Father vs Master

Would you ever call Satan your Father?

Think about it. When we refer to those who follow God and those who follow Satan we tend to use different terminology. While one who worships God usually calls Him "Father", one who worships Satan prefers "Master". When we delve into what each of these terms imply we can only realize how appropriate it is to the respective relationship.

A father is one who leads his child hand-in-hand. A father loves and nurtures his child, and looks out for the good of his child. He may allow his child to stumble in order to learn to pick himself up, but he will always be standing ready to help. The word Master on the other hand elicits a more selfish and inward focus. Instead of children, the master has servants or slaves that he commands to do things which benefit only him. Satan as a master is not concerned for the welfare of his servants, he values only his own vanity and glory.

Why would we want to be slaves to sin?

Some may feel like they have more freedom under the dominion of Satan--they can lie, cheat, sleep around, watch porn, steal, murder, abandon responsibility and live outside of the rules. Life seems easy. They may think this is the definition of freedom, yet it is only tightening the manipulative hold their Master has around their souls. The only reason Satan allows his slaves to participate in these activities is because it benefits himself personally and his ultimate goal, which is to bring a downfall of humanity. He doesn't care that these things destroys a person--that is exactly what he wants. It is how he keeps his followers wrapped around his finger, by disguising evil as good and enticing. And once they have been sucked into the black hole of sin, Satan makes it extremely difficult to get out--he bombards them with temptation to continue on that destructive path in order to ensure that their souls will never be free to escape his hold. Satan is incapable of love.

God is love. God wants us to feel loved and stay in love forever, and to abide in love with Him for eternity. But as much as he wills us to stay on the right path in order to be with Him, he does not force us. He has given us the gift of free will so that we can choose for ourselves to remain with God. Isn't that what every loving father wants? Of course he could say "I'm your dad and I say so", but a father would much rather have his child make the decision themselves.

So do we follow a father who loves us and wants only the best for us? Or do we follow a master who wants to control us and manipulate us? Would we rather be a child of God or a slave of sin?

The choice is ultimately ours.

Hung on a Cross

Are we desensitized to the crucifixion?

We see the depiction of Christ hanging from the cross seemingly everywhere--around someone's neck, photos on the walls, a large wooden sculpture in a church. As with any image we've seen many a dozen times, it becomes just that. An image. We see it, recognize it's meaning...but do we really feel it's meaning? Or have we developed a hardness of heart to its emotional, personal meaning to us?

Each and every one of us are called to meditate deeper on the meaning of the crucifixion--especially on this Good Friday.

Why?

If we ask ourselves this question every time we see a depiction of the Crucifixion we can pull ourselves away from that common desensitization. Just one simple word can spark a call to action and change in our lives.

Why did Christ die for us? We can only imagine what it entailed--torture, ridicule and an excruciatingly painful death. So why did He suffer for a people who denied him? We certainly didn't deserve it--it wasn't owed to us by any means. As humanity, we already had our chance and we failed. We disappointed God, our Creator, and broke the relationship we had with Him. We are a fallen people and we didn't deserve a second chance. And yet, He gave us one. Why?

Love of a Father.

God is Love, and Love is what saved us. Love is the force that moved Christ to make that sacrifice on the cross. Love gave us the chance to be reconciled with God so we can come home to Him. God doesn't just love us as a whole humanity, He loves us each individually. And that sacrifice of blood was poured over each of us. "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" A fulfillment of the blood covenant that extends to us as individuals. But it is up to us to accept this offer to join our Creator in Heaven when our lives here are finished. The gates are open, but we must choose to walk the path now that will lead us there. How?

Love of a Child.

A child who loves their father does everything they can not to disappoint him. They walk with him hand-in-hand with adoration and admiration, looking to him for example. So should we walk hand-in-hand with our Father, and we should adore Him in how we talk and how we act. And when we look to Him for example we see that we are called to love. If we accept this call, to love as Christ loved us--loved us so deeply that he sacrificed His life--it will transform our lives.

Make every act an act of love. And the next time we look at a crucifix, let that be a reminder to us that the Love of a Father is what put Christ on that Cross, and the Love of a Child is what will reunite us with Him.

Pick Up The Phone

In this day and age it is easy to fall into the endless cycle of texting and e-mailing. We opt for these quicker, less personal means of communication over taking time out of our busy schedules to call our friends. I'm sure each of us is guilty of this. I'm also sure each of us truly appreciates it when we do finally speak with our friends directly. No amount of typed letters and emoticons can take the place of verbal communication, or express so accurately the emotions displayed in our voices. There is something deep and meaningful about picking up the phone that shows our friends we truly care.

Similar is our relationship with God.

Too often do we push aside spending time in personal prayer each day; too often do we make excuses and take the quick and easy route. Throughout our busy day other things always seem to take priority, and by the time our head hits the pillow we barely remember to mutter a rushed Our Father or Hail Mary. Sometimes we may even manage to get through a whole decade of the Rosary! While we may take comfort in the fact that our guardian angel will finish our prayers for us, or we have nuns and saints praying for us on our behalf, it is just not enough. Just like our friends, God longs for that personal conversation with us--something more than just a half-hearted text message.

That personal type of communication may be different for each of us. For some it may take place in quiet meditation with God, for others it may be through music--it may take place sitting on a bench in the park, or kneeling in the Adoration chapel. Whichever way we feel closest to God, it is important to do it on a consistent basis in order to foster a deeper relationship. Just like calling our friends shows our appreciation for them, spending time in personal prayer shows our love for God. We must make sure that our busy lives don't put a rift between us and our Creator.

Pick up the phone and give God a call. You won't want to ever hang up.

Unbelievable

Yesterday I watched a story on the morning news that made me gag.

Abercrombie is apparently marketing a padded push up bikini for kids aged 7-14. (Since then they have apparently removed the "push up" in their description.)

I have to ask the question, WHY?

Why did they even feel the need for it? Who had the great idea of designing a bikini top for kids so young to make them "sexy"? Why does a kid need to be sexy? Those two words do not belong in the same sentence.

One of the first things that popped in my head was how easy it would be for pedophiles to get their "fix" if the little girls they lusted after were running around with their pushed-up breasts on full display. Does Abercrombie realize that they are easily providing another reason for pedophiles to molest kids? Promoting what barely constitutes as a bathing suit for such a young age group accomplishes nothing but putting them in dangerous situations and giving them a false definition of beauty.

And why shouldn't these young girls have a warped sense of true beauty? Everywhere they look they see "sexy" and "hot". It's all over the magazines, portrayed in movies, and heard in all the popular songs of today--in order to compete with those airbrushed, photoshopped models and actresses they MUST wear less clothing. Skirts must show off too much leg, shirts must be low enough to show off breasts, and everyone must wear bikinis that don't leave anything to the imagination. And if that doesn't boost their self-esteem, then Abercrombie swoops in with the answer--a padded push-up bikini top so these young girls can transform themselves into mini-versions of what they idolize as the "perfect woman".

As we all know, girls at that age are quite impressionable. We all remember how at that age we wanted so hard to be "grown up". To act like and dress like all the older girls. Unfortunately, nowadays acting like all the older girls seems to mean lowering ones standards to follow blindly the degrading path that the media and entertainment industries have laid down.

We need to change this ambition.

As the "older girls" it is our responsibility to make sure our younger followers have a better image to follow. It is our responsibility to act and dress in ways that are respectful to us, that don't degrade us, and which uphold our dignity as women. Since our dignity and worth don't diminish when we age, we should not lower our own standards either. As women, we should avoid flaunting too much leg, showing off too much chest, or wearing swimsuits that are better left in the bedroom, for just that reason. Whether we're 10 years old sporting the latest Abercrombie swim top or 25 years old wearing a string bikini, both lead guys to view us not as women, but as objects. Both lead even the best of guys through a visual struggle focusing on the amount of skin revealed instead of the beautiful woman in front of them.

And since we are the example for the younger generations we need to show them that some things are not okay--it is not okay to let ourselves be viewed in this manner just because the latest celebrity magazine tells us this is the only way we will be beautiful, or liked, or successful. We need to stand up for respect and TRUE beauty, for our sake and the sake of those who look to us for leadership.

Stairway to Heaven

Led Zeppelin creates some pretty accurate imagery regarding our journey to Heaven. Stairway to Heaven. We envision marble white stairs winding upwards to disappear high in the clouds, the top so far up it is out of our sight. Or maybe they're made of wood, worn from being heavily traveled. Either way, we see stairs--not an escalator where we don't even have to lift a foot to take a step, and certainly not an elevator that shoots us straight into Heaven like a rocket. Sometimes we forget that getting to Heaven isn't quite so easy as pressing a button and waiting behind closed doors to reach the top floor. It's a little more challenging than that.

It may start out like a breeze, and we may be invigorated and excited about the climb. Completely on fire for God, nothing will stand in our way of completing our journey to spend eternity with Him! We take off full speed ahead, taking those bottom stairs two at a time.

Soon, though, our initial adrenaline wears off and we start to slow down. The stairs seem to get steeper and steeper as we're faced with greater challenges. Our legs get heavy and it feels like we've just climbed the Empire State Building and still have the whole Eiffel Tower to go. Our goal seems so far away and we now look backwards in longing. Going down would be so much easier...

Isn't this how we feel at times? That the closer we get to Heaven, the harder the climb gets? We're faced with decisions to make greater sacrifices, sacrifices we may not have thought we'd have to make at first. Starting out all we had to worry about was taking those first few steps--saying yes to Christ. Now we're being asked to give up so much more! Certain movies, music, fashions and even jobs? All these things we were so attached to...they made us fit into this world, they're part of our identity. We never imagined we would be asked to sacrifice them. Our legs start to drag...

As we struggle to climb closer to our goal and become deeper in our faith, the temptations become deeper and more challenging as well. Why? The devil watches anxiously as we slip out of his reach and climb closer to God--he becomes desperate to keep us grounded and will throw anything in our path to hold us back. The devil knows what we struggle with and uses it to his advantage to try to pull us back towards him. Sometimes he succeeds and stops us in our tracks. We make excuses and justify holding onto things that keep us from furthering our journey. The nudity in that movie's not that bad...I don't actually listen to the lyrics of the song...everyone else I know is wearing that same outfit...it doesn't matter that my company provides support for Planned Parenthood as long as I don't personally...And if we're not careful it'll do more than just prevent us from moving forward, it will make us retreat backwards.

So how do we keep maintain the strength to make it all the way to the top of the stairway to Heaven? By leaning on Christ for support. Because while the elevator doors may be closed due to original sin, Christ opened up the stairway so we can still join Him in Heaven. And Christ knows every step and every pitfall along the way. All we need to do is lock arms with Him and move forward one step at a time. When we get tired, we just lean on Christ to help us through the tough parts, and ask Him to assist us in shedding the heaviness of sin that weighs us down.

Don't let the pressures of sin prevent us from climbing up the stairway of Heaven. These worldly temptations that cling to us aren't going to be there for us in the end and won't do anything but bring us down into the trenches. The path to God may be tough at times and we may even feel close to giving up, but keep pushing on! Nothing will be more satisfying once we reach the top and get to participate in the most beautiful view ever!

In the words of Led Zeppelin, "there are two paths you can go by".

Make sure to choose the stairway to Heaven. It will be so much more worth it.

Fork in the Road

Everyone else has it so easy. They get to go to parties and drink all they want; they can wear mini skirts, low-cut shirts and bikinis; they're able to sleep with guys and not even worry about pregnancy because birth control and abortion is an option. Why do I have it so hard? Why do I have to follow all the rules?

In this world we are constantly bombarded by images of our peers leading such lives without a care in the world. I'm sure each and every one of us has asked the question, "Why do they get to have all the fun while I have to be the stick in the mud?" And then we come to the conclusion: Being Catholic is extremely lame.

It would be so easy to say "screw the rules" and join our friends in the fun we envy so much. It would be so easy to ignore our values in order to have a good time and live without a care in the world. We start to wish that we could separate ourselves from our Catholicism--it's just holding us back, keeping us away from a "normal" life.

Our faith has turned into our prison.

So how do we break free? Do we just throw away over 2000 years of Church teaching because we think we know how to live a better life? We could do that. We could go to all the late night parties and get so drunk we can't remember what happened; we could sport the skimpy attire to attract guys who don't look at us for more than a one night stand; we could pop pills as an easy fix to sleeping around. We could do all those things.

But at the end of the day, under the guise of "fun" and "normalcy", we will feel used, abused and full of regret. And then we will look back with longing at our faith which has now become the greener side of the fence. We have gone from feeling like the stick in the mud to feeling trapped in quicksand--at first there may be a certain rush, but the only direction it's pulling us is down. And while we're trapped down there we realize that there is no true satisfaction in temporary gratification, and there is no joy in disrespect of one's body and dignity.

Our faith is actually our freedom.

These "rules" of our faith aren't just there because "God said so". They are there to free us from the bindings of a sinful world. Instead of seeing life as full of things we are not allowed to do, we should view life as full of opportunities to choose the path that will fulfill us and lead us to true joy. There is a reason our faith is the way it is.

God knows that if we overindulge in alcohol we won't think clearly and we will make decisions we will later regret. God protects us.

God doesn't want us to give away the most intimate parts of our bodies with revealing attire. God cherishes us.

God wants us to enjoy the fruitfulness of a true relationship, not one of selfishness. God loves us.

When we pick apart the pressures common in this society, can we honestly say they are looking out for our good? Do the pressures in society protect us? Cherish us? Love us? The answer is no. In fact they do the exact opposite.

So when we find ourself in a situation wondering if we should take that worldly road that appears easier, we should make sure to take a look a little further down that road. Chances are, we will only see emptiness, shallow happiness, and a rough ending. If we continue walking on the path of our faith, while we may face obstacles along the way, it will most certainly lead to a much more fulfilling destination.

More Than Ashes

"Father in Heaven,

Protect us in our struggle against evil.

As we begin the discipline of Lent,

make this season holy by our self-denial.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit

one God, for ever and ever."

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent--the first of many days of no more coffee, chocolate or soda. This self-denial is a sacrifice of love; love for our Savior who made the ultimate sacrifice of love for us. We may choose to sacrifice certain foods or drinks, or we may choose to sacrifice those unnecessary activities that tend to distract us from time with Christ (TV, Facebook, Video Games, etc). Either way, we should always strive to take our Lenten promise one more step forward. In addition to giving something up this Lent, let us also add more Christ-centered activities to our life. If you choose to give up watching television, fill that previously wasted time with saying a rosary or reading a passage out of the Bible. Or devote yourself to an outside ministry such as the homeless ministry or a pro-life organization.

The purpose of Lent is not to just sacrifice for 40 days and then come Easter fall back into bad habits or the same routine as before. It's so much more! This Lent, make a promise to carry on the good habits you establish during the Lenten season into the rest of the year. This Lent find something to committ to that will bring you closer in your relationship with Christ, and make an effort to continue with it even when the 40 days are up! With Christ we will find the strength and dedication to accomplish this.

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T...Find out what it means to me"

Who thought I would be bombarded with female nudity when I went to see a Disney movie?? But it’s true. The other day I went to the movies to see Tron, a PG-rated movie. As I was sitting in that dim-lit theatre waiting for the previews to start, three teenaged boys (couldn’t have been more that 16) sat in front of me with a Droid phone flipping through pornographic images of women (I shouldn’t say women because as soon as they began viewing them in that way they turned them into mere objects). It disgusted me. What if it hadn’t been me sitting behind them with a front row view to their lustful behavior? What if it had been a little kid?? This is a Disney movie for crying out loud!

The twisted thing about this is that these boys saw this as “normal” behavior. They weren’t trying to hide it, they weren’t hunkered down in the back of the theatre talking in hushed tones. No, they were smack dab in the middle of the theatre openly pointing at and making crude comments about naked women.

Respect. There is obviously a great lack of it in our world.

We observe it not only in the way men act, but in the way they dress—and in the way women act and dress as well. Men wear t-shirts adorned with the ever classy bare-breasted woman in a suggestive pose, women strive for that image by dressing themselves with the least amount of material possible. Women strut around in bikinis, miniskirts, and low cut shirts causing men to drool lustfully over their bodies, then those guys turn unsatisfied to pornographic images and movies to fulfill theat urge. Women, feeling pressured by men to meet this certain image, then not only allow men to view the most intimate parts of their body, but allow men to touch them and use them to satisfy a craving. It’s a downward spiral, one that is quickly destroying respect, love, and each individual’s dignity.

We need to add respect back into the equation.

One thing we can do as women is to make an aggressive effort to cover ourselves up. If we are causing men to sin by what we wear, we are actively taking part in their sin. If we are the catalyst to lustful behavior, we are now “temptation”. Give me one good reason to wear a bikini to the beach. One good reason to publicly display for all to see part of us which should be reserved for only our husband. There is no good reason—there are only excuses. And those excuses were designed by a fallen society to bring us even further down. Are we really going to buy into these lies? I say we take a stand for respect.

And not just what we wear to the beach. Every day take a good look at what we put on to wear for the day and ask “Would my (future) husband appreciate that every other guy in the world is seeing me in this?”

Once we start treating ourselves with respect it is a lot easier for guys to look at us with respect as well. When the focus is taken away from a lustful portrayal of the body as an object, the focus can be applied to an appreciation and respect of women as human persons. This is the foundation of a good relationship.

What it all boils down to is that this is a two-way street. We can get infuriated that many guys look at porn and are opening disrespectful to women through crude jokes, explicit apparel, and the way they treat women in relationships. But if we don’t respect ourselves then how can we ask them to do the same? We can’t ask the men of the world to stop looking at and treating women degradingly if we’re not willing to make an effort ourselves. So, women, instead of being a catalyst for sin, let us be a catalyst for respect.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Butterflies

Can you believe Christmas is almost here?? As it quickly approaches we are overcome with anticipation, hope, excitement and the desire to make others happy. We make sacrifices of time and money in order to give our friends and family something that will bring a smile to their faces. We participate in Angel Tree or Adopt-a-Family in order to bring joy to those who may not be able to afford something special themselves. We walk around with an extra skip in our step because Christmas is almost here! Now imagine what the world would be like if we continued to live each day like that. If each day we sacrificed of ourselves to bring happiness to others. If each day we were extra bouncy, excited and joyful with anticipation of something absolutely amazing just around the corner. And why shouldn’t we live like that? At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus—the coming of Christ into this world. During Advent we’re preparing for this, anticipating it. But if we put so much preparation and joy into celebrating something that happened so long ago, then we should put so much more into the preparation for the second coming of Christ; we should constantly be self-sacrificing and radiating with the joy of Advent while we wait to be reunited with our Creator. Because that is something we have to look forward to right now. Imagine the joy of being engaged to the love of your life, planning your wedding, excited about spending the rest of your lives together. You have that feeling of butterflies in your stomach and your heart beats a little faster every time you think about the day you will be united with your husband. That’s what it should be like each day while we anticipate being united with Christ. We should have BUTTERFLIES IN OUR STOMACHS, a tingling from our head to our toes, from just the thought of spending eternity with the greatest Love of our lives. And we should constantly be preparing our mind, body and soul for Christ, so that when the day comes and He takes our hand, we can say “I do”.

As we near the end of December, let us really make an effort to carry Advent into the rest of the year. Jesus is alive and He wants US to spend eternity with Him. BE EXCITED!! :)

Just A Little Inspiration

‎"Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions." -1Corinthians 16:13
Do not let the world compromise your faith or let ignorance blur the Truth. It's compromise that pulls us away from the will of God, and ignorance that deafens our ears to His Word.

Nobody ever won a race by stopping at every obstacle in their path. We must face each challenge head on with pure determination, and faith that we can clear every hurdle. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one recieves the prize? So run that you may obtain it!"

"Don't sit around and let life pass you by...be aggressive, take control, and always move forward. Make life be the one who has to catch up to you."

"If our beliefs are sound and firmly planted in Truth, the hands of compassion and persistence will push us into action. If we lack action to uphold our beliefs, we do not believe in it strongly enough. For if our beliefs truly are the Truth, then we should be in constant movement to share it with the whole world."

"Without passion, our faith is empty, our lives dull, and our spirits weak. With passion, our hearts are strengthened to endure the battle for truth, love, and human dignity."

"Reach out with open arms and give yourself up to be transformed by Christ's love. It is that sacrificial love that helps us endure suffering for the glory of God; it is that selfless, giving love that unifies us in the Church; it is that endless love that brings us closer to an eternity in the Beatific Vision."

Take Up Arms

Thousands of men and women choose to join the armed forces to serve our country. They fight for freedom, justice and liberty. Each day they risk their lives and throw themselves in harms way to defend this country of ours. Battlefields, guns, bullets, war, pain, death. All of this they endure.

"Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." 2Tim 2:3

Imagine what would happen if we were as passionate about our faith as soldiers are for their country. If men and women are willing to sacrifice everything for their country, why can't we do the same for our God? There is a spiritual war taking place, and as Christians we are called to take up arms and fight. Fight for the souls of those fallen into sin. Get angry at sin! Get riled up and fight for Truth! Defend the name of our God amongst those who degrade it! This is our GOD, our CREATOR. As His followers and believers, we are called to fight, with Him--the Almighty--leading the way.

Whether we like it or not, we are living in a war zone. And we must choose a side to stand on. We cannot afford to be wishy-washy and stand in the middle--the crossfire will surely bring us down. We must choose a side. We already know that God trumps sin, so isn't the wise choice to stick with Him? There will be pain, there will be suffering, and eventually there will be death. But if we fight with God, after death there will also be life. That is something the other side cannot offer.

Sin is our enemy. Selfishness, vanity, lack of charity, abortion, immodesty, idolatry, impurity, lies, adultery--all of these are our enemies. We must combat sin with steadfast faith and acts of love. If we are truly living Christian lives we should be sacrificing everything for our God, and we should have a burning desire within our hearts to protect all that is good, and triumph over all that is evil.

Once your life on this earth has ended and God asks "How did you live your life for Me? Did you live your faith to the fullest?" What will your response be? Will it be "I sacrificed everything for You, Lord. I suffered so that others may know you, and that Truth and Love may prevail." Or will it be "Well, I kinda just went with the flow of things. I had faith and recognized You and Your will, but only when it was convenient and easy for me."

Be passionate and take action!

"The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him." 2Tim 2:11-12

Reflection

The value of life cannot be determined by outside situations or circumstances, but only by what lies within. Being that we are created in the Image and Likeness of God, our value and worth is infinite and immeasurable, and we must respect and cherish each life, born and preborn, as a blessing from God.

Run with Perseverance

So Mark and I were talking a little while ago about the sad state of the world we live in, and our place as Christians in it. How so many people walk through the streets of immorality every day but choose to ignore it rather than take a stand against it. They act as though it's no big deal---pretending it's not there. "As long as I'm not doing it, it's okay."

But the truth is, sin is like a dust.

Every day, we walk through it and every day this dust--this filth rises from the streets and clings to us. And sooner or later, it will begin clouding our vision. We'll stop distinguishing immoral behavior as sin and see it as "the norm". We won't be as affected by the dark consequences of sin because we see it and experience it every day. And if we aren't careful, the intense fire we should be carrying bearing the love and example of Christ will shrink to a wavering flicker. That's exactly what's been happening in our society.

In Mark's words, "People have become numb."

People have become numb and desensitized to immoral, worldly behavior. Chastity, modesty, and respect for human dignity have become optional. Instead of setting their standards to those of Christ's, people now stretch their standards in order to "fit in" with society.

If we take a step back and look at how worldly standards have affected our own, we see that there is a great need for call to action. We can no longer trudge through life and pretend the filth of sin doesn't cloud our judgement. We can no longer remain idle in a world that desperately needs a good example.

We need to step outside our comfort zone and take a stand.

How many of you have gone to March for Life, wearing your pro-life t-shirts proudly in a group of tens of thousands? How many of you attend Praise and Worship sessions and Bible studies at your church? How many of you choose a modest outfit to wear to Youth Group activities?

Now, how many of you wear your pro-life shirts when hanging out with your "secular" friends, or by yourself to a bar or restaurant where you know you'll be judged? How many of you take what you learn from those Bible studies and go out and "make disciples of all men"? How many of you choose to wear longer shorts, a higher top, or a swimsuit which offers more covering when "everyone else" isn't? How many of you decide that your Christian values do not change dependent upon the crowd that you're with?

Yes, it's great to be involved in church activities and have a solid church family. But that's just the foundation. Now we need to build upon that and be living, active witnesses in the world. We're called to live in the world but not of the world. Don't compromise our principles to fit "the norm" of a sinful society. Act to change "the norm" of society to imitate Christ. And in doing so, reignite that flame and be a witness. Set yourself on fire with passion for Christ.


"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted."
Hebrews 12:1-3

Beauty and Complexity of Life

Thought this was interesting and pretty informative...
A breakdown of Fetal Development (with pictures!):

http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/facts/fetaldevelopment.html

So what gives people the right to end the life growing inside of them? It's such a beautiful miracle--I just can't understand how they can justify throwing it away like garbage. The world needs a change of heart so the value and dignity of human life becomes a priority--seems to me that it's seriously lacking.

Britney Thinks That Living in Sin is the New Thing...

Does it bother anyone else that the world seems to be pressuring its inhabitants to ignore morality, turn off their consciences, and live a life of sin? We're bombarded with messages that sex is just a game, people are nothing but objects to be manipulated for our own gain, women should dress like whores to be considered 'beautiful', and guys, if you're still a virgin by age 20 something must be wrong with you.

It's not hard to slip into this downward spiral of sin and lies. Why not live as if there are no consequences to our actions? There's no one to keep us in check. It's not like God's a factor anymore--He's been torn out of schools, ripped out of public places, and covered up so as not to 'offend' anyone. And with God out of the picture, it's a lot easier to believe that this world is the only one that matters.

But the truth is, God does exist no matter how hard some people try to wipe away all visible traces of Him. Our actions do have consequences--both here in this world and in the next. And while God may be getting pushed aside in public places for the sake of the 'politically correct', we must remember that as long as humanity exists, no one can fully erase the evidence of God's presence. We ourselves are examples of morality, modesty, and lives of virtue. Instead of flowing with the crowd and ignoring our consciences, fight against it. Be that person who attracts attention because you act with integrity, dress respectfully, and refuse to remove God from the equation. Be that person who makes other people question their own actions. Be that person who upholds and glorifies the manner in which we were created--in the image and likeness of God.

And through this, let's show Britney, and the rest of the world, that living in sin is not the new thing.

Resolution

In a time of New Year's resolutions, let's make one of our own...



1 Timothy 2:9 says "Women should adorn themselves with proper conduct, with modesty and self-control..."

Matthew 5:27-28 says "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Society says "Women, you must wear less clothing to be beautiful. Treat yourselves as objects of lust and immorality. Men, use women for self-satisfaction and treat them with disrespect."


And we wonder why there is so much impurity in the world. The pressures and messages of mainstream media, degrading music, and television shows that glorify bad decisions seem to be overshadowing the one message we should actually be listening to: the Word of God.

As winter turns to spring and spring to summer, the pressures become greater to dress a certain way. Women fall victim to the idea that in order to be noticed or valued they should wear the equivalent of a stripper's outfit. Men become desensitized to the sanctity of a woman's body as women run around half naked, not leaving much to the imagination. How sad is it that the guy who helped introduce the modern bikini had to hire a nude dancer to show off the design (he couldnt find a model who would do it), but now people have no problem wearing next to nothing for the whole world to see.

Does it strike odd to anyone else that we preach chastity and 'saving ourselves for marriage' yet modesty doesn't seem to be given a second glance? Modesty is a virtue of chastity and whether single or married we're all called to live chaste lives. We don't think it's right for a couple to see each other in their undergarments before marriage, yet it's "okay" to go to the beach together in swimsuits that actually cover less than the average underwear? Where is the logic in that?

The fact of the matter is, society has desensitized us all to immodesty. We aren't passionate enough about our own human dignity and something needs to change. We need to respect ourselves and respect each other. As Matthew wrote in the above verse, lusting after a woman is a grave sin. And likewise, being the object of temptation and dressing in a way to cause lust is also a sin. As women, we need to respect our men and look out for them. Don't dress in a way to cause them to sin. As men, we need to support our women to be beautiful women of God and treat them with respect.

This New Year I dare you to listen to the Word of God and not to the misleading messages of society. Women, we are daughters of the Lord and temples of the Holy Spirit. I dare you to rid your closets of immodest attire. Don't wear that string bikini to the beach this year knowing that it's no better than walking around in lingerie. Wear something that respects the fact that you're made in the image and likeness of God. Men, support your sisters in Christ by encouraging them to dress modestly. Affirm their decision by telling them that they really are more beautiful for doing so and you respect their efforts to place chastity above vanity and worldly pressure.

The only way we can be good witnesses in the world is to rid ourselves of worldly ideals for Christ-centered ones, and take action against the pitfalls of society. Hopefully in this way we can inspire others to realize their own dignity and promote self-respect and respect for others.



1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?...Therefore glorify God in your body."