Fangirl Alert!

I have been doing a lot of Fangirling lately, what with Mockingjay Part 1 Trailers and Clips being released, knowing the Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies is hitting theatres in December, and keeping up with Insurgent news, my Fangirl wheels are going high speed. XD

The final Mockingjay trailer was amazing (see link there)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXshQ5mv1K8

and I am super excited for the movie. I have high expectations, and I have a feeling they are going to be met. And the feels? Ooh yeah, I will be freaking out in the Theatre the whole time. :)

The Hobbit. Well I was disappointed with the movies since they were not as good as the LOTR's movies, but I still enjoyed them and I want to see how PJ raps everything up.

As for Insurgent, I am probably most eager for it, since I liked Divergent better than HG's, but I am really nervous about the rumors of an added love triangle, and I am also mad at Shailene Woodley for deciding to keep her boy-ish haircut from FIOS when she films Insurgent.

So I will leave you with a few little quotes about Fangirls and finish my evening....which may or may not consist of more Fangirling.....

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Evil Fears

Fear.

It's almost like a disease. It grabs a hold of you and doesn't want to let go. It torments your thoughts and effects your actions, sometimes it even renders you useless. Its one of Satan's most effective tools, and sometimes we don't have the means to defend against it.

And that is where God comes in.

Joshua 1:9-"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest."

Isaiah 41:10~"Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
We can't fight the fear on our own, we aren't strong enough. We need God for that. Its a long battle, but in the end, we are always going to win, because God is on our side. It may not be soon, but someday we will conquer all of our fears.

I am still waiting for my day.

Writing, writing...and more writing.

A writers job never ends. Our poor brains are on constant hyper-drive. Gottawritegottawritegottawrite! Oy.

Trying to think of Blog Posts, working on my Divergent FanFiction, sorting through notes for my upcoming Nano Novel, and helping out with the new Chriteno's Blog (which is going to be awesome, and I'll be sharing the link as soon as it is up and running)....yeah, my computer is becoming my best friend.

Man would I be bored if I didn't write.

Of course my parents don't understand this writers mentality. Is it cool I am writing? Yeah whatever, fine. But they see a lot of it as a waste of time, and since I don't have an actual book published, in their heads I don't classify as an actual writer. *sigh* Did I mention we aren't understood most of the time?

But I love writing, and hopefully one day I will be an Professional Writer. In the meantime, my computer will be my shadow, music will be my friend and the characters I create, will be my foster kids. XD

Now, where are the chips?

Small things matter too.

I was recently faced with a situation and it got me thinking about how often we neglect little things in life. I'm not talking about tasks, I'm talking in terms of morality. How we often think that we're ok because we don't commit the "big sins" like murder, but we are so focused on that, we forget that we fall short in the small things, and that God cares about those things too.

Usually, you are entrusted with small things before big things. Handling the small things show you are mature enough to handle the big things. I find Christians tend to do things backwards. They focus on not murdering etc. but ignore smaller things that "don't matter." We says things like:

"Well, it'll be ok if I tell a white lie. Its not a REAL lie. God wont mind."

"Its just a tiny quiz sheet, it wont hurt to look up the answers."

But God says:

"Lying lips [are] abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly [are] his delight." ~Proverbs 12:22

"Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another." ~Ephesians 4:25

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin." ~James 4:17 

"A false balance [is] abomination to the LORD: but a just weight [is] his delight." ~Proverbs 11:1

These are just a few verses.

My point is, God sees EVERYTHING we do. We need to think about what He would think about us doing-or not doing-something. Is God going to be pleased with how I am doing my buisness? With how I treat others? Is He going to be happy about this white lie? How about peeking at answers for a homework sheet or copying off of someone else's work? Is He happy about how I have kept The Lord's Day this week? Would He like the music I am listening to, or the movies I am watching?

These are things we must consider. And we will find the answers in His Word. That is what it is there for.

Remember we have said before how we are to be separate from the world? If you were put on trial and accused of being a Christian, will they find enough evidence to convict you? The world will notice how we glorify God in ALL life's areas, and God will too.

God Made Girls.

Has anyone heard the song "God made girls" by Rae Lynn? While I was poking around on YouTube trying to relieve some boredom, I came across it. I found it to be a very cute and pretty song, however I noticed A LOT of people disagreed with me. Their objections?

The song was "sexist".

Yep, all those Feminists were screaming; "sexist" because the song promotes that women were "only created to serve men."

Give me a freaking break. The only thing I saw wrong was the music video. All the girls were way too skimpily dressed. Here you can listen to the song and then continue reading if you want:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=40-mBHxjpwI

So, I think you've guessed by now that I don't believe that this song is sexist, but i'll explain why. I'll break it down bit by bit. I think it's purpose is to explain a lot of ways how girls are (and should be!)

"Somebody's gotta wear a pretty skirt, Somebody's gotta be the one to flirt,somebody gotta wanna hold his hand so God made girls" Yes, someone has to wear pretty frilly clothes with glitter and sparkle. And we do. Someone has to think he's cute and want to hold the hand of the man we are in love with. And we do. I see nothing wrong with that.

"Somebody's gotta make 'em get dressed up, Somebody's gotta give 'em a reason to wash that truck, Somebody gotta teach 'em how to dance so God made girls."  Guys dress better when they're around girls. No girl wants to see a guy who looks like a slob right? And that truck has to look nice when the guy goes to pick up his girl for a date right? And some guys...can't dance. So, the girl can teach them.

"He needed something soft and loud and sweet and proud, But tough enough to break a heart, Something beautiful and breakable that lights up in the dark "  That sounds like a nice description of a girl right there to me. I know girls who are really loud, and sweet, and beautiful. They're tough enough to break a heart, but soft enough to get their hearts broken.

"And God made girls (For singing in your front seat), God made girls (For dancin' to their own beat), He stood back and told the boys I'm bout to rock your world, And God made girls."  I don't know about some of you, but I sing loud in the car with friends...and in my room...and the shower. I don't dance but I have a friend who does. And, God told Adam he would make him a helper suitable for him. Someone....to rock his world. :)

"Somebody's gotta be the one to cry, Somebody's gotta let him drive, give him a reason, To hold that door so God made girls." Ok, we all know most guys don't cry. But girls do. And maybe she'll show her guy its ok to shed a tear or two. And what is so bad about a guy holding a door for us? Are we perfectly capable of opening a door? Of course we are! But when a guy holds a door for a girl, it shows he's respectful and polite. And I rather like the idea of a guy driving me all over the place, because currently, I hate driving. :)

"Somebody's gotta put up a fight, Make him wait on a Saturday night, To walk downstairs and blow his mind, So God made girls" Yep, I can be feisty when I want to. And we all know guys complain about how girls take to long to do....everything. And all those sweet movies where the girl comes downstairs looking gorgeous and makes him drool? Adorable.

"Someone that can wake him up and call his bluff, And drag his butt to church, someone that is hard to handle, Somethin' fragile to hold him when he hurts". And sadly there are some guys who have to be woken up and drug to church. Hopefully they're working on that one.

My take on the song? We complete guys. The relationship between a guy and a girl is priceless and something God made special. Just because she's not depicting women walking around with gear like Rambo doesn't mean she's being sexist.

I guess I have one thing to say to the Feminists out there who are hating this song: Pull up your big girl pants and quit your whining.

A Heck of a Ride.

Ok, so today, being my friend's Birthday, we all went on a Trail Ride. It was originally to be a 4 hour ride with other people bringing their horses but because of different circumstances, it ended up being just our group of 5. :) And it didn't help that it started to rain. Oh yeah, and it was like, less than 50F.

Yay.

Now, when you go on a Red Hawk Stable Trail Ride, it is almost never dull. They are, 95% of the time, what we call "eventful". Whether we are laughing till our sides hurt or trying to spot "spiffets" in the woods, there is always something going on.

However, I didn't say the happenings were always good. :)

First example; it rained. Just enough to get us pretty wet and chilly. Really hoping we don't end up with pneumonia, colds...or Ebola. :)

Second example; my horse, the lovely Miss Dory, decided she was really loving the idea of running. Now, Dory is feisty. She gets a bit full of herself and her middle name is Speed. I didn't want to canter her down the flat tracks by myself because I know she likes to run and I have a tendency to not control my nerves-which makes things worse-so my Instructor says she will canter beside me while holding onto Dory, who will be attached to a lead rope.

Ok, lets do this thing.

Leaving the other three members of our group behind, we start off. At first Dory decides a trot is nice and I'm thinking; "Ok, this is good!". Then it happens.

The explosion.

Unable to contain the urge anymore she starts galloping, breaking the strap on her bridle, leaving the lead rope in the dirt and deciding to try to leave my Instructor in her dust.

Crap. 

So here I am, flying down the puddle-filled tracks in the woods on a horse who thinks she's running in the Kentucky Derby, and she's not even a Thoroughbred. My thighs, at this point, go into survival mode and are doing all they can to keep me in that saddle. In a few seconds, my Instructor, on trusty old Spice, catches up and yells "Pull back", and I do.

Of course, Dory says; "I'm having too much fun to stop!" and keeps going. Between the two of us we manage to get her to stop before we hit the road. And I'm still in the saddle. :D I survived! I didn't hit the ground going at unknown speeds, I didn't slam into a tree, and my brain didn't shut down rendering me immobile at it has been known to do.

Needless to say, I was feeling pretty good. :)

Fast forward a little bit. That little jaunt in no way dampened Dory's desire to run. In fact it made her want to run some more. So I say to my friend; "I'll hold Romeo (her horse) and you run her down the tracks a bit and blow off some steam." She agrees and she and my Instructor take off and the rest of us wait. Here is their story.

Dory goes faster than she did with me, jumping puddles and making my poor friend lose her stirrups, and once again, it took the two of them to maker her stop. Luckily she stopped before they reached a really rutted out water-filled part of the path, complete with three or four tires someone threw back there. After that, she did settle down.

Add in the fact that I banged my knee off a tree, my extra sweatshirt hit the ground twice and we were harassed by a mangy looking dog, this ride was pretty interesting. :P

Other events in the day included me acquiring burns to my mouth from hot pizza, and the purchase of an iPod touch for myself.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to our next big trail ride.

(note; this actually all took place yesterday, but I didn't get to finish the post until today, and I didn't feel like changing it.)

National Novel Writing Month!

 

 

 

November is National Novel Writing Month, and I am proud to say I will be (hopefully) participating in it once again! My first year of Nano was back in 2012 and I am happy to say I won! Let me give you a brief run-down:

 

Create an account at nanowrimo.org and pledge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. You can write whatever you want to. Then, beginning Nov. 1 you punch in your word count at the end of every day and if you reach 50,000 words viola! you're a winner and can take advantage of some cool winner prizes provided by many different companies.

 

And to help you along the way are articles on writing, revising, and PepTalks from famous Authors. Not to mention you have the whole (awesome) Nano community on the Forums. What's not to love?

 

So to all you fellow writers out there, get out your coffee and laptop chargers and join me in another writing adventure!



Top Ten Favorite....

MOVIES

1. LOTR's Trilogy
2. Divergent
3. Eragon
4. Phantom of the Opera (movie of the actual play. Gerard Butler is not a good Phantom.)
5. Unconditional
6. HG's/CF
7. Anne of Greene Gables
8. Mom's Night Out
9.
10.

I seriously cant think of anymore, though I know there is!!

Police Carelessness

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/09/katti-putnam-lawsuit_n_5959246.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl7%7Csec3_lnk4%26pLid%3D543335


Honestly, I am so tired of seeing stories like these. It is not the first article I have read where a cop shoots a civilian's dog, the only difference with this one is, the dog survived. Most of them don't. In the below article, the dog dies. To give a brief rundown of the first story, cops broke into the wrong home looking for a fugitive and then shot the 15 year old dog in the back yard. He fired one shot at her, hitting her face, and then a second, which missed. The owner threw herself between the cop and the dog, yelling that it was the wrong house. The cops then realized they had the wrong address and told the owners they would take care of it. And they never did. The owners are now suing for vet bills, and the cops will not return phone calls.

This is one of several stories like it, and I hate reading them. Cops break into the wrong home, kill the dog, and then leave, or shoot a dog simply because its in close proximity. It's ridiculous.

Just because there is a dog present does not mean it is going to attack. And even if the dog is barking and growling, it doesn't take rocket science to figure out the dog is viewing officers as home invaders and are simply trying to protect themselves or their home-certainly nothing to deserve being killed. Cops need to stop being so darn trigger happy and use their brains to properly handle situations like this.

They need to be taught how to handle dogs that they face humanely and without resorting to killing them. It is my belief that at least one officer should be equipped with a tranquilizer and equipment to handle dogs (muzzles, leashes) so they can secure them in a safe area (a closet, a bedroom, a kennel in the back of a car) while other officers do their work. That way, no innocent animals would be harmed.

K9 Officers are given Human status almost, and if someone shoots/harms them, they get in even bigger trouble. While I agree these dogs are heroes in their own right, they are not much different than regular people's dogs. They are capable of defending their owners, capable of giving just as much love and affection. The only difference is they are specially trained and cost a lot of money. Why do Officer's dogs get treated as more important than a regular civilian dog?

I am not a cop-hater, or someone who thinks we need to get rid of all the police, but I am tired of seeing such careless behavior, and seemingly no remorse on the part of the Officers. And I am certainly tired of seeing no attempts to fix these issues.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/23/lexie-dog-shooting_n_5614051.html

The Next Black Plague.

Ebola.

By now you have probably heard of it. The nasty incurable disease spreading like wildfire in Africa, killing over 3,000 people. Symptoms ranging from fever, vomiting, to bleeding and severe pain. It's enough to make you shudder. But the good thing is, its only found in Africa and nowhere else right?

Well, that would be a somewhat comforting thought if people hadn't decided to bring it to the United States. I'm all for helping people. It's the right thing to do. However, I think it is very irresponsible for the Aid Workers to be brining back a deadly disease so that everyone here can get infected.

I guess blame shouldn't all be laid on the Aid Workers, but rather the people who made the decision to let them come back here. I'm no rocket scientist, but somehow bringing a sickness with no known cure, that has never ever been found here, to here, seems like a really dumb move. Regardless of who has it, it's a disaster waiting to happen.

Now a guy in Texas, who went to Liberia and handled Ebola patients, is infected and walked around for days carrying the nasty disease before being admitted. The Workers who decided to go to Africa are in hospitals in several states being treated. An NBC Reporter is also being treated. And now, a Nurse in Spain has come down with it. (And they say they've decided not to shut down air travel. Yep, great idea.)

Of course, there is the question of whether it is right to deny a U.S. Citizen treatment in the U.S. Sorry, but these people knew the risks when they went to offer help. They knew how awful the disease was, and still decided it was their duty to lend a hand. While that is all well and good, they also have a duty to the other people who do NOT have the disease. I do not believe they should have been allowed back here. It was their personal decision to put themselves in harms way. They have no right to endanger millions of healthy people.

At the very least, if they had to bring them back here, they should have found some top secrete high security facility to treat these people in, not allowing anyone in or out until they were POSITIVE no one else was carrying Ebola.

Rules should be enforced for people coming out of these places infected with Ebola as well. No one should be allowed back here until after the 21 day incubation period is past and they are showing no symptoms. Whatever it takes to keep this from spreading.

The health officials are telling us that Ebola cannot be spread by the air, so it's not as easily caught as the cold or flu, and therefore they are confident they can easily contain it. Now there are reports of the Spanish nurse being infected with it. A Nurse, trained in how to handle herself with diseases like this and how to keep herself from being contaminated and she still has it. My point? If a trained professional caught it that easily, how much easier is it going to be for common untrained people to catch it and spread it? The way things are looking, I can see Ebola easily becoming the next Black Plague.

The solution? Well, the way things are going now, I say dig a giant underground hole, seal the entrance and pray God puts an end to this epidemic. Then we can emerge in about twenty years and hope we aren't faced with post-apocalyptic conditions.

A Deadly Poison

What is the deadly poison that I am going to talk about tonight? As you might have guessed, it is not a physical substance. Not a drug, or a plant, or some kind of chemical. The thing I am calling a poison tonight is anger.

How often do you see problems stem from anger? If you look closely-and often times you don't even have to look that close-you will see that many different issues (mostly in relationships) spring up from that hard-to-kill root. And pretty soon, it can grow into something that is very difficult, and yes, even occasionally impossible to fix.

The Bible has much to say about being angry, and a lot of it is how we aren't supposed to get angry. Don't get me wrong; there are good reasons to get mad. Jesus showed us that when he overturned tables in the temple and sternly rebuke the Devil. But a lot of the things we get angry over are, let's face it, stupid and unnecessary. Let's look at some verses.

"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit, than he that takes a city." ~Proverbs 16:32 

We all know how we adore our heroes. Those people that rescue helpless victims and do various other great acts. But the Bible makes it clear that the people who practice self control are even more admirable than Spiderman.

Let's keep looking:

"He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly." ~Proverbs 14:29

Obviously here, Solomon says if you are slow to be angry then you are very wise. If you are quick to be angry, then you're stupid. Pretty blunt, huh?

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." ~James 19:20 

Hmm, it seems if our wrath does not work the righteousness of God, then we must be doing something wrong right? I don't have time to list the verses about how we are to be like God, but you know there are quite a few. :)

 "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil." ~Psalm 37:8  

"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." ~Romans 12:21

 "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath" ~Ephesians 4:26 

These are direct commands. God is telling us NOT to be angry, and to be keep ourselves away from evil and sin. Clearly, unrighteous anger leads to evil and is therefore, sinful.

There are many ways anger acts as a poison. Not only can it poison people around us. but ourselves as well.

"Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go." ~Proverbs 22:24

Here Solomon tells us not to associate with people who get angry easily. I'm going to guess it is because they are likely to get very angry with us quite frequently, and their angry tendencies could rub off on us with time.

So I want to challenge you all to think before you get angry. Stop and ask yourself if what you are about to get upset about is worth it.
Are the words that are about to pass your lips words that will harm, do damage, work evil?
Are you getting angry because you think the other person deserves it, in other words, to satisfy a sinful feeling?
Are you yelling at someone for something they have no control over, for something that is not their fault?
Are you holing a grudge, not letting go of something in the past?

If the answer is yes to any of these, take steps to ensure you can soon answer "no". If you feel yourself getting angry, take a breath and walk away from the situation so you can calm down. Ask others to hold you accountable for your actions, someone who will remind you when you are/have lost your temper in a sinful way. Talk to your Pastor about it if you have problems you feel you cant fix on your own. And of course, ask God to give you the power to control your temper. Even in a situation when you feel things are starting to escalate, pause an quickly ask him to help you.

Are we going to succeed every time? No. No one is perfect. But be sure to ask forgiveness of the people around you who may have been effected by your anger. Don't sit and do nothing.

Ask God to give you the antidote for this poison, and you will be the better for it.

 

"Something in the water": Carrie Underwood's New Single

Carrie Underwood's new single "Something in the water" was a nice attempt at an inspiring talk about Baptism, but unfortunately she was way off the mark.  Here are the lyrics to the song and a link at the bottom:

He said I've been where you've been before
Down every hallway's a slamming door
No way out, no one to come and save me
Wasting a life that the Good Lord gave you
There's somebody saying what I'm saying to you
Open my eyes and told me truth
He said: just a little faith and it'll all get better
So I followed that preacher man down to the river and now I'm changed
And now I'm stronger

There must be something in the water
Oh there must be something in the water

Well I heard what he said and I went on my way
Didn't think about it for a couple of days
Then it hit me like a lightning late one night
I was all out of hope and all out of fight
Couldn't fight back my tears so I fell on my knees
Saying God if you're there come and rescue me
Felt love pouring down from above
Got washed in the water, washed in the blood and now I'm changed

And now I'm stronger

There must be something in the water
Oh there must be something in the water

And now I'm singing along to amazing grace
Can't nobody wipe this smile off my face
Got joy in my heart, angels on my side
Thank God Almighty I saw the light
Gonna look ahead, no turning back,
Live every day, give it all that I have, 

Trust in someone bigger than me
Ever since the day that I believed I am changed

And now I'm stronger

There must be something in the water
Oh there must be something in the water
Oh there must be something in the water
Oh there must be something in the water
Oh yeah

I'm stronger
Stronger

I'm free

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XZ2kdx4zZUY

The first thing I noticed was the line:  "He said: just a little faith and it'll all get better
So I followed that preacher man down to the river and now I'm changed
And now I'm stronger" This makes it sound like the man is saying once you have a little Faith in God, all your problems will go away. That is a dangerous thing to claim. While God helps you through troubled times, he does NOT promise to give you a care-free life.

The second thing: The phrase "there must be something in the water" is....ridiculous. There is nothing in the water. Baptism is not magic.

Third; The song is very Arminian. "Thank God Almighty I saw the light." makes it seem that the person is thanking God that they were smart enough to see for themselves. It should say; "Thank God Almighty he enabled/made me to see the light."

To sum it up; pretty song, but sadly, bad Theology.