fetus quite obviously is in the process of growing. In order to grow one needs life, and with this inner force the fetus most definitely has been endowed with the ability to feel pain when being aborted. This also shows that scientists have also quite clearly contradicted themselves.

Logically speaking, if a fetus at the end of its growth has fully developed into a normal human being, then one can conclude that in the early stages of fetal maturation all the yet premature human qualities of it exist in the newly developing embryo. Just as revealed in nature, the wonderfully majestic oak is hidden within the hard shell of the tiny acorn. But the impressive oak is not able to show its beauty till it has fully finished its growth. But that does not give the gardener a reason to destroy its life at an early age. The oak's life begins with germination and one can certainly say that its ultimate end would be forfeited if the seed's life were to be taken away. To cut off the progression of life is to prevent life from coming to full fruition. The seed is not merely a part of an evolutionary process, but the end result is found in its beginning. There are different stages in the progression of the unborn baby. Obviously the fetus won't look complete at 8 weeks, but that does not mean it is not in the process of becoming a healthy human being. All things progress in God’s due time.

In conclusion, viewing this issue through the lens of biblical interpretation, scientific verification, and logical reasoning, one can easily understand the importance of asserting the human qualities of the unborn. If people believed in the true definition on what a fetus is, this shady side to the fetus and abortion conflict would never have appeared. But God has a purpose for all things and nothing ever happens without His divine will being enacted through it.

Winter Wonderland!

2008-12-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

Song of the week!

2008-12-15T22:11:00.001-08:00

This is my new favorite song of this week!
Let me know what you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxdrgYy_SE8

Snow!!!

2008-12-15T08:52:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday is snowed about two or three inches and it was awesome!
We sled down the hills in our park and had a total blast!!
I'll post pictures of the awesome day soon!

Christimas tree lighting!

2008-12-11T10:02:00.001-08:00

The star on Macy's.

Ava with some friends!The beautiful tree that was 30 ft high!

Part of our choir on one side of the balcony, and yeah the red ponchos, don't ask;)

WestLake center, where the mayor spoke and a bunch of others.

Our choir again the other side!

Christmas time is here again!

2008-12-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

This year, our whole family is enrolled in a children's choir ages 6-20.
The year round performances are always super fun. There are three different levels, Intermezzo, which Gabriel my younger brother is in, Arioso which I am in, and Camerata which is for the older kids ages 16-20.
This year the day after thanksgiving, my choir was invited to sing for the annual christimas tree lighting at Westlake Center in Downtown Seattle. About 7,000 attended the event and it was all a blast from the singing to the technical problems which was quite funny!
I'll post pictures soon!
We also had a choir concert this last Sunday which i'll post a pic of!

I've been tagged!

2008-10-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody!

I have been tagged by Melissa.

Link to the person who tagged you, list the rules, write six random things about yourself, tag six or so people by leaving comments on their blogs and let the person who tagged you know that you've written the post

#1 I rarely post anything on my blog...but always post stuff on my Facebook...do you have one?

#2 I was writing a history paper when I got this e-mail

#3 I love to read romance novels...

#4 I am a master of teasing people ;)

#5 I know alot of friends whose birthdays are really close to mine (oct 4th)

#6 We are singing a song in our choir that everyone knows the words...I don't...it's in a different language.

I hope this was random enough!

Now for the six 'random' people I tag

Leanne

Stephen

Kate

Sarah Pollock

Kaitlin

Keslie

Sorry...

2008-08-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting in forever.I will have a new one out sometime this next week!
Come back!
For now though here is something to make you laugh,if you know that backstreet boys band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYokLWfqbaU

Today's song!

2008-07-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite songs from this band!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JoJqID-wJY&feature=user

More random pictures

2008-07-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

Song of the day!

2008-07-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPUJIbXN0WY

Random...summer

2008-06-18T17:14:00.001-07:00

Choir concert and friends...

2008-06-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had the last choir concert of this season.We had a blast.My piano teacher and some of my best friends=D
Here are some pictures of the whole....Please excuse the quality of the pictures, my mom is just learning to use our new camera=)
I'll post more later......

Us in front of the church where we had the performance...Aren't the uniforms....I really don't like them=D
Friends and a piano ....
all the choirs joined....

Camerata's senoirs...

2008-06-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting so frequently=D life has been a little busy, with summer vacation coming up,etc...etc..I'll try to get atleast one post up a week!!

Complications with my Dad

2008-05-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

Recently as my Dad was cleaning our roof,he fell,and crushed his heel bone=P
After two weeks of going back and forth to the hospital to see what the Doctor could do
about his injury,Dr.Peper(think the drink=) said he would need surgery.
My Dad just returned home today, after staying in the hospital four nights.He is feeling much better, except he has a slight case of pneumonia.The heel will not completely heal till about 8 months, in three weeks, he might be able to go back to work!
Please pray that the Lord will "Heel" him quickly.

Pictures of the weekend!

2008-05-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

2008-05-19T18:49:00.001-07:00

This last weekend, the whole rowland family came up to visit.We took a lovely walk to the beach that is right outside our backyard. We also enjoyed some icecream that we bought from the "Icecream truck".The boys played with airsoft guns,and I must say 'some certain girls' were spunky enough to play along=)I'll post more pictures soon!

Fun times!

2008-05-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

Ava in her 1776 ball gown!

On a hike(with a camera=)

Picking out Beta fish at Petsmart!

A group photo of a dance my sis went to.

Our whole family!

Our whole family after a Choir concert(notice the boys uniforms=) Aren't they dapper in them?!?

Andreas and Sam Young before they took

some footage of down town
Seattle for the movie DialTone.

Ava on her 18Th birthday!! Isn't she gorgeous?(She is my sis=)

Our choir, level Camerata,performing during last years concert.

Songs!

2008-05-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

The song of the day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p23qWHHTJE8

The conference

2008-05-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, we traveled down to a conference in Portland.The speakers were Alexis, and Brett Harris.It was very encouraging to hear them speak about the different hardships they had had, and how they had to overcome them,and how we should be able to do harder things.They encouraged everyone to "DO HARD THINGS"

You can visit their website at:http://www.therebelution.com/