The vision is JESUS – obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus.
The vision is an army of young people.
You see bones? I see an army. And they are FREE from materialism.
They laugh at 9-5 little prisons.
They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday.
They wouldn't even notice.
They know the meaning of the Matrix, the way the west was won.
They are mobile like the wind, they belong to the nations. They need no passport.. People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence.
They are free yet they are slaves of the hurting and dirty and dying.
What is the vision ?
The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes. It makes children laugh and adults angry. It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars. It scorns the good and strains for the best. It is dangerously pure.
Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation.
It loves people away from their suicide leaps, their Satan games.
This is an army that will lay down its life for the cause.
A million times a day its soldiers
choose to loose
that they might one day win
the great 'Well done' of faithful sons and daughters.
Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as Sunday night. They don't need fame from names. Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again: "COME ON!"
And this is the sound of the underground
The whisper of history in the making
Foundations shaking
Revolutionaries dreaming once again
Mystery is scheming in whispers
Conspiracy is breathing…
This is the sound of the underground
And the army is discipl(in)ed.
Young people who beat their bodies into submission.
Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms.
The tattoo on their back boasts "for me to live is Christ and to die is gain".
Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes. Winners. Martyrs. Who can stop them ?
Can hormones hold them back?
Can failure succeed? Can fear scare them or death kill them ?
And the generation prays
like a dying man
with groans beyond talking,
with warrior cries, sulphuric tears and
with great barrow loads of laughter!
Waiting. Watching: 24 – 7 – 365.
Whatever it takes they will give: Breaking the rules. Shaking mediocrity from its cosy little hide. Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs, laughing at labels, fasting essentials. The advertisers cannot mould them. Hollywood cannot hold them. Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late night parties before the cockerel cries.
They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive
inside.
On the outside? They hardly care. They wear clothes like costumes to communicate and celebrate but never to hide.
Would they surrender their image or their popularity?
They would lay down their very lives - swap seats with the man on death row - guilty as hell. A throne for an electric chair.
With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days,
they pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them.
Their DNA chooses JESUS. (He breathes out, they breathe in.)
Their subconscious sings. They had a blood transfusion with Jesus.
Their words make demons scream in shopping centres.
Don't you hear them coming?
Herald the weirdo's! Summon the losers and the freaks. Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes. They walk tall and trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension. Their prayers summon the hounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream of Eden.
And this vision will be. It will come to pass; it will come easily; it will come soon.
How do I know? Because this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning of the Spirit, the very dream of God. My tomorrow is his today. My distant hope is his 3D. And my feeble, whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking great 'Amen!' from countless angels, from hero's of the faith, from Christ himself. And he is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner.
Guaranteed.
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This is the vision of 24/7 Prayer. I did not write it, however everytime I read it, I am moved by the words. It paints a picture of a Christian that is totally abandoned to himself and in love with his God. One that is totally in love, that he/she would do anything for God at whatever cost.
I dare you to read whats ahead. Only those who are serious should proceed.
This is the type of Christian that needs to rise up within our generation. Our parents have come from an extremely blessed generation, and I feel that we take for granted many of those blessings. Let us as a generation of young people never forget that we are in a battle for our lives and out very souls. I sense that our generation, has grown numb to the realities that Christians have to face. we have grown numb or choose not to face those realities. While the blessings of God are not a bad thing, we have taken it so much for granted that we begin to believe that God is there as a Santa Clause figure, to give whenever and whatever we ask.
This is a plead to my generation, let us RISE UP! Let us no longer be an apathetic generation that takes for granted the gift that Christ gave us, or the blessings God offers us. Let us rise up and throw off the chains of laziness. Let us desire to know God more. If we are to know God more, then we have to cry out to Him. We have to search for Him. We can longer choose to please the world if we are to truly know God. In our quest to know Him more, we are promised that if we "Cry out to Me and I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3)
Let it be clear though, that searching for God will lead to knowing Him. The more we know Him, and His love for us, will only compel us even more to obey Him. This is where the rubber meets the road. Many of us "know" God though not many in our generation have been compelled to follow him outside of their comfort zones. Where is the dedication, perseverance, and passion in our generation that has been so clearly expressed in that of our parents, grandparents, and of many great Christians that have come before us? What will our generation be known for? Will it characterized by laziness? A sense of apathy perhaps? Maybe an overall blatent disregard for the things of God?
Who are the ones of our generation that will break the mold that is so being quickly set of conforming and catering to the world? When is our generation going to hop off the coat tail of our parents and seek God on their own?
Let me challenge you today to do just that. Jump off the coat tail of your parents relgion and seek God on your own. The more you seek Him, the more in love you will find yourself. Soon His presence will be so exhilirating and intoxicating you won't sit still. You will be compelled to throw off the chains of the same old routine and shake things up in your life. This will have a great ripple effect among your friends and those you come into contact with. Who cares if your friends make fun of you or you stand out like a freak because you won't participate in their mundane, evil activities? I dare you to take a stand for God...sure you will stand out like a sore thumb, but at least people know where you stand. The more you live your life for God and not for man, the more attractive you will become...the more God's light will shine through you. Soon you will notice that your friends will come to God, not because of you and your amazing tactics to present God in a "cool, hip and subtle" way, but because of the utter sense of worth and complete abandon for God. Forget trying to fit in with the world. Forget being subtle, people are going to hell in hand baskets everyday...where is our sense of urgency? Forget being politically correct or trying cater to every single feeling.. Your message will offend the flesh. Just fyi, the world is going to hate you (I didn't say it, Jesus did). However, since your a freak, an utterly hopeless, crazed maniac who is in love with the One who sent His One and Only Son to die for you, it shouldn't matter what the rest of the world thinks.
Its your choice...you can choose to dabble in with the world and with Christianity, but heads up, you're Satan's little toy. Those types of people are disgusting, they are sickening, and are an utter embarrasment to Christianity. I dare you to throw down and rise up and refuse to let Satan use you any longer...it will be more than you can handle, but God is on your side. Put on your armor! Face the enemy..no longer skirt behind religion and excuses. The time has come for us to make a difference as a generation. No longer say you aren't ready, or you will wait til summer time to go on missions. Seek Him and your life will never be the same. I dare you to fall in love...if you do you will be consumed in His fire.
Be dangerously pure, leave the minimum integrity to one side, and become the sold out person living for a sold out God.
He gave us His best who are we to not give Him ours?
Be dangerously attractive.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Memorial Day
On this day I would like to remember the sacrafice made by our forfathers and our troops. This is a day to honor their memory and all that they stood for. Thank you for protecting us and doing your duty, even though it cost you the ultimate sacrafice. For those who still serve, thank you. We will never know the pain or the loss that you have had to go through for our freedom. Thank you does not even seem enough to show the grattitude of a thankful nation. We will always be in your debt. You guys are amazing!
Thank You!
Thank You!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Americas Heroes
As I browsed through the Depart of Defense's website, I found a tribute to the Medal of Honor recipients. There was one story on there that I found disturbing and quite honestly sad. I'll post it right here.
Who Are America's Heroes?
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, March 13, 2009—
The challenge issued by a flight attendant during a recent commercial air flight seemed innocuous enough: Name just one of the five Medal of Honor recipients from the current engagements in Afghanistan or Iraq, and get a free drink coupon.
But the passengers’ response – more specifically, the inability of all but just one to respond – revealed how little the average American knows about its military heroes.
Bombarded by superhero lore almost from birth, many Americans grow to revere fictional heroes as well as sports and celebrity icons. But silence descended over the cabin of a flight bound from Jacksonville, Fla., to Baltimore when the conversation turned to those who had earned the nation’s highest honor for valor – even when a free cocktail hung in the balance.
Dale Shelton, an Annapolis, Md., resident who served five years as a Navy intelligence specialist, was the only passenger to press the button over his seat to beckon the attendant. Shelton’s response: Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, the first Medal of Honor recipient in the global war on terror, and in Operation Iraqi Freedom.Smith received the highest military honor for valor posthumously on April 3, 2005, two years to the day after saving more than 100 soldiers in the battle for Baghdad’s airport. His young son and widow accepted the award on his behalf during a solemn White House ceremony. The flight attendant gave free drink coupons to Shelton, as well as his wife Jean and two other traveling companions. Then he returned to the crew area to announce over the intercom that only one person had correctly answered the challenge. This time, the attendant offered a second challenge: name an American Idol winner. The cabin lit up like a pinball machine as 43 passengers scrambled to push their attendant call button. Passengers named various Idol winners.
The attendant announced that he wasn’t going to award drink coupons for that answer, telling the passengers that "naming an Idol winner was not worth a free drink," Shelton recalled. "He concluded his announcement with the question: ‘What’s wrong with our country when out of 150 passengers, only one can name a Medal of Honor recipient, but 43 can name an American Idol winner?’"Later during the flight, Shelton shared with the attendant his own frustration over "the current lack of appreciation of our military heroes."
The attendant asked Shelton if he knew the names of the other four Medal of Honor receipts from the current military operations. Shelton said he was able to name three: Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor and Army Spc. Ross McGinnis. All were killed sacrificing themselves to protect their comrades during enemy attacks.
Murphy, a Navy SEAL, died June 28, 2005, trying to save his team members during Operation Red Wing in Afghanistan. Monsoor, also a SEAL, died in Iraq Sept. 23, 2006, using his body to absorb a grenade blast that likely would have killed two nearby SEALs and several Iraqi soldiers. McGinnis died Dec. 4, 2006, after throwing himself on a hand grenade in Iraq to save four fellow soldiers when insurgents attacked their Humvee.Shelton said he regretted that he had forgotten the name of Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham. Dunham died April 15, 2004, using his body to shield fellow Marines in Iraq from a hand grenade.The flight attendant didn’t hold Shelton’s memory lapse against him. "He gave me all the remaining drink coupons he had in his possession and shook my hand," he said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medal of Honor Recipients since the beginning of the War on Terror.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith
Navy Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy
Marine Corporal Jason L. Dunham
Army Specialist Ross A. McGinnis
Naval Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor.
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God bless these men and women who give their lives for our freedom! Whether you agree with the war or not, please support our troops. They are just doing they're job. George Orwell once said, "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." This is very true! Children and spouses are losing loved ones every day, because these people have taken an oath to protect us from all enemies foreign and domestic.
Today, May 16, 2009, is Armed Forces Day in the United States. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all who serve in any branch of our military. Many times they go unnappreciated, and today (as every day should be) is a time to recognize the sacrafice that has been made on our behalf.
Thank You!
Who Are America's Heroes?
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, March 13, 2009—
The challenge issued by a flight attendant during a recent commercial air flight seemed innocuous enough: Name just one of the five Medal of Honor recipients from the current engagements in Afghanistan or Iraq, and get a free drink coupon.
But the passengers’ response – more specifically, the inability of all but just one to respond – revealed how little the average American knows about its military heroes.
Bombarded by superhero lore almost from birth, many Americans grow to revere fictional heroes as well as sports and celebrity icons. But silence descended over the cabin of a flight bound from Jacksonville, Fla., to Baltimore when the conversation turned to those who had earned the nation’s highest honor for valor – even when a free cocktail hung in the balance.
Dale Shelton, an Annapolis, Md., resident who served five years as a Navy intelligence specialist, was the only passenger to press the button over his seat to beckon the attendant. Shelton’s response: Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, the first Medal of Honor recipient in the global war on terror, and in Operation Iraqi Freedom.Smith received the highest military honor for valor posthumously on April 3, 2005, two years to the day after saving more than 100 soldiers in the battle for Baghdad’s airport. His young son and widow accepted the award on his behalf during a solemn White House ceremony. The flight attendant gave free drink coupons to Shelton, as well as his wife Jean and two other traveling companions. Then he returned to the crew area to announce over the intercom that only one person had correctly answered the challenge. This time, the attendant offered a second challenge: name an American Idol winner. The cabin lit up like a pinball machine as 43 passengers scrambled to push their attendant call button. Passengers named various Idol winners.
The attendant announced that he wasn’t going to award drink coupons for that answer, telling the passengers that "naming an Idol winner was not worth a free drink," Shelton recalled. "He concluded his announcement with the question: ‘What’s wrong with our country when out of 150 passengers, only one can name a Medal of Honor recipient, but 43 can name an American Idol winner?’"Later during the flight, Shelton shared with the attendant his own frustration over "the current lack of appreciation of our military heroes."
The attendant asked Shelton if he knew the names of the other four Medal of Honor receipts from the current military operations. Shelton said he was able to name three: Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor and Army Spc. Ross McGinnis. All were killed sacrificing themselves to protect their comrades during enemy attacks.
Murphy, a Navy SEAL, died June 28, 2005, trying to save his team members during Operation Red Wing in Afghanistan. Monsoor, also a SEAL, died in Iraq Sept. 23, 2006, using his body to absorb a grenade blast that likely would have killed two nearby SEALs and several Iraqi soldiers. McGinnis died Dec. 4, 2006, after throwing himself on a hand grenade in Iraq to save four fellow soldiers when insurgents attacked their Humvee.Shelton said he regretted that he had forgotten the name of Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham. Dunham died April 15, 2004, using his body to shield fellow Marines in Iraq from a hand grenade.The flight attendant didn’t hold Shelton’s memory lapse against him. "He gave me all the remaining drink coupons he had in his possession and shook my hand," he said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medal of Honor Recipients since the beginning of the War on Terror.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith
Navy Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy
Marine Corporal Jason L. Dunham
Army Specialist Ross A. McGinnis
Naval Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
God bless these men and women who give their lives for our freedom! Whether you agree with the war or not, please support our troops. They are just doing they're job. George Orwell once said, "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." This is very true! Children and spouses are losing loved ones every day, because these people have taken an oath to protect us from all enemies foreign and domestic.
Today, May 16, 2009, is Armed Forces Day in the United States. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all who serve in any branch of our military. Many times they go unnappreciated, and today (as every day should be) is a time to recognize the sacrafice that has been made on our behalf.
Thank You!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Israeli war crimes?
Of course, the way the media portrays Israel's war on Gaza, you might think the Israeli's are purpertrators of the Geneva Convention. The Wall Street Journal on January 10 published an article entitled "Israel is Committing War Crimes” by George Bisharat, who wrote that "Israel's current assault on the Gaza Strip cannot be justified by self-defense. Rather, it involves serious violations of international law, including war crimes."
Just for those of you who are wondering, Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention defines war crimes as follows: "Willful killing, torture, or inhuman treatment, including...willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health,...taking of hostages and extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly."
What war crimes have they committed exactly? Bombing houses where they had explicitly given warnings to the residents to evacuate? Maybe we can accuse Israel of war crimes for bombing mosques. Surely that is a blatant war crime, even when that mosque was used to store weapons and supplies used to terrorize Israeli lives, and its only occupents were terrorist themselves. Wait a minute! I know what the liberal media is convicting Israel of. They bombed the UN HQ in Gaza. Again, wait a minute, what they failed to mention was that the bomb hit near its headquarters, and that nothing was actually destroyed (which by the way, had terrorist holding hostages, and firing rockets from the building). In fact soldiers went in on foot, risked their lives, and freed the UN HQ from terrorist. As far as I can tell, Israel did not commit any war crimes, as stated by the Geneva Convention.
Maybe we can accuse Israelis of war crimes for bombing buildings where civilians live. Even though, again, they were warned. Thing is, most Gazan citizens stand behind Hamas. Obviously, because they elected Hamas into power over the rival, Fatah, in 2006. Another important fact to take into consideration, that isn't mentioned by the media (which is leftist in itself, and despises Israel, and will use and abuse any facts to fit their biased agenda), is that these civilians willingly put themselves into harms way. Instead of evacuating or going underground, they became human shields for Hamas militants. They know that by doing this it will create an international uproar against the Israelis, and ultimately help in destroying the "Evil Zionist regim."
The world fails to see this however. We live in a politcaly correct society that contradicts itself. As mentioned before the media is leftist. They hate anything conservative, and of course will do anything to make people see their biased agenda (the conservative media does the same). However, all I ask is that the facts be presented. No conservative or liberal agenda. Fact #1: Hamas has called for the destruction of Israel.
Fact #2: For over 8 years, rockets have been fired into Southern Israel (Sderot, and the Negev), making no distinction between civilians and military personel.
Fact #3: Hamas makes no attempt to hide their desire to destroy Israeli life. Hamas TV (al-Aqsa TV, December 28, 2008) recently showed pictures of Hamas fighters shooting at Israel with skulls dripping with blood in the background. Captions for the program included "Let them Taste Violent Death” and "Send Them Hell, Qassam Missile."
These facts are disturbing. Again I ask, why then is Israel labeled as the Warmongers? It seems to me that most of the warmongering comes from the extreme Islamic party of Hamas (sorry for all the PC people out there, yes I do believe extreme Islam is a problem, and have no problem in calling it how it is. I speak the truth, and will not sugar coat anything.) All Israel has done is tried to protect their civilians, which any sovereign nation has a right to do. They have not tried to colonize or expand to other nations, as other countries have done. They simply want to live peaceably, however, they are prevented in doing so by Islamic radicals.
Here are some more facts for you to chew on (these facts are taken from an excerpt of Rotem Yacobi's article in the Ynet news, titled "Citizen of the Free World.")
"I ask myself the following questions: does the world know that the IDF calls and warns civilians before it strikes their homes, used as Hamas arms caches?
Does the world know that in response to this, Hamas men place women and children on the roofs of buildings, because they know the IDF won't target them? Does the world know that the IDF takes care of humanitarian needs and supplies medicine, food, and medical services to the Palestinians? Does the world know that Hamas men fire from within population centers and turn civilians into human shields?
Does the world know that while we fight for our legitimate right to live in peace and security, Palestinian patients receive dedicated treatment at Israeli hospitals? Did the world hear about the 20 cases where Palestinians exploited their health problems in order to attempt to carry out terror attacks? I ask myself, where was the world more than a year ago, when Hamas men massacred Fatah men and innocent members of their own people?" (end of excerpt)
I ask that the truth be told. While there may have been individual cases of mishaps and mistakes that were made during the Gaza invasion, do not label Israel's decision to go into Gaza to stop the attacks, a war crime. Defense is not a war crime. If you want an example of war crimes, look at Ahmadinejad's Iran, Saddam's Iraq, the genocide in Darfur, or the Sandinista's actions against the citizen's of Nicaragua.
Emet אמת
Just for those of you who are wondering, Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention defines war crimes as follows: "Willful killing, torture, or inhuman treatment, including...willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health,...taking of hostages and extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly."
What war crimes have they committed exactly? Bombing houses where they had explicitly given warnings to the residents to evacuate? Maybe we can accuse Israel of war crimes for bombing mosques. Surely that is a blatant war crime, even when that mosque was used to store weapons and supplies used to terrorize Israeli lives, and its only occupents were terrorist themselves. Wait a minute! I know what the liberal media is convicting Israel of. They bombed the UN HQ in Gaza. Again, wait a minute, what they failed to mention was that the bomb hit near its headquarters, and that nothing was actually destroyed (which by the way, had terrorist holding hostages, and firing rockets from the building). In fact soldiers went in on foot, risked their lives, and freed the UN HQ from terrorist. As far as I can tell, Israel did not commit any war crimes, as stated by the Geneva Convention.
Maybe we can accuse Israelis of war crimes for bombing buildings where civilians live. Even though, again, they were warned. Thing is, most Gazan citizens stand behind Hamas. Obviously, because they elected Hamas into power over the rival, Fatah, in 2006. Another important fact to take into consideration, that isn't mentioned by the media (which is leftist in itself, and despises Israel, and will use and abuse any facts to fit their biased agenda), is that these civilians willingly put themselves into harms way. Instead of evacuating or going underground, they became human shields for Hamas militants. They know that by doing this it will create an international uproar against the Israelis, and ultimately help in destroying the "Evil Zionist regim."
The world fails to see this however. We live in a politcaly correct society that contradicts itself. As mentioned before the media is leftist. They hate anything conservative, and of course will do anything to make people see their biased agenda (the conservative media does the same). However, all I ask is that the facts be presented. No conservative or liberal agenda. Fact #1: Hamas has called for the destruction of Israel.
Fact #2: For over 8 years, rockets have been fired into Southern Israel (Sderot, and the Negev), making no distinction between civilians and military personel.
Fact #3: Hamas makes no attempt to hide their desire to destroy Israeli life. Hamas TV (al-Aqsa TV, December 28, 2008) recently showed pictures of Hamas fighters shooting at Israel with skulls dripping with blood in the background. Captions for the program included "Let them Taste Violent Death” and "Send Them Hell, Qassam Missile."
These facts are disturbing. Again I ask, why then is Israel labeled as the Warmongers? It seems to me that most of the warmongering comes from the extreme Islamic party of Hamas (sorry for all the PC people out there, yes I do believe extreme Islam is a problem, and have no problem in calling it how it is. I speak the truth, and will not sugar coat anything.) All Israel has done is tried to protect their civilians, which any sovereign nation has a right to do. They have not tried to colonize or expand to other nations, as other countries have done. They simply want to live peaceably, however, they are prevented in doing so by Islamic radicals.
Here are some more facts for you to chew on (these facts are taken from an excerpt of Rotem Yacobi's article in the Ynet news, titled "Citizen of the Free World.")
"I ask myself the following questions: does the world know that the IDF calls and warns civilians before it strikes their homes, used as Hamas arms caches?
Does the world know that in response to this, Hamas men place women and children on the roofs of buildings, because they know the IDF won't target them? Does the world know that the IDF takes care of humanitarian needs and supplies medicine, food, and medical services to the Palestinians? Does the world know that Hamas men fire from within population centers and turn civilians into human shields?
Does the world know that while we fight for our legitimate right to live in peace and security, Palestinian patients receive dedicated treatment at Israeli hospitals? Did the world hear about the 20 cases where Palestinians exploited their health problems in order to attempt to carry out terror attacks? I ask myself, where was the world more than a year ago, when Hamas men massacred Fatah men and innocent members of their own people?" (end of excerpt)
I ask that the truth be told. While there may have been individual cases of mishaps and mistakes that were made during the Gaza invasion, do not label Israel's decision to go into Gaza to stop the attacks, a war crime. Defense is not a war crime. If you want an example of war crimes, look at Ahmadinejad's Iran, Saddam's Iraq, the genocide in Darfur, or the Sandinista's actions against the citizen's of Nicaragua.
Emet אמת
Love
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the word as a guy? Is it kissing, sex, pleasure, self gratification? Love as defined by Webster’s is the following:
1. A strong emotion of regard and affection
2. Any object of warm affection and devotion
3. A beloved person
4. A deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction
5. Sexual activities between two people
Now I think we all could agree that when we say we love someone, we feel at least one of the emotions above. The problem is, in this day and age, we equate love with the last two. When we say we love someone, it usually refers to the fact you think they are good looking, a great kisser, or know how to pleasure you. Sadly, this is what most people think love is, when it really comes down to it. Then, as quickly as that “love” is found, we suddenly somehow lose it. Or did we ever have it?
This love I am talking about is a very superficial love. It seeks just the gratification of one person, you. As soon as problems or any complication arises, we see it as our vehicle of escape from an awkward or difficult position. For example, guys leaving their girlfriend because she is now pregnant, or what happens when you find out that they have been cheating on you? That’s even more of a reason to leave them, correct? WRONG!
Now, let’s take a look at what I think real love is. Yes I am a Christian (if you don’t like it suck it up), and it just so happens that I am going to take you to the love chapter of the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…
Love, true love, will be patient. If the girl wants to take things slow (and I’m not talking about sex), if you really do love her you will take things at her pace, so that she is comfortable. You shouldn’t ever force anything on her or sweet talk her into anything that goes against who she is or her beliefs. In doing this you show kindness, and you will be seen as a gentleman.
A real humdinger for me was the part that says love is not envious. At first glance I wondered how that could be if God is a jealous God, and after all, he does love us. After some research, I found that jealousy is what you get when you are being replaced by someone else. Jealousy in effect, should trigger a want and a desire to protect and woo the woman he loves. Jealousy should make us as guys hope and persevere and chase after that girl. That is what happens between God and His creation. He sees that our time and commitments are elsewhere. Most times though, if we see our girlfriend with another man, we let envy take place. Envy is resenting another for what they have. In a case like that, most guys just envy the other man for taking their girl, because he now, in effect, has someone they want. Envy leads to anger, resentment, un-forgiveness, bitterness, and hatred among other things. Envy destroys love, while jealousy can build it.
True love is not one of self gratification, as today’s society portrays it. Lets get one thing straight, you don’t have sex with your girlfriend because you love her…you do it because you just want to get some of that. You want to feel pleasure and satisfy your own needs. If you really love the girl, you would respect her and yourself enough not to jump at the first opportunity you have. If you really love her, why don’t you wait and marry her. Then after that you can have sex all you want. But please, don’t try to deplete the world’s supply of condoms before you get there!
Going back to the point I made about abstinence earlier, there are two types of love. Agape love and Eros love. Eros is the love that a husband and a wife show toward each other (not two men, or two women). It is human love that results in physical demonstrations.
Agape love however, is something deeper and much more profound. It is the type of love that God loves with. Agape love makes someone worthy by the strength and power of its love. Agape loves in such a way that makes the person beautiful. It needs no reason to love, it is a love that gives, and it shakes us when needed. Agape sacrifices itself, gives itself away, it dies to itself. Agape love seems so foreign to us, because it is the embodiment of respect, honor and totally sacrifice. These are three character traits that have all been but lost in our generation.
So let us show love with an agape love. Let us show them that they are worth our affection and admiration. Let us put these truths into practice. You know, most girls dream of the fairy tale love. This is where the seemingly perfect world is shattered. Then her hero and rescuer come to save her and sweep her off her feet. Though most guys don’t dress in tights and prance around on horses like in the fairy tale movies, we can take something more out of it. The prince NEVER oversteps his bounds. He is always respectful and looks to please his beloved. We can be that prince the girl is looking for. As guys we can show her respect and agape.
Agape
1. A strong emotion of regard and affection
2. Any object of warm affection and devotion
3. A beloved person
4. A deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction
5. Sexual activities between two people
Now I think we all could agree that when we say we love someone, we feel at least one of the emotions above. The problem is, in this day and age, we equate love with the last two. When we say we love someone, it usually refers to the fact you think they are good looking, a great kisser, or know how to pleasure you. Sadly, this is what most people think love is, when it really comes down to it. Then, as quickly as that “love” is found, we suddenly somehow lose it. Or did we ever have it?
This love I am talking about is a very superficial love. It seeks just the gratification of one person, you. As soon as problems or any complication arises, we see it as our vehicle of escape from an awkward or difficult position. For example, guys leaving their girlfriend because she is now pregnant, or what happens when you find out that they have been cheating on you? That’s even more of a reason to leave them, correct? WRONG!
Now, let’s take a look at what I think real love is. Yes I am a Christian (if you don’t like it suck it up), and it just so happens that I am going to take you to the love chapter of the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…
Love, true love, will be patient. If the girl wants to take things slow (and I’m not talking about sex), if you really do love her you will take things at her pace, so that she is comfortable. You shouldn’t ever force anything on her or sweet talk her into anything that goes against who she is or her beliefs. In doing this you show kindness, and you will be seen as a gentleman.
A real humdinger for me was the part that says love is not envious. At first glance I wondered how that could be if God is a jealous God, and after all, he does love us. After some research, I found that jealousy is what you get when you are being replaced by someone else. Jealousy in effect, should trigger a want and a desire to protect and woo the woman he loves. Jealousy should make us as guys hope and persevere and chase after that girl. That is what happens between God and His creation. He sees that our time and commitments are elsewhere. Most times though, if we see our girlfriend with another man, we let envy take place. Envy is resenting another for what they have. In a case like that, most guys just envy the other man for taking their girl, because he now, in effect, has someone they want. Envy leads to anger, resentment, un-forgiveness, bitterness, and hatred among other things. Envy destroys love, while jealousy can build it.
True love is not one of self gratification, as today’s society portrays it. Lets get one thing straight, you don’t have sex with your girlfriend because you love her…you do it because you just want to get some of that. You want to feel pleasure and satisfy your own needs. If you really love the girl, you would respect her and yourself enough not to jump at the first opportunity you have. If you really love her, why don’t you wait and marry her. Then after that you can have sex all you want. But please, don’t try to deplete the world’s supply of condoms before you get there!
Going back to the point I made about abstinence earlier, there are two types of love. Agape love and Eros love. Eros is the love that a husband and a wife show toward each other (not two men, or two women). It is human love that results in physical demonstrations.
Agape love however, is something deeper and much more profound. It is the type of love that God loves with. Agape love makes someone worthy by the strength and power of its love. Agape loves in such a way that makes the person beautiful. It needs no reason to love, it is a love that gives, and it shakes us when needed. Agape sacrifices itself, gives itself away, it dies to itself. Agape love seems so foreign to us, because it is the embodiment of respect, honor and totally sacrifice. These are three character traits that have all been but lost in our generation.
So let us show love with an agape love. Let us show them that they are worth our affection and admiration. Let us put these truths into practice. You know, most girls dream of the fairy tale love. This is where the seemingly perfect world is shattered. Then her hero and rescuer come to save her and sweep her off her feet. Though most guys don’t dress in tights and prance around on horses like in the fairy tale movies, we can take something more out of it. The prince NEVER oversteps his bounds. He is always respectful and looks to please his beloved. We can be that prince the girl is looking for. As guys we can show her respect and agape.
Agape
Saturday, April 11, 2009
American arrogance and Islam
So everyone I talk to believes that Muslims are peace loving, co-existors, that only want the best for the world...most everyone, that is. There are very few people that actually believe in, and see the threat that this very kind of thinking. As Americans, we like to think that there is no evil in the world. As quoted by Joel Rosenberg in his book The Last Jihad, "To misunderstand the nature and threat of evil is to risk being blindsided by it." Which is the point I want to make.
I personally don't believe Islam is a peaceful religion (if you don't like it, too bad...if you don't agree with me, and are going to complain about this post, well here is a little disclaimer *no one is making you read this!*). The only reason it seems peaceful, is because its believers, I think, are apathetic. If one actually sits and reads the Qur'an, you will see that Muhammed did, at first, preach peace and coexistence with the Christians and Jews at the time. However, after a series of wars, Muhammed all of a sudden changed his stance on peace...he flip flopped, if you will, kind of like John Kerry did in the 2004 elections (and as Obama has done already on some very key issues, on which he promised changed...stay posted for that blog in the near future.) After his displacement from Mecca to Medina, he basically said, "Forget everything I have said about living peacefully. You now have to give the infidels a chance to convert, if they don't, kill them." Now while this isn't the view of all Muslims today, it is the point of view of the so called "radical Islamist."
Now, while talking with many people, most say, "Well we really have nothing to fear. Those extreme views aren't shared by all muslims." This is the type of arrogance President Obama should have apologized for in Europe. This type of thinking shows classical American ignorance in the fact that everything is OK now and it won't happen again. Did you know that an increasing number of American Muslim youth would give thier lives for a jihad here in the USA? Look it up, the polls are there. So much for a nonthreatning religion...even the apathetic are waking up to the supposed truth of the Qur'an. Now while most Americans wallow in this type of thinking, Ahmadinejad is building a nuclear arsenal. He has threatened to wipe Israel and America off the face of the earth. No one believes him though. They all say he is a crazy man who shouldn't be taken seriously. We said the same thing about Hitler in the 1930's when he was threatning to kill every single Jew. Of course he didn't, but he did kill 6 million Jews. Will we still continue in our ignorance, stand by and do nothing, while this goes on? We as Americans need to throw off ignorance, and put ourselves in the extremists' shoes. Surprise!!! Not every one thinks like us! *GASP* Shocking, I know. So even though maybe even less than 1% of Muslims hold an extremists view (which by the way, 1% of 1.3 billion people is 13,000,000....still a butt load of terrorist), they believe that we have no right to live!
Have we forgotten the catastrophic events of 9/11? On 9/12 there was a united America. One that "Would never forget" the events of the day before. However, we have. We are yet again misunderstanding and therefore underestimating the threat of evil. We will eventually be blindsided by it. I mentioned before that Muhammed ordered all his minions to kill everyone who wouldn't convert. Well not surprisingly, a few years ago, one of Al Qaeda's top leaders extended an invitation to all Americans to convert to Islam. No biggie right? Wrong! Now according to them, since we are not converting, they have the right to kill us. Uh Oh.
But hey all our politically correct buddies don't really care. We are willing to "negotiate" (more like sign our death warrant) with Iran and other terrorist nations! All the human rights activists say that we need to care about their rights and wants....What about our rights? What about the rights of the 2,974 Americans that died in a smoldering burning heap of twisted metal and jet fuel? What about the rights of the families that were destroyed? What about the right of mothers and fathers that lost their sons and daughters? What about the rights of the children that lost their mother and fathers? We have the duty to honor them, to protect their rights first, and the rights of every single American.
Well of course this type of thinking is hateful to the rest of the world. So we now believe that we have to go sucking up to every nation and explain ourselves to them...especially to the French! What the heck, the French owe us. They've never won a war by themselves, save the French revolution, which was a civil war. As a matter of a fact if my history isn't wrong...if it wasn't for the so called "American Arrogance" (AA) and our right to defend our bases (Pearl Harbor), and our national soverignty, then Europe would all be speaking German right now. They should be grateful, but yet as Americans have done, now the rest of the world forgets their history. The only ones who haven't forgotten theirs though, are the extremist who declare Jihad on all who opose them....them and the Israelis. They remember when the world was as unsuspecting as before.
Now the extremist lie in wait, waiting for the perfect opportunity when the whole world is unsuspecting...then like a snake they will strike...again. They've already warned us that another attack is coming. They will hit D.C. and major American cities. What will we do? Are we going to sit back and continue in our apathy, or will we rise up and demand something be done?
I will never forget.
http://www.videonewslive.com/view/311932/daddy_i_miss_you__heaven_911__its_been_8_years_later_daddy
I personally don't believe Islam is a peaceful religion (if you don't like it, too bad...if you don't agree with me, and are going to complain about this post, well here is a little disclaimer *no one is making you read this!*). The only reason it seems peaceful, is because its believers, I think, are apathetic. If one actually sits and reads the Qur'an, you will see that Muhammed did, at first, preach peace and coexistence with the Christians and Jews at the time. However, after a series of wars, Muhammed all of a sudden changed his stance on peace...he flip flopped, if you will, kind of like John Kerry did in the 2004 elections (and as Obama has done already on some very key issues, on which he promised changed...stay posted for that blog in the near future.) After his displacement from Mecca to Medina, he basically said, "Forget everything I have said about living peacefully. You now have to give the infidels a chance to convert, if they don't, kill them." Now while this isn't the view of all Muslims today, it is the point of view of the so called "radical Islamist."
Now, while talking with many people, most say, "Well we really have nothing to fear. Those extreme views aren't shared by all muslims." This is the type of arrogance President Obama should have apologized for in Europe. This type of thinking shows classical American ignorance in the fact that everything is OK now and it won't happen again. Did you know that an increasing number of American Muslim youth would give thier lives for a jihad here in the USA? Look it up, the polls are there. So much for a nonthreatning religion...even the apathetic are waking up to the supposed truth of the Qur'an. Now while most Americans wallow in this type of thinking, Ahmadinejad is building a nuclear arsenal. He has threatened to wipe Israel and America off the face of the earth. No one believes him though. They all say he is a crazy man who shouldn't be taken seriously. We said the same thing about Hitler in the 1930's when he was threatning to kill every single Jew. Of course he didn't, but he did kill 6 million Jews. Will we still continue in our ignorance, stand by and do nothing, while this goes on? We as Americans need to throw off ignorance, and put ourselves in the extremists' shoes. Surprise!!! Not every one thinks like us! *GASP* Shocking, I know. So even though maybe even less than 1% of Muslims hold an extremists view (which by the way, 1% of 1.3 billion people is 13,000,000....still a butt load of terrorist), they believe that we have no right to live!
Have we forgotten the catastrophic events of 9/11? On 9/12 there was a united America. One that "Would never forget" the events of the day before. However, we have. We are yet again misunderstanding and therefore underestimating the threat of evil. We will eventually be blindsided by it. I mentioned before that Muhammed ordered all his minions to kill everyone who wouldn't convert. Well not surprisingly, a few years ago, one of Al Qaeda's top leaders extended an invitation to all Americans to convert to Islam. No biggie right? Wrong! Now according to them, since we are not converting, they have the right to kill us. Uh Oh.
But hey all our politically correct buddies don't really care. We are willing to "negotiate" (more like sign our death warrant) with Iran and other terrorist nations! All the human rights activists say that we need to care about their rights and wants....What about our rights? What about the rights of the 2,974 Americans that died in a smoldering burning heap of twisted metal and jet fuel? What about the rights of the families that were destroyed? What about the right of mothers and fathers that lost their sons and daughters? What about the rights of the children that lost their mother and fathers? We have the duty to honor them, to protect their rights first, and the rights of every single American.
Well of course this type of thinking is hateful to the rest of the world. So we now believe that we have to go sucking up to every nation and explain ourselves to them...especially to the French! What the heck, the French owe us. They've never won a war by themselves, save the French revolution, which was a civil war. As a matter of a fact if my history isn't wrong...if it wasn't for the so called "American Arrogance" (AA) and our right to defend our bases (Pearl Harbor), and our national soverignty, then Europe would all be speaking German right now. They should be grateful, but yet as Americans have done, now the rest of the world forgets their history. The only ones who haven't forgotten theirs though, are the extremist who declare Jihad on all who opose them....them and the Israelis. They remember when the world was as unsuspecting as before.
Now the extremist lie in wait, waiting for the perfect opportunity when the whole world is unsuspecting...then like a snake they will strike...again. They've already warned us that another attack is coming. They will hit D.C. and major American cities. What will we do? Are we going to sit back and continue in our apathy, or will we rise up and demand something be done?
I will never forget.
http://www.videonewslive.com/view/311932/daddy_i_miss_you__heaven_911__its_been_8_years_later_daddy
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