Thousand Foot Krutch

Thousand Foot Krutch
I love this band. I listen to them daily. Even though we are looking at another camera, we all look like we're alert for it being a fan signing and it's 11:30 p.m. on a Friday.

13 March 2010

"Porn Pastor" - Keep your eyes open and your legs closed

Here's a link to someone who addresses pornography in our society.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=197859&catid=3 - this is the media addressing it!

http://www.xxxchurch.com - this is his personal website that has helped over 1.5 million people.

So what are my own personal views on pornography?

Since I live by a biblical worldview, I follow the Bible, including issues of sex, sexuality, and porn. Jesus would rather us be cold and absolutely not believers or pure, fiery Chrisitians rather than lukewarm believers. So if we're going to please God and earn our reward, we have to be on fire, which includes being pure.

Being a techinical virgin doesn't count, although it is a good thing. But a technical virgin still has problems - how far is too far? It's too far. Get right with God - stay far on the other side. Use this question: would Jesus be all right with how my boyfriend and I are acting? If Jesus showed up, would he say well done good and faithful servant or would he say, get away from me, I never knew you. (Yes, the King actually says that. Look it up in the Bible: www.biblegateway.com - use servant as keyword. It's in Matthew.)

Let's hope the former.

That means fleeing sexual temptation. Fleeing implies that someone is chasing you...the devil or your flesh. The devil doesn't go after athiests or prostitutes. He checks on them, but he's already stolen, killed, and destroyed them. He goes after the Christians because he can and they are what he wants to steal, kill, and destroy, to hurt God.

As soon as you open your mouth to declare your beliefs in God, Satan's going to test whether or not it's true by tempting you. God lets him. Jesus longs to help you out of it.

While the Bible does not seem to say directly address masterubation, here are a few strengthening ones to help you overcome it. "Those with clean hands and a pure heart will ascend" and "If you cannot control yourself, then by all means get married."

Good old porn, which goes right along with masterubation. Porn is the gateway to deeper sexual issues and lifestyles. Once you are a master at porn, it will never stop. You will move on to fornication or adultry. Your sex life is over. Nothing will satisfy you. Don't open that door on purpose and when or if you do, slam it shut and FLEE.

Rest assured, Christ loves you eternally. He is always waiting for you. He lived, died, and rose again to bring you to heaven. Call on his name and He will come to save you. Believe in Him, Confess your sins, and admit you are a sinner and deserve hell.

Pray something like this:

Lord, forgive me for being a sinner and falling short of your glory. I believe in you with my entire heart. Jesus, please dwell in my heart and help me live a life pleasing to you. I confess my sins before you (list them off here) and ask for forgiveness and restoration and power from on high. I will live for your name and your glory and your power forever and ever. Thank you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Amen. I agree with you completely. Now you are saved and forgiven and God will help you.

One day I'm going to blog about what heaven REALLY is like. Tomorrow probably.


Lots of Love,

Rachel

07 March 2010

Earthquakes!

I actually submitted this as an Op Ed for my college newspaper The Arrow.


Earthquakes, earthquakes everywhere! And they are not going to be going away. What is going on?

In Chile, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake there has only killed 700 people, unlike the Haiti earthquake where the death toll is increasing to almost 200 thousand. Yet the earthquake in Chile threw the Earth off its axis and changed the way the Earth rotates around the sun, perhaps permanently. It made shorter days.

There’s no need to get excited and think that we suddenly get more sleep time. The shift was 1.26 microseconds, barely noticeable, but a bigger earthquake - or a series of earthquakes - could completely alter the landscape of the world. The reason why the Chile earthquake affected the Earth more deeply was because the Chilean fault runs deeper than other faults.

Recently there has been an earthquake felt in Southeast Missouri. One person supposedly felt it here in Cape. Some people are more sensitive to these things than others, such as that mini-earthquake a year ago that was felt almost all the way to Ohio along our own infamous active faultline, the New Madrid faultline, billed as the second most dangerous fault in the United States. Some people woke up at 5 a.m. in the morning to feel it, and some did not. Some noted the 10 a.m. aftershock and some did not.

Apparently, in 2012 there might be a major earthquake along the New Madrid faultline. We are certainly overdue for one, even though no one should wish for an earthquake. We probably won’t experience one as devastating as the one in 1812 (which was worse than the one in San Fransisco in 1905) but a damaging one probably resembling the Haitian earthquake from New Orleans all the way north, maybe a little better or worse.

Right now, our economy cannot afford a major earthquake and displaced people. Just look at Katrina. No one was prepared for that.

So what is causing these earthquakes? There are differing opinions. Some say its natural, that earthquakes happen all the time. That’s true, they do, and perhaps the only reason they are so damaging is because our population grew from the millions into the billions seemingly over only a few decades. Of course 50 people in 1890 isn’t as devestating as 3,000 people in 1990, for example. So population growth and nature might not be getting along.

Another reason is global warming. Global warming is watery and gives us a feel good answer and a reason to feel guilty. Most of the world probably disagrees, but in the Post-Dispatch a few months ago there was an article that said that German scientists have begun to investigate the validity of it and aren’t finding any proof for it. Nature is tough and survives anything. It isn’t trying to get revenge on us. After all, nature is still around from the supposed accident that wiped out dinosaurs, which destroyed all the plants and animals - yet here we are. There’s not too much to worry about.

Another reason reflects the religious side. Now everyone is pretty leery of any talk of the end of the world from the religious perspective (as long as John Cusack is saving the world and makes it out alive we feel good). But no one - even non-Christian history records aspects- can deny that 2000 years ago Jesus said that before the last days there would be ‘earthquakes and rumors of earthquakes’ in the world. Well, we’ve certainly seen earthquakes, and we’ve heard rumors of earthquakes, on a large-scale magnitude. And those earthquakes are pretty damaging. Can anyone say freaky? So maybe we’re seeing biblical history clash with recent world history. Maybe it’s so we can get our lives right with God. It’s certainly an explanation, and not too bad of one, either. End of the world, here we come!


Lots of Love,

Rachel

06 March 2010

Story idea alert: The Caelin series?

Okay, what about this idea? Give me feedback people!

An 18-year-old girl, a member of a race of people known as the Captives who are born and die in camps all over the world, escapes from a death camp in the distant future after her friend is murdered. She travels the countryside seeking another race of people, The Free Ones, while trying to avoid the Government of yet another race of people, the Rulers. One of the Rulers helps her. Will she overthrow the Government? And is she the promised one the Free Ones are seeking to lead them? Will the dissenting Rulers turn her in to cause the Government to go back into its stupor while they overthrow it? Read "The Caelin series" to find out!

Lots of Love,

Rachel

What am I writing? My story ideas!

It has definitely been awhile since I last posted. I feel like I should make this blog something important, something worthwhile that people would want to read about. But what? Should I post excerpts of my creations? I don't write much poetry, but I definitely write novels and short stories, although I'm not sure how much of a short story it really is.

They tend to get a bit long.

I suppose I could always review movies and books, although I don't read too much anymore. I've replaced books with movies. I like Plugged In's way of doing theirs, analyzing the movie for profanity, sex, violence, positive elements, and negative elements, with a unifying conclusion and an introduction.

People love to read movie reviews.

I know! I can post story ideas and then set links on my Facebook so people can check them out! Then I can learn what interests them.

Lots of Love,

Rachel