Christmas Eve
Well, its that time of year... Christmas Eve. So many people get caught up in the chaos of the season that they neglect the true meaning of Christmas... Jesus Christ. And even for non-Christians, there should be more to Christmas than just rushing around getting angry because you can't find that perfect gift in time... its time to relax and enjoy the company of your family. So often, people get so wound up in the stress of everything that is going on here at this part of the year... Christmas concerts, shopping, dinners, parties, church services.... the list goes on... But, sometimes we just need to stop and say 'thank you lord' for the season. (I found this article on the origins of Santa Claus by the way)

So... here's a flash back to what the Christmas season is about... sit back and relax and remind yourself of why we celebrate... (have a Merry Christmas!)

---

According to the Gospel of Luke...
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to the city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, " Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there will be no end."

Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"

And the angel answered and said unto her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you , and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God."

Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, and angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, Son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name, Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

So this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet, saying: "Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Emanuel, which is translated, God with us."

Then Joseph being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And called His name, Jesus.

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirnius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up out of Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and of the lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea on the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who had been born the King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered together all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So the said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the Prophet: " But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel." Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found him, bring back word to me, the I may come and worship Him also."

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the manger, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, the presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, the departed for the own country another way.

Now there were in the country, shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, the angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring great tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in the manger. Now when they had seen Him, the made widely known the saying which was told to them concerning the Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told them.

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given,
And the government shall be upon His shoulders.
And His name will be called, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
to order it and establish it with judgment and justice,
from that time forward, even forever."

Blogger Etiquette
I don't know if there is such a thing as blogger etiquette... but, since Robbie (HokiePundit) issued a good luck to me and another fellow Hokie on our exams, I figured I'd repay the favor.... So, to Robbie (and anyone else who may be taking them as well)... Good luck on your exams. I hope that your efforts will be repaid and that you won't be too stressed throughout exam week.

And, if I don't get a chance to tell you before then... Have a wonderful Christmas break and a great trip to San Francisco for the bowl game!

In conjunction with yesterday's post, I noticed that my friend Robbie's (Hokie Pundit) Away message was along the same lines:
You know, I'm glad people think Bush is a moron. He had a 1206 on his SATs (before the readjustment). He got his BA and MBA from two Ivy League schools. He successfully ran a MLB team and an oil company, and then became the first Governor of Texas to ever win re-election. After this, he defeated a two-term incumbent Vice-President during an economic boom. He's forced the UN to go along with his will, and helped give his party control of both the legislature and executive branches.
Everyone gets what they want! Europeans and liberals get to whine about how dumb he is without having to put forth credible views or even evidence, and conservatives get their man in power!

A Matter of Country Unity
I understand that not everyone can be wise enough to understand certain things in life, but that doesn't mean that the liberals have to be so stubborn. Face it George W IS our president. He won the election, whether or not you like it.... nothing you say is or do is going to change that right now. So why don't you think about your country a little bit and COOPERATE! Things would be a LOT better for everyone if people didn't spend their time doing things like this...Mockery.

It really irks me that people do this stuff... as if making fun of someone is EVER going to help the state of our country. I mean if you feel so strongly against him, then why don't you spend your time more productively by sitting down and explaining in detail what poor "W" is doing wrong and how he can change it to do it better... with all the details worked out, mind you! Then send it to your congressman or maybe straight to the president himself.... maybe then your ideas will be heard... but doing stupid stuff like wasting your time trying to point out every little mistake the man makes is unacceptable! Come on, the only perfect 'person' to ever come to this world was Jesus Christ himself.

And that's my soapbox.

Thanksgiving

Yes.. this is a little late coming, but I was reminded of something I could post on after reading someone else's blog.

Thanksgiving... a time to be... well, Thankful. So... here's my list of everything (well, at least everything I can think of) I'm thankful for (I mean besides the obvious... since everything derives from God anyway)....

I'm thankful for a loving family... they're always supportive of everything I'm doing. And since I've been at college, they've all been eager to come take me out to eat or pick me up and take me somewhere if I need a ride.... even though they all live in Roanoke (about 45 minutes away). They're all looking out for me and this week I think I got money "to help me out" from 3 sets of my family: my mom & dad, my aunt Paula, and my aunt Charlotte & uncle Bill. Anyway, they're very fun people and care about me a lot, which is something to TRULY be thankful for nowadays....

Secondly, I'm thankful for all the talent and ability I've been given by God. I'm so lucky to have the ability to play music (to some extent) and to enjoy that.. (this next part is going to sound arrogant... I really don't want it to)... I'm also thankful that I have the knowledge and ability to learn that I do... I have to work to learn, but it's not like my efforts don't pay off... i've seen it in some people where no matter how hard they try, they just can't get it... (whatever the 'it' is that they're studying)...

I'm thankful for my world and my country.. I was lucky to have grown up in my little town of Vinton. It was a nice place to grow up... no violence, safe, caring, close enough to a larger city (Roanoke) that I could be acustomed to the real world without having to fear it. America is a wonderful country and I'm so thankful to be living here were I can live the way I want to live without fearing the government... FREEDOM... such a thing to be thankful for.

Finally, I'm thankful for my friends. I'm so lucky to have friends like I do. they're all fun people, many of whom have genuine relationships with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Breakin'
Well, it looks as if I not only took a fall break physically from school, but also mentally from blogging...

That last week before my real break (up to the 22nd of Nov.) I was VERY busy with tests and projects and the sort... but I have no excuse for my week at home...

Nothing of substance comes to mind to talk about... Hopefully I can think up something soon!

CT Article
Yes, another busy week... looks as if next week won't be much better, but then its Fall BREAK!!! :) yayayay!

Anyway, today in the CT (Collegiate Times), Virginia Tech's newspaper... actually a pretty good source of campus, state, national, and worldwide news, considering the source... Well, today in the Opinions & Commentary section there was an commentary on Gun ownership...

The author, Jim Keeney, compares owning a gun to owning a car... both can be deadly, but are both useful as well...

A different slant, and a very good point!

a verse

We have waited for Thee eagerly;
Thy name, eevn Thy memory, is the desire of our souls.
At night my sould longs for Thee,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks Thee diligently.

~Isaiah 26:8-9

Dating vs. Courtship

I was presented with this new Christian view on dating about halfway through last school year... I still haven't developed an opinion on it but, here are some excerpts from a website I found about it (http://polynate.net/books/courtship/part1.html):

Dating was invented in the early part of this century. Prior to that time, marriage always involved much more input from the parents, and "trial relationships" leading up to marriage were not conducted at all. Courtship, as discussed in more detail subsequently, seeks to emulate the Godly models described in the Bible that were conducted by God's people up until the invention of dating.

Courtship is a word that has been adopted to describe a biblical model for the relationship leading up to marriage. In the Bible, the parents were always involved in the marriage process.

Once we are married, we recognize that certain things are sacred to our partner. Things such as co-habitation, kissing, intimate hugging, sex and bringing up children. We recognize that not only our physical body, but our emotions, even our spirit are dedicated to that one partner, for the rest of our life (according to our vows).

The dichotomy is this: in dating, we presume to partake of many of these privileges of marriage. We would be shocked if a married man had an emotional attachment to another woman, and yet it's quite acceptable for singles to have a different emotional attachment every week. On the one hand, we save sex for our partners (and some even do that sparingly), but on the other, we engage in rampant emotional promiscuity, giving pieces of our hearts away until one wonders what will be left for that special, life-long partner.

The primary purpose of marriage is not to please you, but to serve God.

So to have a successful marriage, the most important thing is to ensure that you follow His principles that He laid down when He designed marriage. The irony is, when we focus on His principles instead of our pleasure, we end up having a very satifying and pleasant marriage!

I'm going to be looking into these concepts a little more in order to form a more definitive stance on this stance on dating... Sometime in the near future I'll post again on this topic.

Quote of the day

One of the amazing facts about science is that it reveals God at all levels

Election Results

Ahhh.. the morning after.... The elections silly! Yes, we all await the next morning so we know how our votes affected the elections.... Here's a run-down of the things I voted for....

* US Senate Election
John Warner walks away with the position as US Senator from Virginia for the 4th term (he's been in the Senate since 1978), carrying a wopping 84% of the votes. Also on the ticket were Jacob Hornberger and Nancy Spannaus under the independent label raking in 9 and 7 percent of the votes, respectively.

* US House of Representatives Election - VA 6th District
Bob Goodlatte amazingly pulls away with the position of representative to the US House of Rep's for his 6th term.... Its a good thing he ended up winning because he was running unopposed....

* Judicial Power and Jurisdiction Amendment to the VA Constitution
Ballot Question: Shall the Constitution of Virginia be amended to permit the Supreme Court to consider, as part of its original jurisdiction, claims of actual innocence presented by convicted felons in the cases and manner provided by the General Assembly?

* Exempt Property Amendment to the VA Constitution
65% yes! (this helps my college)
Ballot Question: Shall the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow localities by ordinance, rather than the General Assembly by law, to exempt property from taxation that is used for charitable and certain other purposes, subject to the restrictions and conditions provided by general law?

* Educational Facilities Bond Issue
72% yes!
The purpose of the Act is to allow the Commonwealth to sell bonds to raise funds to pay for capital projects at state-supported colleges, universities, museums and other educational facilities. The capital projects contemplated in the Act have an estimated useful life of more than twenty-five years and include, but are not limited to, capital projects for the renovation of instructional facilities, construction of new academic space, construction of new research space, upgrades to heating and cooling systems, and improvements for handicapped accessibility.

* Parks and Recreational Facilities Bond Issue
The purpose of the Act is to allow the Commonwealth to sell bonds to raise funds to pay for capital projects at state-supported parks and recreational facilities. If this Act is approved, the Commonwealth may issue Commonwealth of Virginia General Obligation Bonds and sell the bonds to raise funds to pay for specific capital projects. The capital projects contemplated in the Act have an estimated useful life of more than twenty-five years and include, but are not limited to, capital projects for the acquisition of land for natural area preserves and parks, campground construction, visitor center renovation, road improvements, trail improvements and shoreline erosion repair.

Highlights from an article I found in the Roanoke paper... "Triumphant GOP Looks to new Agenda"
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush and his party savored sweeping midterm election victories Wednesday and began sketching an agenda for a new, Republican-controlled Congress. The leader of defeated House Democrats, Rep. Dick Gephardt, signaled he would step down.... Republicans were assured of 51 seats in the new Senate, a gain of two. Democrats had 47 and the support of one independent....In the House, Republicans had 227 seats — a gain of four — and led for one more. Democrats won 203, and led for three. There was one independent. Senior aides, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Gephardt intended to declare on Thursday that he would not seek a fifth term as House Democratic leader. The 61-year-old Missouri lawmaker is a potential challenger for the White House in 2004, but it was not known whether he would discussion his presidential ambitions when he made his announcement....The elections marked a remarkable triumph for Republicans, who bucked history to gain seats in a midterm election in which they held the White House."

Not only did the Republican party end up with majorities in the House and Senate, but also a majority of the governorships throughout the country, even Governor Jeb Bush of Florida came out on top.

I'm not a republican, but I am conservative and Republicans tend to be more conservative than Democrats, so I guess it was a great day for Republicans and a not so shabby day for conservatives alike.

Election Day

In honor of one of the greatest American freedoms: voting
I voted for the first time today. That's one of the good parts about being 18! And I got one of those stickers to show that I participated in my country! But, today's post is related to the elections.... Political Parties....

There are many, many, many independent parties in the United States.... Some of these include:
* The American Reform Party - breakaway from the Reform party known for by Ross Perot
* The American Nazi Party
* Communist Party USA
* The Constitution Party - (a personal favorite for the 2000 presidential election) formerly known as the US Taxpayers Party... and basically a very serious Religious Right platform
* The Green Party - highly liberal
* The Labor Party - liberal group created by labor unions
* The Libertarian Party - Libertarians are neither left nor right... they believe in total individual liberty and total econmic freedom (this is a party I tend to lean toward more now than before)
* Reform Party - Ross Perot
* Socialist Party USA - advocate left-wing electoral change versus militant revolutionary change.
* and many more.....

However many independent parties exist, however, America is highly a bipartisan system.... balanced between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
* Democratic Party (DNC): right now have a 50-49-1 majority over the Senate because one Repubican was suayed into converted to independent and thus throwing the majority (by one) to the democrats... That's why this years election is so crucial, because the majority could go back to the Republicans and our President can actually get something done without getting shot down.
* Republican Party (RNC): currently control a slim majority in the House of Representatives, several key Governorships, and the White House.

To read more on these parties, I've found a really good resource: http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm.

I've said before that I'm VERY conservative. But I never said what party I am... That's because I don't believe in choosing one party. Especially, Democratic or Republican because there are liberals and conservatives in both. I prefer to choose who I vote for based on their political views and platform, comparing them with my own personal ideology. I hope that other people feel the same way too.

Finally, voting is a very important freedom for Americans to take advantage of. If you don't vote, then you have absolutely no right to complain about the government.... NONE! If you're able to go out and vote, do it! Don't assume that other people will vote the way you want them too... Take matters into your own hands and make a say in your country!

Thoughts of the Day
(this blog is quickly turning non-political... but that's okay)

Assurance of Help in Temptation
"No Temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." ~ I Corinthians 10:13

Christ the Center
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." ~ Galatians 2:20

Halloween
Many Christians celebrate holidays, such as Halloween, without thinking about where it originated or its true meanings... I've never really had a problem with Halloween, but then again, I've never really taken the time to look into why some Christians do not participate in this holiday. So, that's what this post is meant to be: My exploration of this holiday.

How did Halloween come to exist?? For several hundred years before Christ, the Celts inhabited what is now France, Germany, England, Scotland and Ireland. Celtic priests were called Druids. These people were eventually conquered by the Romans.Greek and Roman writings about the Druids dwell heavily on their frequent and barbaric human sacrifices. The ancient Irish texts say little about human sacrifices, but detail the Druids' use of magic to raise storms, lay curses on places, kill by the use of spells, and create magical obstacles.

October 31st was celebrated by the Druids with many human sacrifices and a festival honoring their sun god and Samhain, the lord of the dead. They believed that the sinful souls of those who died during the year were in a place of torment, and would be released only if Samhain was pleased with their sacrifices.

Irish records tell of the fascination the Catholic monks had with the powerful Druids, and Druids soon became important members of their monasteries. Pope Gregory the Great decided to incorporate the Druids' holiday into the church. He made the proclamation, "They are no longer to sacrifice beasts to the devil, but they may kill them for food to the praise of God, and give thanks to the giver of all gifts for His bounty." Pope Gregory III moved the church festival of October 31st to November 1st and called it All Hallows or All Saints' Day. Pope Gregory IV decreed that the day was to be a universal church observance. The term Halloween comes from All Hallows Eve.

The founding fathers of America refused to permit the holiday to be observed because they knew it was a pagan holiday. Halloween was not widely celebrated in the U.S. until about 1900. In the 1840's there was a terrible potato famine in Ireland which sent thousands of Catholic Irish to America. They brought Halloween with them.

The modern custom of going from door to door asking for food and candy goes back to the time of the Druids. They believed that sinful, lost souls were released upon the earth by Samhain for one night on October 31st while they awaited their judgment. They were thought to throng about the houses of the living and were greeted with banquet-laden tables. People greatly feared these spirits and thought that the spirits would harm and even kill them if the sacrifices they gave did not appease Samhain. They carved demonic faces into pumpkins or large turnips, placing a candle in them to keep the evil spirits away from their homes.

The tradition of bobbing for apples and giving out nuts came from a Roman addition to the Druidic New Year’s eve. The Romans worshiped Pomona who was the goddess of the harvest. They combined their harvest festival to Pomona with Halloween.

Okay well, that's the background... but so what?? That's what it began as but does that have anything to do with whether or not we should participate??

In advance of Halloween for 1999, Focus on the Family, a Fundamentalist Christian agency conducted a poll of their web site visitors concerning their plans to observe Halloween. The Results were:
30% Avoid it because it is evil
29% Enjoy costumes and candy
29% Turn it into a fall festival
9% Ignore it for lack of interest
4% Observe it as Reformation Day -- a recognition of the founding of Protestantism.

Every act around Halloween is in honor of false gods, which are spirits in the realm of the Satanic. Those who have been deeply involved in witchcraft and who are now free, declare that even those who say they worship spirits of nature are in actuality contacting the Satanic realm without knowing it. The Bible instructs us to have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness. Both Christian and Jew are forbidden to participate in the occult practices listed in Deuteronomy 18:10.

This is what William J. Schnoebelen had to say about the holiday..
An old proverb says, "When you sup with the devil, use a long spoon." Presumably, NO genuine Christian would want to sup with the devil at all and yet many may be doing so in ignorance.

As a former witch high priest now saved by Jesus, I was astonished by how many Christians let their kids celebrate Halloween. Some churches even sponsor "haunted houses" and similar events on what is the Number One satanic "helliday" of the year. Halloween used to be called Samhain, and is still celebrated as an ancient pagan festival of the dead by witches all over the world. Unfortunately, just giving the date a "holy" name like All Hallows' Eve or All Saints' Eve cannot change its grisly character. Halloween is an occasion when the ancient gods (actually demons) are worshiped with human sacrifice. The apostle Paul warns us: "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils" (1 Cor. 10:20).

If you are a Christian parent, God has given you a precious responsibility in your children. Remember, their ability to resist spiritual wickedness is much less than yours. If you allow your children to participate in Halloween (Trick or Treating, costume parties, etc.) you are allowing them to play on "the devil’s turf," and Satan will definitely press his home court advantage. You are opening up doorways into their young lives for evil by bringing them into a kind of "fellowship" with these ancient "gods."

We are commanded not to become involved with the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11). Both from my experience as a witch, and since getting saved, as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I have seen far too many examples of how breaking this command works out in lives. Remember, while we have God's promise of protection for ourselves and our children, that promise may not hold if we allow our children to celebrate this dark holiday. Case after case has come to us of children in rebellion. In many of these families, the problem can be traced back to the children being exposed to Halloween at a young age. It is hard enough to raise children these days in a Godly way without exposing them to Satan's realm.

Well.. that's what I've found in my search for knowledge and an opinion... oh and check this site out... Happy Halloween

Excuses, Excuses
Sorry for the break in posts... I get busy from time to time here at college and have to pull myself away from the blogger scene.

On Sunday, after NLCF, I went to the Newman library for the first time since I've been at college. For some reason, I have no need to go to the library. I guess when you're not in an english class and not in any classes that would require you to go do book research, there isn't a reason to go.... but, I decided that I wanted to look into picking up C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity because a friend of mine reccommended it. Well, it turned out that the library's copy of this book was out, but I decided to look into some other books. I walked away on Sunday with 3 C.S. Lewis books related to Christianity and one by some other guy... Anyway, currently I'm reading C.S. Lewis' The Case For Christianity (hence my last post)... All of the books I picked up are really short, so I should go through them pretty quickly, pending I don't get too busy with my real schoolwork.

Moral Law

You might as well say that the sheet of music which tells you, at a given moment, to play one note on the piano and not another, is itself one of the notes on the keyboard. The Moral Law is, so to speak, the tune we've got to play: our instincts are merely the keys.
~C.S. Lewis, The Case for Christianity

Fasting

I've always been slightly confused by the idea of fasting... it has always seemed to be a more "Old Testament" teaching that noone follows anymore.... But a week or two ago HokiePundit mentioned that he was fasting... And today, the sermon at NLCF was all about fasting... so here's my insight (taken mainly from what I picked up from Chris Backert's sermon this morning):

Fasting has been and is a highly misunderstood topic in Christian doctrine. But what is it really???

Fasting is a time when people willingly go without food for a spiritual purpose. Why would you fast? Well, to answer this, look at three examples from the Bible:
* Samuel was missing God's favor and protection
* Ezra was missing God's guidance and needed an answer
* Joel was missing God's deliverance and needed relief

Fasting seems to take place when there is something missing from the equation... and that something is God. But, its not just the act of fasting that will bring us back to God like the Pharisees thought ("One day teh disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, 'Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don't fast?' Jesus responded, ' Should the wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Someday he will be taken from them, and then they will fast. And who would patch an old garment with unshrunk cloth? For the patch shrinks and pulls away from teh old cloth, leaving an even bigger hole than before. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The old wineskins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins. That way both the wine and the wineskins are preserved." ~ Matthew 9:14-17).

Fasting, according to the Pharisees, was a visual, open event. They thought it would earn them God's favor. But looking at the larger story, we don't normally try to put something new into something old... Jesus' way of love, grace, and freedom was so different that it couldn't even exist in teh same container as the religiosity of the Pharisees.

Jesus says you can't earn God's favor when it is right in front of you... God is right in front of you...

Fasting isn't legalistic, but a way of refreshing our life. Going without food helps us find ourselves when we have moved away, rather than find God because he hasn't gone anywhere. Fasting helps put our heart in the right place. We can learn everything there is to know about sin and TRY really hard not to sin, but its not necessarily "the more you know, the further you go." -- You have to put effort into it.

Fasting helps us:
* Deny Ourselves:
- You really want to eat, but you have to learn to stand against desires of the flesh
- most sin comes from the desires of the flesh
- addictions feed off of wrongly placed desires
- fasting teaches us self-control
- our society is a society based on our wants and fulfilling our desires - impulse
- the danger is in thinking that our impulses are reasons to do something

* Finding our True Selves:
- we perceive that our bodies are the central part of our lives - our society idolizes bodies
- we're so fascinated with when the bodies look the best, but it could be when our insides look the worst.
- fasting brings our weaknesses to the surface
- Jesus said that he has food that we couldn't imagine - also, our true sustinence should come from God, rather than food and earthly pleasures
- when we're separated from God, do we crave Him?
- we SHOULD value the spiritual self

When you fast, replace food with God.

Respect

You know... I have a TREMENDOUS amount of respect for the military. I was going to be a part of the Air Force, after all. And, I still am around the military every day here at Tech, since Tech is one of the 2 schools in the nation with a Corps of Cadets within the civilian school.

I am, as you may know, a member of the Marching Virginians... the 330+ person marching band, that is the CIVILIAN marching band. Virginia Tech also has a 'regimental band' known as the Highty Tighties. I'll have to admit that the Highty Tighties aren't the best sounding band in the world. In fact many bands I heard throughout high school sound better than they do... But, they do have several things working against them.... 1) The Highty Tighties are rather small... the Corps of Cadets is only 3% of the entire population at Tech, so with that in mind... they can't really be that large.. (appx. 80 people are in the HT's) 2) They not only have to balance band and academics... but also military training.

The MV's constantly are making fun of the HTs. Their marching is really not bad at all, but yet the MVs criticise them for that too.. Just because it is military style marching doesn't mean its bad... Besides these people have done something the rest of us should have done... they're training in order that they can serve the United States and protect every American's freedoms... I RESPECT THAT ENORMOUSLY... we all should have some commitment to protecting America and all it stands for.... and these Cadets are doing just that.. they're the future of the military... we need them... and they just need some respect... we're all in the band... band is about enjoying what you're doing... entertaining the crowd.... etc... that's what we're doing in the MV's and that's what they're doing in the HT's, but we both have our ways of doing things... I don't think its right or fair for us to be so critical of them... and it really bothers me... like sincerely bothers me that the MV's treat the HTs this way...

There's my soapbox.

Insight for The day

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men, since you know that you'll receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward ~ Colossians 3:23-24

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." ~ Eclesiastes 9:10

God creates the heavens and the earth... God creates man... God gives man work to do.... Its been there since the beginning of time. Sometimes, when we're overloaded with tasks that we don't necessarily find the most appealing, we tend to take on a negative attitude and complain... boredom creeps in along with a lack of interest, which sparks rude actions... mockery, not paying attention, etc... I know I get this way... I've been this way for the past few days.... and it doesn't help when the people you're around act this way either - it just brings you down as well.

Tests can be rather stressful, especially along with all the other things we have to complete on our normal day-to-day schedule.... and they're certainly not something we all just want to go do in our spare time, with the exception of little personality type tests (such as the ones found at thespark.com). I definitely have been rather pessimistic and have taken complaining about it... which isn't the thing to do...

I was working on my Bible study for the Navigators group that I'm in. This week's study is on Wholeheartedness, and I came across the verses I quoted above. If we could regard our work as an act of worship or service to God, no matter the task, such an attitude would take some of the drudgery and boredom out of it. We could work without complaining or resentment if we would treat our problems as teh cost of discipleship. Also, by not letting the inequities and less than desirable aspects of life bring us down, we probably could be much more content with our status in life...

An Excuse

Sorry... I know I've had this just over a week and I haven't been posting very regularly... but I need to break from this addictive hobby of blogging while I prepare for two BIG tests on Friday! After that, I should be back with a refreshing new post!
Until I return...

The Song...
The song I posted last night, When Love Takes You In, is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. The first time I heard the song was at the 2002 Concert in Roanoke in February or March. I'm a rather stoic person in that I don't cry very often. In fact, I believe that when I heard this song at the concert last year it was the first time and only time I've ever cried due to a movie, song, etc. He said that he was inspired to write it after he and his wife adopted a child. The song has meaning both in the secular sense, relating to adoption, and in the spiritual sense, relating to our relationship with God.

The song refers to love taking you in... this is like the act a couple takes when they adopt a child... They're taking a child in with love, just as they would love a child of their own flesh and blood. I think that the most powerful part of this song is "When love takes you home and says you belong here / The loneliness ends and a new life begins / When love takes you in." Adopting an orphan doesn't mean that you love him/her any less than you would a child that you 'made' (for lack of a better term)... These children are brought into a home that loves them (or so it should be)... This is the life they know and will grow up knowing... Love has taken them in and given them a new life full of hope.

But this song is not only about physical adoption. The song has basis in three key verses:
* 1 John 3:1 - "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him."
* John 14:18 - "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
* Psalm 68:5-6 - "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land."

Just because God is not our physical father does not mean that he doesn't love us the same. Its hard to imagine a love so pure, so deep, so true... In the first stanza of the song, he talks about feeling as if noone is there for you - loneliness... That's what Psalm 68:5-6 refers to: God is there for the lonely... He has given us protection and provision, just as any loving parent would give their child. The loneliness ends... and our new life IN HIM begins when he took us in. God will NEVER stop loving us and there is not a thing that could cause his love to fail. "And this love will never let you go / There is nothing that could ever cause this love to lose its hold."

This is what Steven Curtis Chapman says about adoption (taken from the website of Shaohannah's Hope, the adoption 'agency' he and his wife founded):
Recognizing that adoption is a perfect picture of what God has done for each of us in making us His children through Christ, Shaohannah's Hope has been established to present and encourage adoption as a response to the Gospel. Psalm 68:5-6 tells us that as the Father to the fatherless, God delights in setting the lonely in families. It has been our experience that the scriptural mandate of caring for orphans, such as the one found in James 1:27, is really a wonderful invitation to experience God in a profound way by being a part of His sovereign plan for His precious children.

Working from these foundational truths, Shaohannah's Hope exists to enable children living without the love and hope of an earthly family to be adopted into "covenant homes." These families can provide not only love and support needed for this life, but also provide a child with the knowledge of God’s plan for his or her eternal life with a forever family called The Body of Christ.


"That's what God does, and it's His favorite thing to do," Steven says, "to take the lonely, the homeless, and put them in families."

Now, I'm far from being settled down and ready to start a family... trust me... I've never even been on a date before.... But, Adoption is such a miraculous and wonderful process that I want to adopt a child when I get ready to have a family once I'm married. God is like an adopted parent to us. He was always our Father in Heaven... before we became a Christian it was as if He was awaiting the adoption papers to go through. God has love for every human being... its just that once we become Christians - once "our adoption papers go through" - His love for us is INSURMOUNTABLE!!!

Song of the Week

When Love Takes You In
I know you’ve heard the stories
But they all sound too good to be true
You’ve heard about a place called home
But there doesn’t seem to be one for you
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep
And drift off to a distant dream

Where love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in

And somewhere while you’re sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be

When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart

And this love will never let you go
There is nothing that could ever cause this love to lose its hold

When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in it takes you in for good
When love takes you in

~Steven Curtis Chapman

"I waited until I was married. My virginity was an honor that I was bestowing on a man - he had to be worthy of it."

-Lisa Kudrow, in an interview with People magazine
from HokiePundit

Agnosticism = fear of believing in something; fear of putting faith in some higher being.

Commercialized God
from an email received on 10/16/02 from my aunt...

A fifth grade teacher in a Christian school asked her class to look at TV commercials and see if they could use them in some way to communicate ideas about God. Here are some of the results:
* God is like Bayer Asprin; he works miracles.
* God is like a Ford; he's got a better idea.
* God is like Coke; he's the real thing.
* God is like Halmark Cards; he cares enough to send His very best.
* God is like Tide; he gets out the stains that others leave behind.
* God is like General Electric; he brings good things to life.
* God is like Sears; he has everything.
* God is like Alka-seltzer; try Him, you'll like him.
* God is like Scotch Tape; you can't see Him, but you know He's there.
* God is like Delta; he's ready when you are.
* God is like Allstate; you're in good hands with Him.
* God is like VO-5 Hairspray; he holds through all kinds of weather.
* God is like Dial Soap; aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wish everybody did?
* God is like the US Post Office; neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor ice will keep Him from His appointed destination.

Drinking...
College has been incredible. I grew up in a small town, however, and never saw alcohol aside from in the refrigerated aisles in Kroger, so coming to college has been a cultural experience for me... The Marching Virginians (the band here) is highly into the drinking scene. In fact at one point, there were 3 of us in the horn section that did not drink. But, despite having gone to many parties since I've been here, I have yet to have a drink of alcohol. And, honestly, the only time I even had a sliver of temptation to give in and try some was at the horn social on Thursday when they offered hard raspberry lemonade (and even then I really didn't want to)... but this week after hearing some good friends of mine discuss their desire to drink, I began to question some things... These two guys are juniors here at Tech and are very strong Christians... they both will be turning 21, leagal drinking age, this year and are looking forward to being allowed to drink... though they don't yet.

Honestly, I don't see the point in drinking... it seems like a waste to me. So I began to wonder... what is the extent of this not drinking thing? Is it really okay for Christians to drink the government says its allowed for us to do so?? Each year in our country there is an astounding loss of life and property that is directly related to alcohol. The social problems associated with the abuse of alcohol are tragic. But, what does the Bible say on this issue? Is it compatible with a Christian's beliefs to drink?

The Christian’s highest priority in life should be to glorify God (Matthew 5:16). The greatest commandment is to love God (Matthew 22:37-38). The public expression of these values must come from the heart and manifest in our choices. For the Christian the ultimate authority for making choices comes from God’s Word. When we make our choices on the principles of God’s Word it honors Him and it is an expression of our love for Him (John 15:10).

The Bible contains numorous passages that say that drunkenness is a sin. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul commands that we are not to be drunk with wine but filled with the Holy Spirit. God calls us to be controlled by Him rather than alcohol or any other substance. We are commanded to be sober or free from any intoxicating influence. In our quest to glorify God our minds should be clear and our senses should be sharp as we apply the principles of God’s word to our daily experiences. Romans 13:13 says that we are to “behave properly as in the day not in carousing and drunkenness.” Unfortunately if we do drink, having a clear mind becomes more and more difficult...

Not only are we not to get drunk but we are also not to associate with a so-called brother if he should be a drunkard (1 Corinthians 5:11). It is clear from these passages and others that the Lord wants for us to stay away from the damaging abuses of alcohol. This is somewhere I believe that I should work on. I guess this means that I don't need to be going to these parties that I know are drinking parties. Because, even though I am not partaking in the drinking, I am exposing myself to the bad sides of these people as they are becoming drunk.

Although drunkenness is denounced as sin in the Bible, drinking is not. Since the Bible does not teach that drinking alcohol is a sin, it should not be condemned from the pulpit nor erroneously defined as sin. It is not necessary for us to break fellowship with a so-called brother that drinks alcohol. We may fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Europe and other parts of the world that do not view the use of alcohol the same as the abuse of alcohol.

It should be noted that John the Baptist glorified God by fasting and abstaining from drinking alcohol while Jesus glorified His Father and went to parties and drank alcohol (Matthew 11:18-19). Jesus drank wine with His disciples at the Passover (Luke 22:15-18) and He even turned the water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana (John 2:1-11). If we try to lead others to believe that the Bible teaches drinking is a sin we are embellishing the Scriptures no matter how sincere our concerns are about the abuses of alcohol. However, the trend between these occasions when Jesus did drink are that they seem to be special occasions and dinners... and most importantly, he did not drink to excess.

Having said that drinking is not declared sin in Scripture, it should be added that there are many warnings and examples of the dangers of alcohol. There are certainly enough warnings to merit total abstinence for any believer who would decide to put aside any hindrances in his personal pursuit of the glory of God.

The pursuit of the glory of God requires a sober mind controlled by God’s indwelling Spirit. There are numerous warnings concerning the deceitfulness of sin and the tendencies of our fleshly nature. Understanding that our fleshly natures will war against the Spirit
brings us to the role of wisdom in decision-making.

We make many decisions that are based upon the principle of wisdom yet are not supported with a direct command from Scripture. For instance, in the Old Testament they practiced both polygamy and slavery but today we do not. The decision is made not because of a direct prohibition from the Bible but on the principle of wisdom.

The Bible warns that drinking can impair our soberness of mind. Priests were warned not to drink wine or strong drink and come into the temple (Leviticus 10:9). King Lemuel was instructed by his mother, “it is not for kings to drink wine” (Proverbs 23:29-35). The
Nazarite vow required abstinence from wine and strong drink (Numbers 6:3). The Rechabites were commended for obeying their father’s command not to drink wine (Jeremiah 35:2-8). Cloudy judgment may replace the pursuit of the glory of God with the pursuit of pleasure. And since the amount of drink to the point of impaired judgment is undetermined it is always a risk.

The Bible also warns against the addictive nature of alcohol. Wine goes down smoothly but at the last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper. Despite the ordeal when the person awakes they seek another drink (Proverbs 23:29-35). In the book of Isaiah it is declared that the drunkards of Ephraim had been overcome with wine (Isaiah 28:1).

These are just a few of the numerous warnings in Scripture against the potential for abuse of alcohol. While there is no direct command for abstinence from drink in Scripture there are principles of wisdom that we should apply. Drinking is not cited as sin but it may be detrimental to your physical and spiritual health. Be careful about the decisions you make and determine that nothing will distract you from the pursuit of God’s glory.

Let's Get it On Event on Campus

Being at a large public university allows for many opportunities... including a certain program I was informed of through an email from my RA today:

There's going to be a great program on Tuesday, October 15th, at 8:00 in the third floor Prichard cross-over lounge. The program is called "Lets Get it On." We will be giving out free condoms and there will be free food, too. We're also gonna play some fun sex games and provide lots of useful information. It should be a blast, so please come out if you can. Also, Im getting graded for this program based partly on attendance, so I would really appreciate if if some of you could come out and support it. I guarantee you will have a good time. You will also be getting a phone mail message about the program.

Now, the first time I saw the signs for the "Let's Get it On" program in my dorm... I couldn't make out what the lettering was supposed to be... (I admit, I wasn't' wearing my glasses at the time...) I acutally thought they were screwdrivers and other random tools, but the next time I looked and these letters that I had once seen as tools were actually "wearing" (if you will) condoms. Well, I suppose if you're going to have sex using condoms is a good idea, but that's not exactly how it should be.

Sex within marriage is a beautiful and acceptable thing... I'm not condoning that at all... As I said before, I am a Conservative Christian and this should probably imply to you that, as most Conservative Christians are, I am opposed to premarital sex. But Why??

God tells us NOT to commit adultry (adultry = voluntary sexual intercourse with someone other than the spouse... this includes pre-marital sex because the sex partner is not the spouse, obviously). You shall not commit adultery. ~ Exodus 20:14.... pretty blunt, eh?? As Christians, whatever God says carries much more weight in our lives (or at least should if we are on a good walk with God) that our wants and desires... As Christians are called to spread the word of God to others, thus we oppose premarital sex. And in America, we have the right to publicly oppose these matters just as anyone has the right to oppose bills or taxes being made... that's what Freedom is!

Even beyond my religious beliefs on the subject, I have basic moral values that also go against premarital sex. For one, it is hurtful to society as a whole, causing the spread of diseases such as AIDS. It hurts the bond of marriage.... you've had sex with people other than your husband/wife when you get married and so it is no longer the ultimate intimate act demonstrating the love you have for your significant other. This also weakens the way people view marriage... because sex is not something shared between a husband and a wife, there is no longer that strong bond holding them together.... people don't take it as seriously anymore...

This brings me back to the condoms thing. By not giving out condoms, sex outside of marriage should reduce (hopefully) because of fear people have of sdiesease and pregnancy But even if there were a 100% safe method of birth control and protection against disease, conservatives, myself included, would oppose it. We would have no veneral diseases if everyone just stopped having sexual relations. No illigitimate children. No single-parent households, or at least at a minimal number...

This is why I was disturbed by this email... No I will not be seen near this... I do not think that people should just get people to come to these things by handing out condoms and ice cream... Rather, having a meeting to talk about why premarital sex should be unacceptable to them and serving ice cream... that's good enough.. you have your item of interest for the college student (ice cream = nourishment) and you're discussing a crucial topic... that's the way to do it.. but as I've said, I am opposed to condoms and think its rather disturbing that they would just give out these condoms.

Quote of the Day:

The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.

song of the day:
"In the secret, in the quiet place
In the stillness You are there
In the secret, in the quiet hour I pray
'Cause I want to know You more
'Cause I want to know You more

I want to know You
I want to hear Your voice
I want to know You more
I want to touch You
I want to see Your face
I want to know You more

I am reaching for the highest goal
That I might receive the prize
Pressing onward
Pushing every hindrance aside
'Cause I want to know You more
'Cause I want to know You more."
~In The Secret~

Hello Blogworld!
I have given into the world of intellectual blogging, and thus have created this, Super Crazy Stefie Thinkin' Time! (The name is halfway attributed to LESLIE WAHLGREN, who has begun the rally to change the name of our new pregame tradition from "Hokie Pokie Bandemonium" to "Super Crazy Band Time"... ) Also, I want to say that I was partly inspired to start this new blog by my dear friend HokiePundit. But, as a first entry, I'll give a little background on me....

My name is Stefie (technically Stefanie, but everyone calls me Stefie) and I'm a freshman at VIRGNINIA TECH. I'm currently in studying general engineering because that's what they make all the freshmen engineer students do, but I plan on majoring in aerospace engineering. I'm also in the HORNiest section in the Marching Virginians... 330 strong! :) I'm a somewhat vertically challenged, blonde haired, blue-eyed 18 year-old girl. Having grown up in the little town of Vinton (part of Roanoke County) in SOUTHERN Virginia, I've led a rather normal life.... no gang violence or busy NOVA traffic. Apparently I'm rather conservative (according to my high school government teacher, the most conservative person in my senior class) and I'm not ashamed of that either. I'm a Christian... raised Southern Baptist, but I am proud to say that I claim to believe what God says to me through the Word. And that's me in a nutshell....

Which brings me to my blog... As of now, the plan is for this to be my place to comment on anything I deem necessary... SpacyPundit will not be a summary of my day-to-day life. But of course what I encounter in my life will generally be the inspiration for my comments but I plan not to just jabber on about every little detail of my life... for that we have the already existing XANGA PAGE. But this will be my place to say anything I feel led to about religion, politics, current events, etc... Topics of depth and breadth (beyond just the one-dimensional, where I went to socialize at 8 pm on Thursday October 3rd...). Okay.. well, until I have a real post... Over-and-out.