A couple days ago, I thought of a analogy that, if I may say so myself, is genius. Here it is: Jesus is like Yoda.
Wait, let me explain before you charge me with being crazy, or hyper because of sugar (which I'm not), or blasphemous, or something. They are very similar if you think about it. Both are very intelligent, both are very powerful, both are there when you need them, and both are underestimated by their enemies and sometimes their allies! One big difference is the scale. Yoda defeated Count Dooku and almost Darth Sidius. Jesus defeated death. Yoda was there to save Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi from certain death. Jesus is there every second of the day to save us from succumbing to evil, which is worse than death. Jesus is underestimated by the world. Yoda is underestimated by a whole bunch of worlds and galaxies. But besides those minor differences, it's a pretty good analogy, don't you think?
Tonight, I'm going to one of my best friend's house for a sleep over. He's one of the Three Musketeers I mentioned earlier. The third one will be there as well. We're going to watch movies, maybe "Eye of the Legend" (wink wink. Inside joke. Don't strain yourself trying to figure it out).
Happy New Years Eve! Start thinking about a New Years Resolution. One of mine: Don't write such long posts.
P.S. I'm working on a post called LIAR, LUNATIC, OR LORD. It's about how we know that Jesus is truly our Lord and Savior.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
I'M BORED
So today, I have pretty much nothing going on. I have a guitar lesson that I don't want to go to this afternoon. It's New Years Eve Eve for goodness sake! I don't want to go to a guitar lesson.
The only thing that will be fun is going to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie with my dad, my cousin, my uncle, and my granddad. Then I'm going out to eat with them. But until that happens I'm stuck in the house. Maybe I'll play Rome Total War. I haven't done that in a while. Perhaps some hard thinking on how to not get killed will improve my attitude.
Here's a verse that I probably need to work on applying:
1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
The only thing that will be fun is going to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie with my dad, my cousin, my uncle, and my granddad. Then I'm going out to eat with them. But until that happens I'm stuck in the house. Maybe I'll play Rome Total War. I haven't done that in a while. Perhaps some hard thinking on how to not get killed will improve my attitude.
Here's a verse that I probably need to work on applying:
1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
Monday, December 28, 2009
I'M WALKING ON SUNSHINE
So, today, I was listening to a Christmas CD called Child of the Promise. It's a bunch of the best Christian artists singing their way through the Christmas story. While listening to it, it put me in a cheerful mood. I am so grateful that God loved me enough to send his son. Yay Jesus!
Also, I got to see two of my friends today for breakfast: Lauren and Michelle. Lauren is out of college and lives in Texas and Michelle is almost done at Anderson University. We've known them forever. I was glad that I got to see them before they had to leave.
Got to go. Mom wants me to help clean up the house. Plus, got to get ready for a football party tonight with my buddies. It'll be sweet!
Ecclesiastes 4:9,10,12 says, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!... Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
I love that last part about the cord of three strands. That's what me and my two best friends are like: a cord of three strands. We are the Three Musketeers!
Also, I got to see two of my friends today for breakfast: Lauren and Michelle. Lauren is out of college and lives in Texas and Michelle is almost done at Anderson University. We've known them forever. I was glad that I got to see them before they had to leave.
Got to go. Mom wants me to help clean up the house. Plus, got to get ready for a football party tonight with my buddies. It'll be sweet!
Ecclesiastes 4:9,10,12 says, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!... Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
I love that last part about the cord of three strands. That's what me and my two best friends are like: a cord of three strands. We are the Three Musketeers!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
YO HO HO!!!
So, I have this theory: Santa really is a pirate.
All this time he's been saying, "Yo Ho Ho! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good fight!" And it isn't a sleigh, it's a large sailboat. I think the reindeer are real though. Maybe it's a pirate that likes reindeer. I'm hoping that the scientific community will make this theory into a law, so that every child has to put out biscuits and rum instead of cookies and milk.
Christmas went so well! Not that it usually doesn't, but this year it seemed extra fun.
I woke up at 7:00, said a prayer, and looked for my stocking. My parents had hid it. I got a bonus when I found it though: I found the Nerf guns I had been unable to find!
I woke mom and dad up at 7:30, for which they were grateful. Then we opened family presents around 8:30. My haul was considerably smaller this year. Perhaps a failure in the shipping department? JK! I got most of what I wanted and then some. I got candy (which I ate part of before breakfast), lots of money, gift cards, a music CD by Hawk Nelson, a book of semi-useless facts (did you know that at -90 degrees Fahrenheit, your breath will freeze in midair and fall to the ground, or that Saddam Hussein's favorite American snacks are Raisin Bran and Doritos?), a MP3 player, two movies, and my favorite: an Airsoft rifle! Now I just have to avoid shooting my eye out.
After brunch, which consisted of eggs, bacon, strawberries, and sticky buns w/nuts, we went to my cousin's house to exchange presents with them (their presents to me were included in the above list). My day was topped off with a fantastic Nerf war (both my brother Caleb and my cousin Thomas got the Vulcan) and an hour of Left 4 Dead 2, which was completely awesome, except when I had a horde of zombies chasing me through three floors of a shopping mall (among them the two most dangerous zombies: two chargers and a witch). So much for peace on earth.
I sang along to some Christmas songs. Then I came home and watched some comedians. Only half of them were funny.
That's all. Have yourself a merry little X-mas!
All this time he's been saying, "Yo Ho Ho! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good fight!" And it isn't a sleigh, it's a large sailboat. I think the reindeer are real though. Maybe it's a pirate that likes reindeer. I'm hoping that the scientific community will make this theory into a law, so that every child has to put out biscuits and rum instead of cookies and milk.
Christmas went so well! Not that it usually doesn't, but this year it seemed extra fun.
I woke up at 7:00, said a prayer, and looked for my stocking. My parents had hid it. I got a bonus when I found it though: I found the Nerf guns I had been unable to find!
I woke mom and dad up at 7:30, for which they were grateful. Then we opened family presents around 8:30. My haul was considerably smaller this year. Perhaps a failure in the shipping department? JK! I got most of what I wanted and then some. I got candy (which I ate part of before breakfast), lots of money, gift cards, a music CD by Hawk Nelson, a book of semi-useless facts (did you know that at -90 degrees Fahrenheit, your breath will freeze in midair and fall to the ground, or that Saddam Hussein's favorite American snacks are Raisin Bran and Doritos?), a MP3 player, two movies, and my favorite: an Airsoft rifle! Now I just have to avoid shooting my eye out.
After brunch, which consisted of eggs, bacon, strawberries, and sticky buns w/nuts, we went to my cousin's house to exchange presents with them (their presents to me were included in the above list). My day was topped off with a fantastic Nerf war (both my brother Caleb and my cousin Thomas got the Vulcan) and an hour of Left 4 Dead 2, which was completely awesome, except when I had a horde of zombies chasing me through three floors of a shopping mall (among them the two most dangerous zombies: two chargers and a witch). So much for peace on earth.
I sang along to some Christmas songs. Then I came home and watched some comedians. Only half of them were funny.
That's all. Have yourself a merry little X-mas!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
BAH, HUM BUG!!
Today I'm going to tell you about the real Christmas story. I say real because so many people don't celebrate what Christmas is really about. Ever seen the Veggie Tales movie "The Toy Who Saved Christmas"? If you haven't look it up. Although in our world toys don't really come to life, and there aren't life size vegetables running around, the message is true. People use Christmas as an excuse to buy stuff. Even we Christians can lose sight of why Christmas really is celebrated. So sit down (you probably are if you're reading this), grab some hot chocolate (not eggnog. It's nasty), and roast chestnuts on an open fire. Actually, don't. Do you know how dangerous open fires are? And hot chocolate could burn your tongue if you don't cool it down. No, it's better if there is no fire and no hot chocolate. But you can sit down. Where was I again? Ah yes, the Christmas story (the quick and easy to read version).
Once upon a time, there was this teenager named Mary who was going to marry this guy named Joseph. Yes, she was a teenager. Back then, it wasn't uncommon for a girl to get married by fifteen or sixteen. One day, while she was doing girly things, an angel appeared to her. Now this was a very prestigious angel named Gabriel. This angel told Mary that she would have a child, not by Joseph, but through the Holy Spirit. And this child would be God's son. Of course, Mary was both grateful for this wonderful thing God was going to do with her. She was also afraid, for if the others found out that she was pregnant without, um, you know what with Joseph, she would be killed. Once he found out, Joseph decided to just divorce her quietly. However, he had a visit by an angel who told him to not divorce Mary. So, because of a census the Caesar had decreed, they both traveled to Bethlehem with Mary almost ready to give birth. All the inns were full though, as full as the hotels in Indianapolis would be if we had the Superbowl in our city. So they slept in a stable and while there, Mary had her baby, Jesus (applauding at this part is recommended).
Now we get to some even stranger stuff. Some shepherds were out at night watching over there sheep. Back then, being shepherd is like the modern equivalent of having a job of cleaning the toilets everyday at the airport, without ever stopping to do anything else. Shepherds were the lowest of the low. But God chose to send his angels to them to tell them of Jesus's birth. Why? Well, think back to why God sent his son in the first place. Jesus came to save us sinners from, what else, our sin. We were the lowest of the low. We had left God and gone our own way, we had sinned fully knowing what we did was wrong and yet continued to do it. God wanted to show us that he didn't stop loving us just because we had sunk so low. So he sent his son. And that's why the angels appeared to the shepherds, in my opinion. He wanted to show that he didn't care that they were the lowest in society. He still loved the shepherds as much as he loved the kings. Throughout Jesus's ministry, he would continue to show this. So the shepherds went and worshiped Jesus and then told all the townsfolk about him.
There were also wise men. They lived far away in the east, so they arrived a couple years later. They had seen a bright star. They had read that a star would appear when the King of the Jews appeared. So they went to Herod, the king of Judea (more on him in a moment) to ask where he was and Herod told them that he would be born in Bethlehem. Now, we usually think there are three, because there are three gifts they give to Jesus: Gold, frankincense (used by priests), and myrrh (used for burying people). The Bible never specifies that there are just three. It just used the plural, Magi (another word for wise men). There could be two, or twenty.
Why would they give these lavish gifts to Jesus? Well, Jesus is called a king (hence "King of the Jews"). Therefore they brought gold. He is also called the High Priest, therefore they brought frankincense. Myrrh was brought because only the wealthy could afford myrrh for their funeral. Isn't it creepy, that these old dudes brought a toddler spices for when he dies?
Now, we come to Herod (cue the music in D minor). Herod was not nice. He was scared when he hear that a King of the Jews had been born. He had ordered the wise men to report where the baby was so he could "worship him". Luckily, the wise men had gotten a message from an angel to not go back to Herod. So Herod din't know exactly where Jesus was. He couldn't let opposition to the throne live. He ordered every baby boy two and under to be killed. Herod was like a mini Adolf Hitler. He should be wrapped up in duct tape. Fortunately for Jesus, Joseph had been warned as well, so they took a vacation to Egypt until Herod had died.
Well, that's it. Jesus was born to Mary though the Holy Spirit, dirty, smelly shepherds and foreign wise men came and worshiped him, and a scary, old, mean guy name Herod killed a bunch of people. That's a lot different than the Christmas story we're used to. There was no comfy little manger scene with everybody kneeling and quietly worshiping Jesus. There probably was a lot of shepherds all trying to see Jesus and singing out of tune very loudly, animals making noises because of the shepherds, and contrary to popular belief, Jesus was probably crying very loudly. And when the wise men came, there were probably a ton of other people wanting to see what was going on, and they probably came right when Mary was cooking or cleaning or busy with Jesus.
What's this have to do with Dickens book though? In his book, Charles Dickens emphasizes the importance of giving and sharing what you have with those not so fortunate, even if it means sacrificing something for yourself. God sent that same message. Without sending Jesus, we were doomed to die just like Tiny Tim. But God knew that to save us, it would require sacrifice on both his and Jesus's part. His love for us was too great to not save us and thus sent his son. Aren't you glad didn't look down and think, "Bah, hum bug!"
During this Christmas season I want you to:
-Think about the true meaning of Christmas.
-Say a prayer on Christmas morning thanking God and Jesus for their sacrifice
-Sing a couple songs to worship God.
-Don't be a scrooge. Give happily and generously!
-Only say "Bah, hum bug" if you are trying to be funny (if you're my sister, don't say it at all. You aren't funny).
-Don't drink hot chocolate if it's too hot.
-Stay away from open fires.
-Send a thank you note to the company that makes duct tape (optional)
Agent 23 signing out.
Operation Christmas Story: Accomplished
Once upon a time, there was this teenager named Mary who was going to marry this guy named Joseph. Yes, she was a teenager. Back then, it wasn't uncommon for a girl to get married by fifteen or sixteen. One day, while she was doing girly things, an angel appeared to her. Now this was a very prestigious angel named Gabriel. This angel told Mary that she would have a child, not by Joseph, but through the Holy Spirit. And this child would be God's son. Of course, Mary was both grateful for this wonderful thing God was going to do with her. She was also afraid, for if the others found out that she was pregnant without, um, you know what with Joseph, she would be killed. Once he found out, Joseph decided to just divorce her quietly. However, he had a visit by an angel who told him to not divorce Mary. So, because of a census the Caesar had decreed, they both traveled to Bethlehem with Mary almost ready to give birth. All the inns were full though, as full as the hotels in Indianapolis would be if we had the Superbowl in our city. So they slept in a stable and while there, Mary had her baby, Jesus (applauding at this part is recommended).
Now we get to some even stranger stuff. Some shepherds were out at night watching over there sheep. Back then, being shepherd is like the modern equivalent of having a job of cleaning the toilets everyday at the airport, without ever stopping to do anything else. Shepherds were the lowest of the low. But God chose to send his angels to them to tell them of Jesus's birth. Why? Well, think back to why God sent his son in the first place. Jesus came to save us sinners from, what else, our sin. We were the lowest of the low. We had left God and gone our own way, we had sinned fully knowing what we did was wrong and yet continued to do it. God wanted to show us that he didn't stop loving us just because we had sunk so low. So he sent his son. And that's why the angels appeared to the shepherds, in my opinion. He wanted to show that he didn't care that they were the lowest in society. He still loved the shepherds as much as he loved the kings. Throughout Jesus's ministry, he would continue to show this. So the shepherds went and worshiped Jesus and then told all the townsfolk about him.
There were also wise men. They lived far away in the east, so they arrived a couple years later. They had seen a bright star. They had read that a star would appear when the King of the Jews appeared. So they went to Herod, the king of Judea (more on him in a moment) to ask where he was and Herod told them that he would be born in Bethlehem. Now, we usually think there are three, because there are three gifts they give to Jesus: Gold, frankincense (used by priests), and myrrh (used for burying people). The Bible never specifies that there are just three. It just used the plural, Magi (another word for wise men). There could be two, or twenty.
Why would they give these lavish gifts to Jesus? Well, Jesus is called a king (hence "King of the Jews"). Therefore they brought gold. He is also called the High Priest, therefore they brought frankincense. Myrrh was brought because only the wealthy could afford myrrh for their funeral. Isn't it creepy, that these old dudes brought a toddler spices for when he dies?
Now, we come to Herod (cue the music in D minor). Herod was not nice. He was scared when he hear that a King of the Jews had been born. He had ordered the wise men to report where the baby was so he could "worship him". Luckily, the wise men had gotten a message from an angel to not go back to Herod. So Herod din't know exactly where Jesus was. He couldn't let opposition to the throne live. He ordered every baby boy two and under to be killed. Herod was like a mini Adolf Hitler. He should be wrapped up in duct tape. Fortunately for Jesus, Joseph had been warned as well, so they took a vacation to Egypt until Herod had died.
Well, that's it. Jesus was born to Mary though the Holy Spirit, dirty, smelly shepherds and foreign wise men came and worshiped him, and a scary, old, mean guy name Herod killed a bunch of people. That's a lot different than the Christmas story we're used to. There was no comfy little manger scene with everybody kneeling and quietly worshiping Jesus. There probably was a lot of shepherds all trying to see Jesus and singing out of tune very loudly, animals making noises because of the shepherds, and contrary to popular belief, Jesus was probably crying very loudly. And when the wise men came, there were probably a ton of other people wanting to see what was going on, and they probably came right when Mary was cooking or cleaning or busy with Jesus.
What's this have to do with Dickens book though? In his book, Charles Dickens emphasizes the importance of giving and sharing what you have with those not so fortunate, even if it means sacrificing something for yourself. God sent that same message. Without sending Jesus, we were doomed to die just like Tiny Tim. But God knew that to save us, it would require sacrifice on both his and Jesus's part. His love for us was too great to not save us and thus sent his son. Aren't you glad didn't look down and think, "Bah, hum bug!"
During this Christmas season I want you to:
-Think about the true meaning of Christmas.
-Say a prayer on Christmas morning thanking God and Jesus for their sacrifice
-Sing a couple songs to worship God.
-Don't be a scrooge. Give happily and generously!
-Only say "Bah, hum bug" if you are trying to be funny (if you're my sister, don't say it at all. You aren't funny).
-Don't drink hot chocolate if it's too hot.
-Stay away from open fires.
-Send a thank you note to the company that makes duct tape (optional)
Agent 23 signing out.
Operation Christmas Story: Accomplished
Monday, December 21, 2009
A SHORT RECAP
Here's what has happened the past couple days:
On Friday, I took a physics test. It lasted an hour and a half! With Christmas so near, the last thing I wanted to do was slowly inject myself with poison, I mean, uh, take a physics test. Friday night my sister has a cookie baking party with a bunch of girls. Luckily, I managed to escape the overwhelming opposition and make it to my friend Garrett's house.
Saturday was a lazy day. I bought a gift for my cousin, then stayed at home and played on the computer for about eight hours. It is very satisfying to kill wave after wave of stormtroopers with a little Lego man.
Sunday, I obeyed the fourth commandment (keep the Sabbath holy) and went to church. I went home and killed more Lego guys (ironic, isn't it, how you can go from talking about how to love others, then going home and killing these people, even if they are just Legos). Sunday night was a blast. We had our annual progressive dinner. We go to three separate houses for appetizers, the main course, and desert. Garrett (the aforementioned friend) got to come. It was very exciting. We tried to win raffle tickets so at the end of the night, we could get a early present. turns out, only two present were actually good: two AMC theater gift cards. the other two: sweat bands (with a picture of, oh, what's his name. Does anybody know who lives in a pineapple under the sea?), and a plastic mini bowling set. and when I say mini, I mean the size a large bug might play with. To top everything off, Garrett stayed for the night.
Today, woke up and watched some videos on YouTube, watched half of the fifth Harry Potter movie, dropped Garrett off at his house, and then playing on the computer.
Tonight, I'm going to watch another movie.
Tomorrow, who knows. If I remember though, I'll write another post.
Until then,
Agent 23, signing out.
On Friday, I took a physics test. It lasted an hour and a half! With Christmas so near, the last thing I wanted to do was slowly inject myself with poison, I mean, uh, take a physics test. Friday night my sister has a cookie baking party with a bunch of girls. Luckily, I managed to escape the overwhelming opposition and make it to my friend Garrett's house.
Saturday was a lazy day. I bought a gift for my cousin, then stayed at home and played on the computer for about eight hours. It is very satisfying to kill wave after wave of stormtroopers with a little Lego man.
Sunday, I obeyed the fourth commandment (keep the Sabbath holy) and went to church. I went home and killed more Lego guys (ironic, isn't it, how you can go from talking about how to love others, then going home and killing these people, even if they are just Legos). Sunday night was a blast. We had our annual progressive dinner. We go to three separate houses for appetizers, the main course, and desert. Garrett (the aforementioned friend) got to come. It was very exciting. We tried to win raffle tickets so at the end of the night, we could get a early present. turns out, only two present were actually good: two AMC theater gift cards. the other two: sweat bands (with a picture of, oh, what's his name. Does anybody know who lives in a pineapple under the sea?), and a plastic mini bowling set. and when I say mini, I mean the size a large bug might play with. To top everything off, Garrett stayed for the night.
Today, woke up and watched some videos on YouTube, watched half of the fifth Harry Potter movie, dropped Garrett off at his house, and then playing on the computer.
Tonight, I'm going to watch another movie.
Tomorrow, who knows. If I remember though, I'll write another post.
Until then,
Agent 23, signing out.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
I FEEL BLEH
So I woke up this morning at 7:45. I got out of bed and noticed two things: first, I was the only one awake (a surprise, because usually I'm last awake), and second, that I felt bleh. Feeling bleh is different than feeling sick. Sick is when you have the flu or a fever or a bad cold. Bleh is when you feel like you have these things, but you don't. So I ended up staying in bed until 10:30.
Are you in the Christmas mood? I am. I feel like decking the halls with red and green duct tape, only we don't have any. Plus, I doubt the halls would like being decked. Being attacked by duct tape is scary. I don't blame the halls for not wanting to be decked. Perhaps I'll deck my brother with duct tape. His mouth looks like it could use some.
That's all for now, sorry I don't have any Bible verses for this post. Later on I'll talk about suffering and illness and the role they play in our lives.
Upcoming posts:
-How do we prove that Jesus was God's Son, that he died and rose again, etc.?
-The Christmas Story
-Satan (and why he should have a mile of duct tape around his mouth)
Are you in the Christmas mood? I am. I feel like decking the halls with red and green duct tape, only we don't have any. Plus, I doubt the halls would like being decked. Being attacked by duct tape is scary. I don't blame the halls for not wanting to be decked. Perhaps I'll deck my brother with duct tape. His mouth looks like it could use some.
That's all for now, sorry I don't have any Bible verses for this post. Later on I'll talk about suffering and illness and the role they play in our lives.
Upcoming posts:
-How do we prove that Jesus was God's Son, that he died and rose again, etc.?
-The Christmas Story
-Satan (and why he should have a mile of duct tape around his mouth)
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