Why do some people feel the need to divulge every sordid detail of their lives in their Facebook statuses? Or every emotion they feel in the course of a day? Perhaps I’m just a more private person than most, but I don’t really want the general public knowing all that much about me. I actually don’t want most of the people I come in contact with on a daily basis to know that much about me. And yes…there are things I’d rather not know about you as well.
Yeah. I’m a Scrooge. I hate Christmas. Not the holiday itself, but all the insanity around it. If we could just take a day and commemorate Christ’s birth I’d be happy, but that’s not what we do. I’d really like to just sleep through it this year, but that’s not an option. There’s family to visit, presents to buy, parties to attend…and I love to visit family, but not out of obligation or duty. I love buying people presents, but only when I see that perfect thing that I know someone would love and I buy it just because. And parties are wonderful, but not three parties every weekend for a solid month.
At least I convinced my family that we should pool our money and make a donation this year instead of once again spending money to buy stuff for people who don’t really need or want any of it. We’re already so wasteful in this country. We don’t need more stuff to set around our houses just because someone bought it for us. There are people in the world who have absolutely nothing, yet we sit and revel in our excess, complaining about what we don’t have instead of being humbled by the blessings that surround us. We think we deserve things…that we’re entitled to a certain standard of living. But that’s a lie.
Can I encourage the three people who actually read this blog not to buy into the lie? We don’t need more things, but there are millions of people in the world who need everything. Let’s never forget that.
In case you were wondering, the world does not revolve around you. Please stop acting like it does.
I’ve been making a real, concerted effort to actually deal with my problems and not avoid them or run away from them like I used to do.
Maybe that’s why I get so frustrated when I see other people doing just that.
Here is a perfect example of something I don’t feel I can really truly honestly blog about, not because I may offend someone (because I honestly don’t care in this case), but because it’s really no one’s business and I don’t want to be a gossip. But I feel an uncontrollable urge to get things off my chest, and that’s what blogs are (partially) for, right? Anyhow…
I am incredibly mad and disappointed with someone close to me for taking advantage of and hurting someone else close to me. On the one hand, I suppose it’s not really my business since I’m not directly involved. On the other hand, I can’t very well pretend like nothing’s wrong and continue to maintain the same relationship with the advantage-taker knowing what I know. I guess I’m at a loss. What I really want to do is just throttle the advantage-taker until he/she/it sees the light, but I can’t very well do that, can I? I wish there was a way to force help on someone who doesn’t want it/doesn’t think he/she needs it.
I wish it were possible to open up someone’s head and shine some light into the dark places to create some sort of understanding. If any of you ever figure out a way to do that, will you kindly let me know?
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? Therefore,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. Yes,” declares the LORD, ” I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The LORD declares.’ Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the LORD. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the LORD. -Jeremiah 23:29-32
“From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.
They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.
Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish them,” says the LORD.
-Jeremiah 6:13-15
Not an hour ago I was seething. I was livid. Outraged, appalled, sickened, disgusted. I was flipping around on the TV and came to Benny Hinn’s show. (For those of you who don’t know, Benny Hinn is a usually heretical prosperity teacher who holds healing conferences and, from what I can see, swindles people out of their money all, to my dismay, in the name of Jesus.) I would normally have rapidly changed the channel, but something, maybe morbid curiosity, made me stay put. He had some guy on his show named Mike Murdock who made Benny Hinn look like a saint. The man told this “story” about how he used to be dirt poor, but felt led to give $1,000 to some ministry and from that day forward the money just came pouring in. Random people just felt led to shower him with lavish gifts…cars, jewelry, large checks. Then he told his viewers to “plant a seed” and send him $1,000, then sit back and watch the blessings roll in. (my stomach turned) Even if they didn’t have all the money right now. (gag reflex) And remember, if you don’t have any money, a “seed” can still be planted on a credit card. (a little vomit in my throat)
As a Christian, I would like to go on the record as saying that nothing this man said is remotely biblical. God would never ask you to go into credit card debt in order to give money to some televangelist. The “evangelist” part of that word is false anyway, because there isn’t a trace of the gospel in most of their messages. Contrary to what they say, God does not need your money. God does not require you to pay up before He will hear your prayers. Blessings cannot be bought. So don’t be deceived. People who speak such things claim to represent God, but they don’t. They claim to speak the word of God, but if you’ve read the Bible at all you can see that they don’t.
Here’s a video a friend posted on her blog. It very powerfully addresses exactly what I was speaking about.
Warning: There’s no telling what’s going to be written about today, and what is will probably be annoyingly random.
Had lunch with Sara today. Hadn’t seen her since my wedding. It was awesome.
Bought tickets to see Chess with Heather. Hope the actual story is as good as the music. Either way, I can’t wait to see Heather.
Helping with music for VBS this week. Might be helping the kids worship leader make a CD of kids songs. Pretty excited about that.
SO GLAD we’re finally having Bible study again tonight. It’s been three weeks and I’ve been having major withdrawals. Plus, we’re starting to talk about finances tonight…a very appropriate topic for newlyweds.
Quick rant: Why do places insist on using Ticketmaster as the only means of acquiring tickets to their events? What a rip off! Why should anyone have to pay $2.50 to print off their own tickets at home? And what the #%!(^*#%# is a convenience charge? I didn’t think it was very convenient. Ticketmaster should die.
I need sleep. And chocolate. Hmmmm……
Anyone want to go swimming?
I have a question. Do parents seriously think that their kids understand the value of practicing piano? Do they think children are naturally self-motivated? Do they really think an eight-year-old will think “I really don’t want to practice piano, but I know that with a little hard work and perseverance I can achieve excellence in musicianship”? What makes them think that piano practice is any different than homework? They don’t let their kids only do their homework when they “feel” like it. They would never let their kids quit doing their chores because they don’t really think they like it anymore.
I just wish parents would understand that I can only teach their kids new things if the old things are learned. That playing piano is only fun when work is done during the week. That they are called piano “lessons” and not piano “practice” for a reason. That it might take actually making your kid practice to get him to see what he can accomplish if he only tries. My most improved students (and, incidently, the ones who enjoy lessons the most) are the ones whose parents have them practice at the same time every day. Coincidence?
And one more completely unrelated thing…I have determined that, since Trader Joe’s is a step or two above your average neighborhood grocery store, its customers are snootier, ruder, and even less considerate than even your Harris Teeter customers. I have never seen so many people blocking entire aisles because they think they have the right. I even had one lady practically push my cart out of the way because I was standing in front of what she wanted to look at…I was looking at it too, by the way.
So I’ve decided I shouldn’t go to Trader Joe’s by myself anymore. I need distraction to keep from having little fits of aisle-rage.
That is all.
I just received an email from my wedding planner…or her daughter who helps with the business. They used to have an actually store where they sold dresses and tuxes, but now they just have an office somewhere. Apparently because they don’t have an actual storefront anymore, the company who they ordered our tuxes from won’t fulfill the order. So now, just over 2 months before the wedding, we have to go out and find tuxes somewhere else. Not cool. But they are giving us a full refund and all the measurements they took, so once we find the tuxes we want, it should be easy to order.
It’s just terribly frustrating.
Flipping through the channels while eating lunch, I stopped for a moment on Fox News where they were discussing the pending bill that would give all porn sites a .xxx extension and the Child Online Protection Act that would provide criminal charges and stiff punishment for anyone who knowingly made harmful material available to minors. I personally think it’s a great idea and would prevent children (and me) from stumbling across sites I really don’t want to see. It would also make it much easier to block porn sites from computers that children use (at home, in schools, in public libraries).
Apparently (but not surprisingly) the ACLU has a problem with this proposed law, claiming it violates the first amendment right to free speech. Just in case you’re not aware of the exact wording of the first amendment, here it is: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
May I first point out that the first amendment protects our “freedom of speech”, but says nothing of our “freedom of action.” In other words, you can say anything you want and believe anything you want, but you may not do anything you want. There have been many studies on the effects pornography has on children. How does the right of a person to make and broadcast pornography supersede the right of a child to be protected from exposure to such harmful things? I don’t think anyone would claim that a person has the right to harm a child in any way. This law does not prohibit people from making pornography or making money from pornography. It just requires pornographers to notify people visiting their site that they are an adult site and make the person verify their age. In the case of the .xxx extension I think it would make it even easier for someone who was actually looking for a pornographic site to find one, so I fail to see how it would adversely affect the porn industry.
I’m not sure if I’m stating this all well. Please let me know what you think.