Star Wars critic

Below is a hilarious review of Star Wars:

"Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi" (1983) One word: Ewoks. A few more: Ewoks dancing and singing on the forest moon of Endor to celebrate the destruction of the second Death Star, the toppling of the empire and its emperor, the burning corpse of Darth Vader, the rehumanity of Anakin Skywalker, the brotherhood/sisterhood of Luke and Leia, the imminent copulation of Han and Leia, the general good guy redemption of Lando Calrissian (and his friendship with the vaguelyJapanese fish guy co-pilot), C3-PO's elevation to deity status, something about R2-D2 and blah blah blah. If you are 10 years old or younger, this ending is perfect. If you are one second older, this ending is a perfect way to sully the memory of your childhood and convince you that nothing you ever believed was true. (Also, you could probably extrapolate the three misbegotten "Star Wars" prequels, episodes I through III, as extensions of the end of "Jedi," which obviously renders it the worst movie ending of all time.)

A Sunday Morning Prayer

First, I can't stress it enough that I'm a venter or ranter. This means at times, when I'm feeling emotional, not everything I say or write is solid or entirely based in reality. However, believe it or not, these emotional times are opportunities for issues or insecurities to be flushed out into the open. My previous post is an example of this. Greg's assesment was pretty dead on about good advice mixed with bad. This is why everything needs to be filtered through Jesus Christ and His word. Again I appreciate all of the comments.

Anyway, I was reading the bible this morning came upon the following chapter in Psalms. Until recently I've never been a big fan of Psalms. It never seemed challenging or interesting enough to me. To be honest, for me it was like reading Leviticus. "Alright I'll read it because God must want me to, since it's in the bible". However, this time around Psalms seems different somehow. Like God is just a bit bigger than I used to think and I'm a bit smaller. I don't know if that makes any sense.

Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.

The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors?

Let all who read below say this pray, found in the book of Psalms chapter 19:

Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

It’s all in the Approach: Dating advice from a Bro in Christ

So I have this holiday dinner thing at this 5 star resort Friday. Apparently this is a big deal. I was going to skip out on it, but after thinking about it I changed my mind. Unfortunately I made the mistake of stating I would be bringing a guest. Confident I could dig someone up for this event. I was wrong and as a result I’ve learned some critical lessons about male female relationships. Much of this has been gleamed from a conversation I had with a close bro in Christ last night (after 4 female friends turned me down for an opportunity to go to a 5 star resort for dinner). Obviously I’m doing something critically wrong in the way I relate to women. This bro in Christ gave me a harsh dose of reality, which I now have been challenged to think and pray about, with regards to personal application.

The box:
I’ve said for years that women make up their mind whether they’d date any given man within the first meeting. After this they place the man in a box. There are 3 boxes. The first box is the box every guy wants to be put in. That is the date or marriage minded box. The second box (where I tend to find myself) is the friendship/brother box. This is a very bad box to be in. However, this is a very easy box to get into with women. It’s also the lair of the unconfident. The third box is the creep box and no one should desire to be here.

The approach:
Why do women seem to often times place me in the friend box? My approach! This is the area my bro in Christ spent a good 30 minutes just hammering me on. He said that while I have a great sense of humor and that he’s been blessed to have me as a friend and bro in Christ in his life, women aren’t able to see any of the good parts of my personality. An ex-girlfriend once told me “I can’t know any more about you than what you tell me”, or words to that extent. In other words, a woman can’t know aspects of my personality unless I show her.

Anyway, my friend said that he’s noticed I approach almost every woman with humor and that this automatically places me in the friend/brother box. He said I have to approach every woman with complete seriousness, loving kindness and leadership. He indicated humor only comes into play after a relationship has been established or if I desire a woman to not be interested in me. He said that this is his approach and consequently he has dating options. He also said that as a consequence he struggles with relating to women as anything but dating options or non dating options.

The lesson learned here is to stay away from the friendship box at all costs. The cost may very well mean having no female friends and setting myself up for the possibility of facing real rejection (since I won’t be protecting myself with humor anymore), but the payoff is that I may very well have my best opportunity to eventually pursue a woman for marriage.


Damage control
So the question is what do I do today? How do I apply this new approach? Well unfortunately I’ve managed to find myself in the friendship box with every woman currently in my life. I confess that this is my fault and so I bare 100% of the blame here, not these women, though I want to blame them. I wasn’t confident enough in my approach and took the easy way out. My friend indicated that once you’re in a box you don’t get out. So I’m stuck in the crap box with these women, never to see the light of day. However, I put the tape on the box and sealed it shut myself.

So what’s my plan? My friend indicated that I basically need to sever my friendships with these women. He didn’t tell me to do this, but I gathered this from our conversation, my own experiences with women and conversations with some of my other bros in Christ. Now this doesn’t mean I ignore them or don’t show kindness. It just means I stop relating to these women the way I relate to my guy friends (calling them up to see what’s going on, emailing them about game nights at my house, etc…).

Another bro in Christ told me a few weeks ago that friendships with women are extremely temporary. As soon as they get a boyfriend then the friendship is essentially over or at least dramatically changed. Besides I don’t believe men and women were ever intended to be friends, outside of marriage or family anyway. May seem harsh, but I’ve not faired very well in my approach as the nice funny guy friend. Essentially people should only seek out friendships with same sex folks. A man should never seek out a friendship with a woman and vise versa. In the long run someone will get hurt. Besides there’s really no good to come from these types of friendships. As I learned from my recent experience, these supposed friendships are not really friendships at all. They are really no more than surrogate dating relationships or dating place holders until “Mr. Right” comes along. It’s a safe way for men and women to fill a deep desire in their lives with a non-committed relationship. It’s also a way for men and women to fantasize that they have more options than they really have. This is neither healthy nor Christ-like.

Conclusion:
I’ve dated about 15 or so women in my life. Probably a very small amount for a man of my age, but between these dating experiences, friendships with women and recent events I’ve come to a few conclusions and have a very good idea what needs to change.

About 8 years ago I was in some type of relationship with this woman. To this day I can’t classify it (more than a friendship but less than a committed relationship). I distinctly remember a few of our conversations. I remember how much she disliked my goofy side, when she desired to have a more serious conversation with me. She even told me one time that she really wished I would approach her more often with seriousness. However, I love to have fun, so I was serious with her when I wanted to be serious and goofy when I wanted to have fun. Looking back, though, she couldn’t get enough of me when we were having our deeper phone conversations. I couldn’t get her off the phone. From here I started to look at other relationships with women and each and every time I look back I see that all of these women were most attracted to me when I approached them with seriousness and leadership.

My friend indicated that being both serious and humorous with women confuses them. He said that it makes me look like I have two personalities and most women don’t know how to process this, so they lose any security in the relationship. Apparently women need that initial sense of security in being able to figure out men (“which box do I put him in?”).

My friend said I absolutely need to approach all the women with absolute seriousness, leadership and loving kindness. He said I need to talk as little as possible with women and let them do most of the talking. I should only talk to keep the conversation moving along or to briefly answer any of their questions. He said this may make for some crappy dates on my part, but the women may very well think they’re having one of the best dates of their lives, and that this is the point. That is the point of dating is to make the woman feel like she’s having the time of her life. He said that women are very selfish creatures and desire above all else affirmation or that a man makes them feel important or good about themselves. I must say that looking back on my life this all doesn’t seem too far from the mark, based on my personal experience.

Women, despite what they say and even what they think they believe, in their hearts they don’t really want guy friends. Women really want a man to sweep them off their feet. They want confidence, affirmation, security and leadership (in that order). Now contrast this to what I want most: friendship, physical attraction, chemistry and fun (in this order), all in Christ of course. I’ve determined that this is what has been causing me the most grief in my life with regards to women. I’ve been looking at it all wrong. I’ve been looking at it from what I want, or what turns me on, and not what women want. You see I get turned on from a fun friendship with an attractive sister in Christ, while this completely turns off the very women I’m interested in. Of course I can debate or elaborate the definition of friendship, but this is the biggest turn off with women. Work on the friendship later, much later. It may seem like you’re both pursuing a closer friendship, but in reality you’re not. Think about your close relationships with the same sex, or your family and contrast this with relationships with the opposite sex and you’ll see what I mean.

Focus first on the approach of seriousness, leadership and loving kindness. This is a very extreme/polar approach and so as a man I will get very extreme/polar reactions. If I successfully start employing this new perspective, many women (who I might ordinarily form friendships with) will not want anything to do with me, while hopefully the right woman will want everything to do with me.

As the band Tears for Fears once said, ‘everybody wants to rule the world’. In this instance, perhaps it’s more accurate to state that everyone wants to be heard and taken seriously. The best conversation most people can have is the one in which they are doing the most talking and feel like the other person is doing most of the listening. I’ve seen this with women and I can’t believe it’s only now really dawning on me. Every time a woman has indicated she really enjoyed our conversation were the times when she did most of the talking and I basically just listened. Let’s face it, people like to hear the sound of their own voice and further they really like it when they are really heard by someone else.

I’m not 100% sure how I feel about all this. I hate that I can’t be who I want to be to attract the type of woman I want. Unfortunately, the type of women I’m attracted to (apparently), aren’t attracted to the type of man I initially portray myself as being. Like my friend said, it’s not a matter of changing myself or being insincere; it’s a matter of putting a different foot forward. He told me that I was being very serious with him, so why couldn’t I approach women the same way? He’s right. I obviously have it in me, so it’s not insincere as much as it’s just a change in my approach.

In past relationships I’ve always put the fun humorous foot forward and shown my serious side later. However, I need to flip flop this and show my deeper serious side from the start. I think I’ve been hiding this because this is my more vulnerable side and I’m not a very trusting person. So people, especially women, need to earn my trust prior to seeing this side of me in a relationship. I guess women aren’t the only selfish creatures. I want what I want and they want what they want. However, as the man I need to yield my selfish desires, should I desire to ever get married, which I do.

So I’m going to start praying about applying these truths to my life. It’s not as easy as flipping a switch, but I definitely need to head in this direction. I wish this came more naturally to me. God willing He has enough grace towards me to help me to really apply this more in my life. Though my flesh selfishly desires what it wants and to protect itself, the spirit wants something significantly more important and meaningful for my life.

Example of Forgiveness

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15)

Recently it came to my attention that someone I used to consider a friend, but now, unfortunately I must count as an enemy, has been spreading malicious & slanderous lies about me. What started out as a misunderstanding has now developed into full blown animosity and bitterness.

[Two words of wisdom I learned from the early part of this bad situation: 1. Be very very careful about giving advice. In fact try your best not to give advice, but instead encourage people to talk about their own feelings/solutions. Then in that way they can give credit to God or themselves and you can relinquish your role. 2. Be very very careful who you trust. If the angels can’t tell the wheat from the tare than how can a human being? I’ve learned the hard way that simply because someone claims to be a Christian doesn’t necessarily mean they are or even if they are, that they can be trusted.]

Anyway, during a recent long drive I was listening to Johnny Cash reads the NT. I was back in Acts and Johnny was reading chapter 7 and it struck me that I hadn’t forgiven this person. Though I don’t feel as though I’ve yet to fully forgiven this person, I did learn how serious forgiveness is. Here Steven is being stoned to death and I had to pause to reflect on the very last act he performed just before he died. “Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

So what does this require of me? Here was a sinner, like myself, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and his last act wasn’t to curse these men, but to plead for their forgiveness. This is amazing to me. I would be praying that God would rain fire down on these men, but this sinful man, made holy by Jesus Christ, instead does the opposite of any “reasonable” man. He forgives the very men who were murdering him. If that’s not an example of a life utterly transformed by Jesus Christ I don’t know what is.

Father God, in the name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, I pray that you would show me, and every believer, how to love people the way you do. Show us, as you did with Stephen, through your Holy Spirit, how to love people so much we could forgive them, even as they murdered us. Instead of the left hand of vengeance, show us how to present the right hand of love and fellowship. Not for our glory, but yours. Amen.

Offensive or art?

What type of attitude should Christians take towards these types of artistic expressions? Do these types of events offend? If so why? We need to understand this. We need to understand why this would be offensive. Is Christianity a label or designation we should take pride in or is it something else?

From the article it sounds to me like this man is curious. He’s exploring something he doesn’t understand. “Why do so many people worship this Jesus who died such a shameful, painful and horrible death? How could he have risen from the dead?”

Perhaps the question we should really be asking is: Is Christianity a status, accomplishment, designation, something we’ve achieved or gained? Or rather is Christianity a relationship with a God who sacrificed what was most precious because His glorification and love for us was more important? Even as I state this I still feel I’m doing a huge injustice to the deeper meaning behind a relationship with Jesus Christ.

These types of displays should never bother us. Rather we should look for opportunities to discuss Jesus with others through these types of events. Imagine if instead of opposing this display someone had taken the time to try to discuss Jesus Christ with this man. It sounds like he would be open to this.

I’ve also heard about certain homosexual groups mocking Christianity by reenacting the crucifixion in front of certain churches in CA. I believe I’ve mentioned this before, but imagine if instead of throwing things at these people, despising and cursing them, the church lovingly approached them? Gave them a glass of water or something to eat or simply asked them why and patiently listened to them. Heaping hot coals on their heads, not to make them feel guilty, but to show them how misguided they are.

I believe it matters very little if people mock our God. It matters significantly more how we make disciples of all nations and spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Everything else is a distraction from this. We must keep in mind the example the apostle Paul gave us starting in Acts 17:16-34.

Christianity: Religion or relationship?

The bible defines religion as “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27). Webster defines religion as “the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2): commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance 2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices 3 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith”

My definition of religion: a system of rules and regulations by which an imperfect sinful person can become holy, or more pleasing to a god or gods with no regard to the probably holiness, actions and free will of these deities. Essentially religion is a set of rules by which a powerless mortal can manipulate an immortal, holy God. “Your desires will become my desires and I will be your god” (a quote from the latest Zelda game on the Wii, referencing an interaction between an evil being and an evil spirit).

So I will use my definition for the purpose of this particular short article. This is in no way to refute the references in the bible to religion and how religious practices play into our daily lives as Christians, but only to debate to whom we are looking to in our religious actions.

Now the question is: What is a relationship?
What does a relationship look like? With friends? Family? Spouses? Why do we love these people? What acts do we go through for the benefit of these people? Do we do any acts for the benefit of these people or do we love them for what they do for us? Do we provide money to these people when they need it? Do we try to meet any other of their needs? How do we feel about these people when we do beneficial things for these people? Positive? Negative?

I’ve noticed that when I’m actively doing beneficial things for others that my opinion of them is more positive than if I hadn’t. Essentially I draw closer to them more through my own actions, rather than waiting for them to do something good to me. What could this possibly mean with regards to building a healthy relationship? Imagine if both people are being proactive in their relationship. Doing beneficial things for the other person, without regard for the other person’s actions or inactions.

Now take these last two paragraphs and apply them to a relationship with Jesus Christ. He has already taken the first step to show His love for us. He has already performed that beneficial act with absolutely no regard to our actions or inactions. That is He demonstrated unconditional love. Now how should we respond? Yes grace, love and salvation are all freely given. However, if we aren’t doing our part in the relationship, how can we realize the joy of this relationship? Are we waiting for Him to do something else for us? A new car? A spouse? A better spouse? More money? Better job?

I’ve observed that my feelings towards God improve with my desire and actions to get to know Him better. My desire to give more over to Him and obey Him increases with my efforts to read the word, pray and do beneficial things for others. Essentially I’m learning that I should follow religious practices not to manipulate God into giving me salvation and good things in this life or to please Him, but because I desire to follow His ways and draw closer to Him. Essentially I desire a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. He doesn’t need me to do anything, therefore I can’t please Him. He can’t be any more or less pleased with me. Jesus performed the most pleasing act on my behalf and so righteousness has been credited to me.

Marriage: Good or bad for your Health?

An interesting article on the benefits of healthy relationships to our physical health.

So get married, be fruitful and multiply.

Oh yeah… and don’t forget to speak your mind, but under no circumstances let the sun go down on your anger.

Marriage, 77 or 7?

When Peter inquired of the Lord how often he should forgive his brother Jesus said 77 times, not 7. In this culture, 7 was a number of completion. Obviously Peter was inferring a limit to forgiveness whereas Jesus was teaching infinite.


This German politician would like to put a limit or perhaps eliminate marriage altogether. Should we marry for 7 years or 77? I wonder why she chose 7? Was it because neither of her marriages lasted past 7 years or does she have any kind of real evidence showing marriages don't last past 7 years?

This politician brought up some interesting perspectives on marriage. She was quoted as saying ""The basic approach is wrong ... many marriages last just because people believe they are safe,". First of all she's probably basing this comment on personal experience rather than actual knowledge on the topic. It's always interesting to note what others believe and why. In this particular instance I would guess she's projecting. When I say projecting I'm referring to our tendency to take our experiences and project them onto everyone. "My marriage didn't work out, so no one's will or ever has." "It's natural to look upon a woman with lust, so therefore it's right."

We, as Christians, need to understand why we pursue relationships, specifically marriage. Do we desire marriage because it's expected, because of societies pressures, because of selfish desires or because we're lonely? Does Jesus Christ play any role at all in our decision making or are we following the path this German politician is following? If we aren't pursuing holiness in everything we do, every decision we make, then how can the unbelieving world distinguish between their world and ours, our beliefs and theirs, our God and theirs? Is there any truth in us? Are we taking 1 Corinthians 13 (concerning love) into our hearts when we make relationship oriented decisions or are we looking to Hollywood to define what love is? Honestly, I believe we look to Hollywood to define love more than anything else far more often than we care to admit. How does anything that community does or say reflect biblical values and principles? I say their definition of love can be defined not through the bible, but through sin and or immaturity or ignorance. By Hollywood's definition of love we should only get involved with people who do something for us. That is we should date or marry people who do things for us or make us feel a certain way. Now how does this match up with the Bible? (This is the part where you need to actually start reading the bible, front to back.

Oh... a brief note on romance... my definition of romance is tied up with the biblical definition of love. I believe romance is something initiated by the man which is then reciprocated by the woman. I believe it involves each person putting the other person before themselves. "I want her to feel good today, so I'll send her flowers or a poem or make her dinner or etc..." My cynical side tells me Hollywood depicts romance as nothing more than a doorway to sex.


How does John 14:15-18 (concerning the promise of the Holy Spirit & Christ's return) impact our desire or desperation for companionship? How can we find victory over our sin and insecurities? We find our identity defined through Jesus Christ as found in Matthew 3:16-17. Believing Jesus Christ died for our sins means He stands in our place and these verses depict how God now looks upon us. When considering our sin He takes into account the act of Jesus Christ upon the cross.

More verses to reference with regards to love:
1 John 4:10 and 1 John 5:3

So when asked: "Should we limit marriages to 7 years?" We should be able to then be ready to in some way or shape convey the gospel of Jesus Christ. There's no point in arguing the stupidity of this topic. This would be a distraction and a waste of time. The person asking this type of question is either completly ignorant, hard hearted or in denial and pain over past mistakes. This type of person doesn't need to be argued with, they need to be loved on and have Christ preached to them. This is why we need to know what we believe and why we need to get this distracting Hollywood crap out of our heads.

You want to be loved and desired? Look to Jesus Christ. You want to have romance in a relationship? Take the confidence He offers you through Christ to be vulnerable enough to either receive or initiate this.

Christians’ wake up!: A tale of the hoodwinking of the church and the avalanche towards destruction of a once great God centered country.

Been a while since I've posted on here. The following rant is at least 1 month old, probably closer to 2. I've been a traveling man. OR, CO, IL, IN, FL, NC.

Anyway, I feel I must continually remind anyone who may stumble onto this (as I'm sure any regular followers have since dissappeared due to the lack of posts) of the title of my blog. I must also bring to rememberance that this is definitely a ranting blog. I'm blowing off steam or venting or whatever you want to call it. I'm a frustrated white man and a sinner, surrounded by sinners.

You know you gotta admit satan’s done a pretty good job of checking off a lot of his boxes for this country. I can say with 100% assurance that if the founding fathers were still alive they’d be planning another revolution or civil war or at least pushing very hard for a complete separation from the USA we live in today. There’s no way our current culture in this country comes even close to being the society so many brave souls died for so many years ago. Heck I don’t believe it’s the country our brave soldiers fight for today in foreign lands. We’ve all been distracted so long by radio, TV, movies, pornography and other vices that we haven’t noticed that our very way of life has been undermined. It’s so insidious that even most folks in the church have been fooled, especially our so called leaders. What am I referring to? How is this all possible? Is there any hope in all this?

Well I believe this great country of ours started down this slippery slope a long time ago. Slavery, the westward expansion, the gold fever, the industrial age, unions, dirty politics, the various mafia’s or organized crime syndicates of other cultures, all the vices I mentioned above and the free love rebellious movement of the 1960’s. All these events have culminated to give birth to the country we live in today.

Who was it that said “those who don’t learn about history are doomed to repeat it”? I wonder if this person was a prophet? Do you want to know where this country is headed? History repeats itself. Human beings are far too predictable and far too wicked to not repeat history. Just open up your bible and start reading it, particularly the OT. What are the differences and similarities between this culture (ancient Israel) and our own? You’d be very surprised to see the similarities. Why do we expect that God won’t do to us what He did to His own chosen people? We’ve turned aside from God. We sacrifice our children to the gods of pleasure, comfort and convenience (abortion), much as the ancient Israelites did. Men and women perform abominable acts before God, much as the ancient Israelites. As a country we choose to believe all our actions are condoned by God while we blatantly and openly disobey Him and piss all over what Jesus Christ did for us, very similar to the ancient Israelites. Also like the ancient Israelites we continue in our disobedience, dismiss or silence anyone who would say “everything’s not going to be alright” with regards to comfort and material wealth. This is the very thing the false prophets in ancient Israel were saying to the populace.

Now let’s take a look at our churches. Segmented and broken. Believing in the prosperity gospel, whether said with the lips or simply with actions. Black churches, Korean churches, Hispanic churches and the innumerable denominations. A church to suit anyone’s comfort level because isn’t this how you choose a church? Instead of the church at Charleston, SC, we have a bazillion different churches to chose from, all with slightly different beliefs. What chance is there the church we ever unite again this side of heaven? None, until Christ returns and this is yet another reason to say “come Lord Jesus come!”.

Transformers, Robots in Disguise?

I just read the above article. Interesting, however, I don't remember myself or any of my friends worshipping Optimus Prime. He was definitely a very masculine hero versus the weak liberal heroes we so often see. His morality, fortitude and passion towards serving the benefit of others was admittedly refreshing. Good and yet very strong, unlike our earthly fathers who, like us, were born into sin.

Would we really have done any better in their place? It's too easy to blame our fathers, society, toys, cartoons, movies, etc.. for our problems when it's our own sin which is the real issue. If we would just look more to the very real truly masculine solid foundation for good and right, that is Jesus Christ. Where fictional hero's like Optimus Prime worked for good in a cartoon world, Jesus Christ performed a significantly more substantial, very real and very personal work for good. In reality we should take the time to understand why a cartoon or a celebrity means more to our culture than Jesus Christ.

Amway, a robot who turns into a Mack truck. What normal young boy wouldn't like this? Still I believe the fascination with Transformers had more to do with metal robots little boys could change into guns, trucks, cars and planes (the very things most young boys love to dream about), then their need for a father figure or a savior. Quite simply the Transformers were very cool and sometimes, as Sigmund Freud once said, "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar".

Perhaps our time, as believers, is better spent asking why the church doesn't proclaim Christ more, especially in public, than discussing cartoon? Perhaps we would do better to ask why prayer isn't taught more in our churches and how this effects our inability to win over others through our conduct?

One is the Easiest Number that You’ve Ever Seen

Almost every time my mother prays for me she seems to like to bring up the “it’s not good for man to be alone” verse (Genesis 2:18) in her pray to God for me for a godly wife. I’ve argued with her before that this verse may very well pertain to the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-18). Though this verse in Genesis is obviously directly referring to a spouse. However, my mother so fervently desires a wife for me that she will not concede. Thank God for determined, loving, Christian mothers!

Anyway, it is not good for man to be alone, but it is very easy. I’ve lived by myself for nearly 3 years (though the last year I’d mooch dinner off my parents every night) up till about 3 months ago when I moved in with a buddy. While he was gone for work (about 3 days) I relished my alone time. I realized how easy it was for me to get back into my solo routines which took no one, other than me, into consideration. With no one else in the house I could do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. There was no one around to consider when I played my Xbox, ate meals and performed other daily routines & tasks. I realized how easy it has been to live alone. Yes these things are obvious, but since I’ve been living alone for so long I guess I’ve gotten used to it.

I also realized my perceived opportunity to sin dropped dramatically. I tend to run at the mouth sometimes (can you believe that ;) ) and this gets me into trouble. The longer my mouth is open the greater the chance I’m going to sin or be misunderstood. I actually struggle quite a bit with both, when I try to communicate with others. Anyway, I want to focus on the sin aspect of living alone. Living with someone else provides an automatic amount of accountability as there is someone else around to consider and answer to (to an extent). However, I realized because there was no one around to talk with I had no opportunity to speak ill of others (which I do at times in the form of criticisms and judgments).

Soon after realizing the benefits of living alone I realized the huge negative. Man was created for fellowship. Further God created women for the most intimate form of fellowship one human being can have with another.

I’ve realized living alone limits how much I can be stretch, both as a person and spiritually in my relationship with the Lord. Yes Paul discusses the spiritual benefits of the single life in 1 Corinthians 7:25-40, however, he also mentions the spiritual benefits of marriage in Ephesians 5:22-33.

I’ve seen how much God has used a relationship with a woman to grow my best friend both personally and spiritually. Not that his fiancé has necessarily directly helped him to grow, but God has used her in the way he created her to stretch him. Basically he got to the point where he would either utterly fail her as a man and brother in Christ or step up. Through the grace of God in Jesus Christ my friend has step up as a man and brother in Christ, something I’m not sure he could’ve done a few years ago. Something I’m not completely sure I could do now. I’m not just referring to his imminent marriage to this woman, though this is definitely part of it, but I’m also referring to the way he interacts with others.

However, this same friend once made a comment to me about being in a relationship (not specifically to this woman, more of a general statement) versus being alone. He said living alone is the easy way out of life, since there is no one else to consider in how you live your life. This statement has had me thinking about this topic ever since.

Today’s conclusion: Yes it is better to be unmarried, but it is better to be married than to burn. Yes marriage can be a dim reflection of Christ’s relationship with His bride the church, but relationships with the opposite sex can also very easily become idolatry as folks seek out their identity (found in the Father through Jesus Christ), guidance (found in the Holy Spirit) and fulfillment (found in Jesus Christ) in another human being (which I see quite often in the church) instead of as a partner in life. Nothing more, nothing less.

Final conclusion: Live with someone, either the opposite sex in marriage or the same sex as roommates. After prayer and careful consideration, move in with a same sex brother or sister in Christ. If you live alone limit this time of your life to no more than a year, 2 absolute max. Don’t busy your life so much that you ward off the opposite from being able to get to know you. Chances are there’s someone interested in potentially dating you, but they probably won’t want to compete for your time. Don’t fill up your life with too many useless things. It’s relationships God is most concerned with. Don’t talk too much about your busy life as this will communicate a general disinterest in dating. Always put opportunities to get to know other better ahead of the general busyness of life, especially the opposite sex. Of course these are just my feelings. If I’m dating a woman I don’t want to feel like a low priority in her life. If she continually talks about going here and there and doing this and that, I interpret this as either disinterest or she’s just not ready for a mature dating relationship.

I’m not sure I tied everything together well. If anyone reads this blog anymore (I know how lazy I’ve been with it lately) please feel free to ask questions and post comments. Also please keep in mind I’m still a wretched man and sinner. I’m far far from perfect, but this blog does help me to air out issues I’m struggling with.

The sins of escapism, The sins of control

I talk a lot of things over with my closest friends. Typically we talk about women (though I’m trying to keep this between me and God), music, movies, shows, occasionally sports, reminiscing the past or discussing the future. However, we also spend a good bit of time discussing faith based issues or issues of the day. One such issue which recently came up is the allure and consequences of pornography with Christian men. I realize women really don’t understand this, as they typically don’t understand the allure, just as most men might not understand the allure of exhibitionism (just look around any sizeable church and you’ll know what I’m referring to), gossiping or shopping. Basically it all comes down to control and/or escapism.

I believe it was Tears for Fears which stated that “everyone wants to rule the world”. Is this true? We have plenty of vehicles we can use here in America to facilitate the illusion of ruling our own worlds. Do we desire to control? Are we really willing to give God the control He not only deserves, but already has in our lives? How long are we going to live in the illusion of self control? Look at the reward in Mormonism (the men get to rule their own world and get a ton of virgin women, or something like that).

Proverbs 18:1 states: “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.” Well what does this have to do with pornography, you might ask? Everything. It comes back to control. The more we try to control, the more we will isolate ourselves from others because we become independent to a fault. Again, Proverbs 16:9 states: “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.”

Perhaps you’re saying to yourself “Bill you’re full of crap! Pornography is about lust, not control. It’s visual man, not prideful. I mean, other than me no one gets hurt, so it’s really not that bad.” Really? Are you sure of that? Yes I realize Christ speaks of it in Matthew 5:28 that we shouldn’t even look at a woman lustfully, making this a visual sin. However, I would disagree it’s a victimless sin. What about the woman on the other side of the screen or page? She wouldn’t be there if no one was looking. What about your wife or future wife? What about your kids? What about your relationship with the Lord? Can you really do something no other human being has ever done? Can you really separate the sin from the sinner?

Here in America we are defined by our jobs. There’s no way around it. I’m Bill the engineer, not Bill the man, not Bill the sinner, not Bill the Christian, not Bill the son of my dad. What’s always one of the first questions someone asks you? “So what do you do?” In Israel, or anywhere in the Middle East the question would more than likely be: “What family, or tribe are you from?” Not that there’s anything wrong with this, unless we take it too far and say make our jobs #1 in our lives, consistently work OT instead of spending time with our relationships. One allure of putting our jobs #1 is the possibility of advancement. Spend more time at work and the result is hopefully those over us will notice and throw more responsibilities and money at us. A possible allure for a woman dressing scantily (see exhibitionism above) is the sense of control over her own body while getting the attention of some men and the envy of other women. The allure of watching pornography is the sense of controlling a natural desire on our own terms. The allure of video games is this sense of controlling the outcome of our lives. Victory is inevitable and so is the false sense of accomplishment.

What does God say about escapism? Matthew 13 refers to the parable of the sower and the seed. Look at verse 22: “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” Can we not see the dangers of control? A woman dresses like an exhibitionist at church because she wants to get the attention of men and be envied by other women (something which should be reserved for her husband only). A man looks at pornography so he can control his sexual desire, which is intended for his wife.

What is a possible consequence of viewing pornography? Is it only a present sin which goes away as soon as the TV or computer is shut off or the magazine is thrown out? How does it relate to faith in God? How might it affect other relationships? Well one possible result is this over developed sense of independence. A marriage is all about interdependence with each other, but full dependence on Jesus Christ. If you’re looking at pornography (which is very addictive and habit forming) then you’re getting your sexual desires fulfilled outside of marriage and the natural use of your wife’s body. For the sake of equal representation, women who dress scantily outside of closed doors, with their husbands, are fulfilling their desire for attention from others. The men don’t care that they will feel less drawn to their wives and potentially start to view women as objects rather than human beings and coheirs. The women don’t care that they are aiding in the fall of their brothers and showing less interest in real relationships, especially with their boyfriends or husbands.

The Bible states, in 1Timothy 5:2: that we men are to treat “younger women as sisters, with absolute purity” and women, regarding dress 1Timothy 2:9-10 states: “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.” These are not my words but God’s.

Don’t be a Christian Buddhist and keep all of your shields up and never be truly vulnerable because you’ve been hurt. The world doesn’t revolve around you, it revolves around Jesus Christ. Men, stop looking at the pornography because you’re hurting yourself and everyone who cares or will care about you, including your relationship with Jesus Christ. You’re building a wall so thick no one will ever be able to get through, especially your wife or a woman you might want to pursue. Women, stop dressing so immodestly because you’re attracting the wrong type of men and perhaps causing other men to fall from lust and other women to fall from envy or self loathing. Men stop playing so many video games because that sense of accomplishment is false and you’ve just wasted hours you could’ve spent in meaningful fellowship or reading. Women stop gossiping because ultimately you’re going to drive any quality people you have in your life and only attract other shallow gossipers. Men stop working crazy hours or spending so much time working around the house because you feel the future looks brighter because of what you’re doing now. Instead spend the time with loved ones or reaching out to those truly in need. Balance is the key. Women stop spending so much time on the phone or shopping. Relish the time you have with friends, family and others in need who are right in front of you. Spend the quality time with Jesus Christ so that you can in turn be the person who says the right word at the right time and changes the course of someone else’s life, just by being available and allowing the Lord to work through you. Give up control to Jesus Christ. He won’t steer you wrong and further the concerns of this life will fade away and you realize the surpassing grace of knowing Jesus Christ and the good work He’s doing in your heart. Once you put your cares on Jesus then the desire to escape and control your life will diminish, but you have to believe that He truly loves you just as you are.

Run Away from the Pain?

Here is my first attempt at writing an article after a long hiatus. I was going to send this as an email to some friends, but decided to put it on here when it became too large for the ADHD among us.


This past Sunday was fairly enlightening. For once both the singles group time and the main message time had some great truths to ponder.

During our small group time we discussed Luke 18:9-14, which concerns the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The question was: Which are we like? Are we self-righteous, legalistic, entitlement focused people or do we view ourselves as wretched, not deserving of God’s grace, humbled people?

The pastor then went on to speak about the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:34-40). He made several good points. One was that the command to love our neighbors as ourselves is the first great commission. My question is: How can we “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”, if we believe in our hearts that our works are what truly make us righteous?

I mentioned during our small group time that I had been re-reading ‘Shattered Dreams’ by Larry Crabb. If you’ve never read any of his books I would encourage you to do so. God has truly gifted this man with insight into the human condition, in the light of Jesus Christ. In short, I first read this book when I was going through another trial several years ago. It has helped me to come to a bit of an understanding of my situation now, though I’m definitely still struggling.

Here’s an excerpt I read last night:
“We Christians are often practicing Buddhists. We kill desire in an effort to escape pain, then wonder why we don’t enjoy God.”

I’ve found it true in my own life. I desperately want to run as fast and far from any pain or trials and enter back into happier times. I miss being more naive about life, people & Jesus Christ. I want to be blissfully ignorant, but this notion is foolish because there is no going back and besides this isn’t the path to true joy.

Dr. Crabb references the book of Ruth throughout his book; in particular he focuses on Naomi, especially her despair. He goes on, after the above quote, to reference Ruth 1:20-21 in which Naomi tells her relatives and friends back in Judah to call her Mara, which means bitterness, instead of Naomi, which means pleasantness. She lost her husband and two sons and she wants everyone to know how she feels.

Here’s another excerpt:
“Imagine a missionary woman coming back from the field talking like that. No church would invite her to speak at its mission’s conference. We prefer stories of hope in sorrow and victory in trial.”

“Isn’t that what Jesus makes available? “Don’t let your hearts be troubled,” He told His disciples.”

“What did Jesus mean? Is He telling us to pretend we feel what we should feel when our most deeply experienced emotions are quite the opposite? Are we to admit our troubled feelings only to ourselves and God, while telling others that God’s presence and promises are real to us when they’re not? Is Jesus agreeing with Buddha in prescribing a form of contentment that requires us to cut off the nerve endings of our souls and to report peace when what we feel is a void? Is He teaching that if we trust Him, we’ll feel no pain?”

If you think about the above questions Dr. Crabb asks, in light of scripture, you’ll know the real answers. I’ve admitted to my own form of Buddhist paganism at times, as I try to run away from pain or dull it. How often I’ve heard certain folks misquote the ‘guard your heart’ mantra with regards to dating. Funny how this also seems to spill over into our relationships with friends, family and even God. I don’t know if anyone reading this has a misunderstanding of this biblical reference, however, just in case I’d like to address it just the same. Proverbs 4 & Philippians 4:6-7 both refer to this concept of guarding your hearts, however neither verses refer to relationships with people. If you really read these verses you will see that they are referring to guarding our hearts against sin. Philippians 4:6&7 states “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The verses in Proverbs refer to guarding against what we expose ourselves to and what we allow to come out of our mouths, for we can be tempted and misled by what we see and hear and defile ourselves by what we say.

“You cannot love both God and money” neither can we reshape God into what we want Him to be. “He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow” and His holiness is beyond our understanding. Before we become the defiant Joab’s of our time, who toss aside the king’s commands because we disagree with them or know a better way, let each of us inquire of God directly in the name of Jesus Christ in prayer and let us look at His word, which has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The more we understand God the easier it will be to obey Him. However, for now we are still required at times to obey God without understanding His big picture for “His thoughts are not our thoughts”.

The Lunatic Fringe

For some reason I feel compelled to explain myself a bit. Sometimes I look back at things I say or write and I say "me why did you say or write that?". Part of it is my perhaps offbeat sense of humor and part of it is a manifestation of my frustrations (i.e. I'm venting). For instance my last article, you should notice it's full of a lot of frustration, emotion and opinion. This is what I like to call Bill Raw. Bill Raw is different from Inspired Bill. Perhaps you can start to see why this post is aptly titled? :)

Seriously, though, I'd much rather be taken seriously when I discuss something God is teaching me or someone else, rather then when I vent. I considered deleting the previous posting, but I can't continue to censor myself. I'm an opinionated, intense, frequently frustrated man. Should I apologize for this? Only when it becomes sinful.

Well I hope to get back into my usual more faith based postings. Perhaps after I get a better handle on what God is currently showing me? I feel much of it has to do with learning to trust more in Him and learning to focus on others over myself. That is I should put the "little" things I could, or rather should, do for others at a higher level of importance in my life. God willing more to come on this soon.

There’s no way the Devil could take over!

Wrong! I could devote this entire blog just to showing everyone how much and how many politicians want to take away our rights as human beings and it gets worse every year. More and more of these liberal morons actually believe they know enough about science, child rearing, personal safety and world economics to make decisions on our behalf. Even worse they want to tell us how to live our lives because we’re too stupid to figure it out on our own. Just read the referenced article and you’ll see how the author justifies their flawed viewpoint through flawed arguments, which all seem completely reasonable. This person is either living in a fantasy world and is completely ignorant of the long term effects of what they purport or this person is a great liar. This is true of every liberal perspective. What does the bible say about satan? Isn’t he the king of liars or something? Kind of makes me wonder where liberals come up with their ideas? Of course they don’t believe in God, so why should they believe in satan?

Anyway, I would encourage every Christian who happens to read this to seriously consider just how could someone possibly incorporate the US into a one world empire. I would also encourage these folks to consider how this realization might effect their attitudes towards witnessing to unbelievers and praying for our leaders, regardless of personal opinions. Believe it or not, liberals aren't our enemies. Ephesians 6:12

My entire life, especially that part spent in liberal schools as a kid, has been full of liberal idiots who can’t think much past the present or much beyond their own noses. I always hated it, even as a little kid, when my teachers would punish the entire class because one screwball messed up. I was always more upset with the teacher for being such an idiot that he or she couldn’t discern the wrong doer and even more upset that I had to pay the price for this screwball. I also had another teacher who believed that no one was perfect, therefore no one deserved a perfect 100 or A+. What a load of crap! Both of these perspectives are completely socialistic in origin. I’m sorry if this hurts your feelings, but we aren’t all created equal. Some folks are just not as smart as others and still other folks are just by their very nature more evil then others. Granted all are equal sinners in God’s eyes, but that’s not what I’m referring to here.

Take the referenced article, for instance. Do child abusers exist? Yes. Do people beat their kids? Unfortunately yes. Does this necessarily mean the government should tell us how we should discipline and love our children? Absolutely not! This is called throwing the baby out with the bathwater. It’s not my fault there are so many freaks and wicked folks out there. How about this question: Do guns kill or do people? People kill people! As long as there are people who want to take away our rights, whether they are liberals in this country or dictators, like Sadam Hussein, in other countries, we will need to be able to have the right to bear arms. This is the entire reason this was added to the constitution and it’s just as valid now as it was then. I can’t help it that there are crazy people out there who want to murder other people. Murder’s the 2nd oldest sin in the Bible. How will taking away our right to bear arms help with reducing the murder rate? The answer is it won’t!

If you call yourself a Christian then you had better wake up to the reality that Satan is preparing this world for one ruler, himself. When will this happen? God only knows, but I can tell you that things are getting worse and worse in this country. Liberal politicians (no matter what they call themselves) want to take away all of our “good” rights while upholding all of our “bad” rights. Bad rights like: Abortion, euthanasia, suicide and pornography, to name a few. While our good rights are being stripped away day by day: right to raise our children, right to pray, freedom to assemble peaceably to worship our Lord and savior Jesus Christ and the right to bear arms. Make no mistake these rights are being attacked. Why? We will become weaker, more susceptible to a take over and more vulnerable to terrorism.

Just look at the policies our government has passed or issues it avoids dealing with: Social security (was meant as a temporary fix during the great depression now it’s nothing more then a tax and our government has known it has been going bankrupt, but does absolutely nothing to deal with it. The republicans are afraid to say or do anything for fear the liberals will use it against them and draw away the ever increasing social security recipients, which grow yearly as our life expectancy, as a country, grows), NAFTA (has this really strengthened our economy? I’d argue it hasn’t. I’d argue more jobs have left this country then have been created. I’d argue more companies will seek to go to India, China or Mexico rather then pay the higher US wages.), Immigration (I say open the borders to everyone, so long as you can perform a thorough background check. I say give them, especially the Mexicans, temporary ss # and start taxing everything they make while they are in this country. Another benefit is that the mission’s field comes to the church. There’s no longer an excuse to not reach out to these folks. However, I really don’t think we can afford to be too PC about who we let into this country, considering the rise in terrorism.) Tort reform (contrary to popular belief, money doesn’t grow on trees. The more these unethical lawyers are able to persuade greedy morons to sue at the drop of a hat, the more all of our insurance, especially health, will continue to rise to the point where fewer and fewer folks can afford it. Of course this plays right into the liberals, see Hillary Clinton, hands of creating socialized medicine.) Loan reform & national debt (This country, both the government and the citizens, are in so much debt it’s frightening. We run the presses to print more and more money while the dollar continues to lose ground to the Euro. How long before the dollar loses it’s standing as the world currency? Also, how long before the banks start foreclosing on millions of homes instead of just thousands? I know so many folks who are maxed out on their credit cards and still have mortgages and car payments to make.)

These issues are all related. They give the government more and more control over our lives and everyone one of them make the US weaker. Our strength has always been our unified front and at least the acknowledgement of God, the Almighty, as ruler of all. As our morals decline our apathy increases and we become too distracted to notice what’s going on around us. This makes us more and more susceptible to harm. The only weapon we have against this, the very reason I’m writing this article, is to encourage others to get proactive. Well, actually, I’m mostly writing this article because I need to vent. Anyway, essentially Jesus Christ is the only answer, but for our part this should involved prayer and voicing our opinions because if we don’t who will? The liberals sure will. You can bet that just because we are called to love them, doesn’t mean they are required to love us. I would argue many of them wish Christians were never born.

Help a brother out: How to tell when a woman’s interested?

If any women still read my blog I hope to hear from some of ya'll on this. What's your opinion? True or not true?

I read the secular article at the very bottom of this post the other day and sent it out to some of my guy friends. So often many of us guys are clueless when it comes to determining if a woman is interested or not. Of course these signs really only apply once a date is actually occurring, something I don’t often participate in. However, #’s 2, 3 & 4 are probably very good indicators of interest prior to dating. However, be careful about expecting too much interest from just one sign.

I don't think any of the 5 signs from the below article, by themselves are a real indication of interest. I've known women who touch everyone because that's the way they were raised and has nothing to do with interest. I've known other women who have seemed very interested in my family and personal life, but that was just because they're nosy. I've known women who care about their appearance, but that could either be because she’s vain or because as a rule she always dresses up for a date, still not a real gage for interest, by itself. Yet again I've known women who locked in on my during a conversation, only to find out they do that with everyone. I'm sure there are also women who will go along with a longer date because they have nothing better to do and they enjoy the company enough, but aren't really into the guy. However, if you're with a woman who touches you, cares about her appearance (more so then usual) when she's with you, is attentive, asks personal questions (including family oriented), and seems to want to spend more time with you then I think you definitely have interest. I think it's a combination of these.

Keep in mind these signs were developed by a non-Christian.

1. She touches herself up
If she’s excusing herself to the restroom between courses, it’s doubtful she has a weak bladder. Nope, more likely she’s in there freshening up her makeup or making sure her hair is in place... all for you. “If she’s into you, she’ll be concerned with how she looks,” says Alison James, author of the forthcoming Better Off Wed? Fling... or Ring: How to Know Which Finger to Give Him. “Or, if she’s at the table, she’ll be fixing her shirt or brushing her hair back, maybe checking that her bra strap isn’t showing or adjusting her necklace—the kind of stuff you do when you’re worried about your appearance.”

2. She asks about your family
“When a woman likes a guy she doesn’t want to get to know just him,” says Jillian Straus, author of Unhooked Generation: The Truth About Why We’re Still Single. “She wants to know about his family and friends—she’s looking for clues about what life with him would be like.” Indeed, especially if you’ve been set up or are on a blind date and know very little about each other, your relationship with your family says a lot about you—and a woman interested in you won’t hesitate to probe. “I think family is very revealing about a person’s personality,” says Tina Andreadis, 35, of New York City. “If he’s close with his family, it shows that he’s probably a warm person who values relationships and who would want a family of his own. If I am not interested in him, I won’t even ask because I just don’t care.”

3. She’s attentive
Let’s put it this way: No matter how busy she is, she’s not whipping out her Blackberry if she’s interested in what you have to say. “If she’s not checking her watch, email or cell phone, it’s just one more sign that she’s paying attention to you,” says James. “When you like a guy, you’re hanging on his every word. When you don’t, you’re distracted easily.” Same goes for any preoccupations she has with the immediate environment, whether she’s people-watching or admiring the restaurant d*cor or even the food. If she’s saying things like, “This restaurant is beautiful. Hey, doesn’t that girl over there look like Marisa Tomei?” she may be enjoying herself, but not necessarily because you’re there.

4. She’s touchy-feely
If you find your date engaging in a little physical contact along with witty banter, chances are you’ve made a very good impression. From tapping your knee to emphasize a point or touching your forearm to get your attention, if a woman’s attracted to you, she won’t hesitate to reach out and let you know. Megan, 35, from New York City, employs this trick with guys she finds attractive. “I pretend to steady myself when I don’t need to be steadied,” she says. “When I’m climbing onto a bar stool, I’ll grab onto his shoulder or leg when I clearly don’t need to,” she laughs.

5. The date lasts longer than you expected
Ask any woman desperate to wind down a date, and she’ll tell you she skips dessert or declines an after-dinner drink. Naturally, then, if she’s having a great time and doesn’t want to see you go, she’ll gladly take the waiter’s suggestion and try the chocolate cake, or join you at a wine bar for a nightcap. And if you’ve agreed to meet for drinks and after a few cocktails she takes you up on your offer of dinner? That’s a bright green light, my friend. “Only if I’m into the guy will I agree to go to dinner if he suggests it on a ‘meet for drinks’ date,” says Diana, a 38-year-old from Boston. “If I’m meeting a guy for a drink and I’m not into him, I’m definitely not going to agree to get food after.”

The Replacement

I’ve received some clear criticisms from a few friends on the post this post has replaced. For those of you who read the post already and aren’t completely alienated by my opinions I wish to state that I used some strong terminology which has been labeled as judgmental or uncharitable towards some of my fellow believers. Unfortunately any point I was trying to make and any encouragement which could’ve been gained was lost somewhere between mine (mostly mine) and others: pride, name calling, accusations, slander and strong opinions. I already know my opinions and why I have them, so if there is no encouragement, love, edification and only alienation then there’s no point in keeping a post up. I’ll just keep my thoughts to myself on this one.

I have my opinions and some of you have yours. I hope you can look past my strong opinions and terminology and forget about the previous post. It apparently has no consequence whatsoever on anything of a spiritual nature. I’ll let you think about what that might mean to the present relevance of all of the passages devoted to that particular subject.

I’m disappointed in myself for falling into the trap of pride and arrogant defense of something I don’t have any ownership of. I’m also disappointed in myself for my lack of patience and for not demonstrating a more loving stance towards others. However, in this instance, I’m disappointed in some of my friends in the way they handled a great opportunity to demonstrate loving admonishment (towards me), prayer (for me and for themselves) and failing to understand a simple point, even if my pride got in the way of it. It seems like this all was a futile exercise of “I’m right and you’re wrong” and Jesus seemed to have little to nothing to do with any of this. Apparently everyone is justified in their own eyes, but belittled in each others and this is why the old post is gone and this one has taken its place. Out of sight, out of mind. Forgive and Forget and all that hub bub.

For my next post I think I’ll tackle the belief that the elements for communion actually turn into Christ’s flesh and blood. Oops… I got you going for a second there.. no that’s another one of those forbidden open ended interpretation deals which could potentially alienate even more of my brothers and sisters in Christ. You’re on your own. I’d lose the remaining 5 of you if I wrote about that.

So I need another silly story to post. Anyone have any ideas? I need to take a break from all this intensity and piss-offed-ness I’ve generated towards myself. I need to post something on here which will stimulate happy or silly thoughts, so that instead of people jeering to themselves “why this Bill character is quite the utter anal region guy” they will cheer “Hey it’s that cool Bill dude. He’s funny! He never says anything that offends or challenges me. I want to be his friend.” So I will only post comments to this post with funny ideas (The Onion is a good source.. hint hint).