Friend?

Friend.

Here is another word, in my opinion, that is used way too much.

What is a friend to you? And what kind of qualities do you look for in a "friend?"

Nature or Nurture

Rather than writing a long post, I thought I would just ask the question and see where it goes.

I had a discussion with a friend and the subject of homosexuality came up and how Christians view this issue. Naturally the question came up as to whether this is something you are born with or something you grow into. The idea that someone can be born this way really disturbs the Christian community and rarely is the subject brought up.

So... Can someone be born homosexual?

MMORPG

A few years ago I got caught up into the addictive world of the MMORPG. (Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Game). It started with FFX1 (Final Fantasy 11), on the PS2, most MMORPGs are on PC and mine at the time was nothing more than a giant calculator. When I finally decided to upgrade my PC, because I fried the motherboard I had no choice, I moved on to Starwars Galaxies. After about a year of SWG I jumped on the WoW (World of Warcraft) bandwagon, which was fun, until a problem with their latest patch made it impossible to play. So now I am playing DDO (Dungeons and Dragons Online).

I like the idea of MMORPG, interaction with real people and a game that really has no end. So now I am curious on peoples thoughts on these games, not the ones I mention specifically, but on all MMORPGs?

I decided to do a light topic, and if I get enough response I got a real controversial topic next time, one that most Christians would not touch with a ten foot pole. So please comment away.

Move over Myspace

I moved all my blog posts to this site. I like this better.

Christian + Goth = Evil?

This is a subject I wanted to bring up for awhile. People ask me how one can believe in God, or follow his son, if they are Goth. Though I have tried many times to answer their question, they still walk away perplexed, or is it that Goth goes against everything they were brought up on and they refuse to believe otherwise? Either way, I have decided to explain here, but instead of beating you over the head with my explanation, I thought the creative geniuses at White Wolf would do a better job. This is an excerpt from their Storytellers Handbook, from Vampire: The Masquerade Role-playing Game:


The gothic aesthetic is not about misery and depression as so many people assume it to be. The gothic style is just the opposite.

The gothic style takes the very things that seem miserable and depressing and finds a sense of beauty in them. In the gothic sense, the night isnt something to fear. Instead, the night casts a seductive spell on those willing to wander in and explore. The morbid and the tragic can seem romantic, even sensual, for those brave enough to look into the eyes of the things the fear most. It embraces the decadence of the modern world and cherishes the strength it takes to do so. Squalid surroundings can drive the weaker man insane, but the crumbling ruins of a once-thriving town are somehow comforting in the gothic aesthetic. To look into the eyes of the destitute is almost blissful because there is a strength there, strength that the ordinary person doesnt have.

The gothic ideal finds a fascination with the macabre and has an affinity for all things dark. Darkness means more than a simple lack of sunlight. It is the overriding attitude, especially in the gothic sense. Unlike the rest of society, those embracing the gothic lifestyle do not fear the dark side nor do they pretend that it doesnt exist and they sure as hell dont hide from it. The gothic attitude is an acknowledgement and an acceptance of the darkness. It does not mean acting upon the urges that the dark side sometimes brings, but it does mean seeking out a better understanding of why the urges are there in the first place.

What may seem like a preoccupation with death is actually a celebration of life. It isnt about suicide or murder, but it is a realization that an appreciation of death gives an appreciation of life. Comfort is found in the icons or images of death. Graveyards and crosses provide a dark ambience to what could otherwise be a boring backdrop.

Style, flair, and imagination permeate the gothic world. Creativity is essential for the gothic ideal because in that same search for beauty in all things, the gothic sensibility refuses to give in to dullness. Whether its through art, personal fashion or architecture, the gothic sense always ensures its interesting...


Mere words cannot change a person's heart; in fact only God can do that. Am I trying to change people's minds on the whole Goth thing? No. But when something this close to my heart, a part of who I was and in some respect who I still am, I cannot remain quiet on the issue. For those people who know me, I was never the depressive sort, dressing in all black, made up, sitting in the back of the room, BEGGING for attention, but I was still Goth.

For all those people who are still convinced that Goth is evil. Open your eyes, and your hearts. There is a generation of adults and kids out there who still find beauty in things you may find ugly, it does not make them evil people. There are bad seeds of coarse, and somewhere Goth got a bad rap, but for that matter Church has a bad rap as well. To be brutally honest, I have yet to see or hear of any prep or suit really break through to this culture. So Christian Goth to me? Why not?

The Art of a Smear Merchant

Smear. What is the point? It seems to come from the extreme left more than the right, but what is its purpose? Why do we feel it is necessary to call names or tell lies to try to get our point across? In my experience it does nothing more than end any productive conversation, but some of us cannot seem to help ourselves. The majority of people who do the smearing are usually at the losing end of an argument. I recall some recent fights I have had with my wife, and as soon as one of us swears the fight/conversation is over. (Most of the time it is me who is doing the cussing ). At that point it does not matter what is said, no one is listening anymore. So why do we do it? I can understand the occasional slippage of the tongue in a heated argument, but what is the excuse for the outburst or the flat out disrespect of the other, when no discussion/debate is taking place. I do not get it. You would think that intelligent people would know better. Right?

Why do I bring this up? Ann Coulter, in her latest book, crosses the line. She makes a point to single out four women from Jersey who lost their husbands in the 911 disaster. Calling them "Harpies" and saying they are "enjoying the deaths of their husbands." To this point, the right has kept silent, for the most part, when it comes to name calling and smearing. (I only say this cause the left's Air America far overshadows anything the right has been spewing). As I stated above, what is the point? As soon as you sink to this level, the only people listening anymore are your devoted followers. All attempts of persuading or reasoning with the other side are null. Is it that they do not care, do they just want to sell books, but why limit your audience?

Years ago I worked in a youth group at a church, and every year we would take a group of teenagers to a training event that would equip kids to evangelize. For all intents and purposes this was a good thing, though a bit off. What I mean is, it was not really teaching them to evangelize, it was teaching them to argue. It gave them a better knowledge of their own beliefs and how best to explain said beliefs in different circumstances. Not exactly the best way to win someone to Christ. One of the first things I learned in youth ministry was this - it does not matter how much knowledge you may have, if the kids, (or people) do not know you care about them, they do not care about what you have to say. It is not as simple as just saying you care, you have to show it.

To sum up, this goes back to what I have been saying for a while now. Love. Love. Love. Love God, love people. If we would talk to people like they were...people, and showed a genuine respect (love/compassion), we might actually get through to someone. Not that everyone we show love/respect to will suddenly think the way we do, but it will break down barriers that might have been put in place because of this "Right Vs. Left" crap. We should embrace differences, not push them away.

My Testimony

Church. What is church? What is the purpose of church? Do I really care? These are the questions I have been asking myself for the last few years, but in order to answer them I have to go back to where my life with church began. I grew up in church; I never really knew life without it. My first 25 years was in a traditional Baptist church. I went everyday the doors were open, and I liked it. I knew all the stories, read the Bible a few times, and had the Sunday school answer for everything. All my friends were there; it was like a second home, or family if you will. That all changed a little over a decade ago. The church was slowly dying, and the elders knew they needed to do something to keep it alive. The problem was, that required change, and most of the members didn't want change or at least the kind that was needed.

Five years before I left, they hired a new pastor. With him, he brought a new outlook. Evangelize, service, getting out of our comfort zone. Do something with our faith instead of just sitting on high looking down on the world. The changes being made did not sit well with a lot of people, but most kept quiet. The silence didn't last long however and the war began. Backstabbing and gossip were just the tip of the iceberg. No one was safe. People I looked up to - teachers, mentors - stabbing each other in the back, stabbing me in the back. All for what? A pulpit? Hymns? Stupid, petty stuff. All this lasted for a few more years, when finally the pastor was "asked" to resign, and the rest of the staff followed suit. When the dust settled, my wife and I stood there wondering what was next. The question was, do we stay or go? After getting a glimpse of what church could be, there was no way I was going back, plus a little part of me, which turned out to be a big part later, was done with church. I wanted no more.

Which brings me back to the original questions. What is the church, what is its purpose, and do I really care anymore? Well, one is easily answered. Yes I do care, otherwise I would not be writing this or even thinking about it. Praying, talking, and reading brought me to a conclusion. The church is a refuge, a place of comfort and spiritual learning. It is also, and most importantly, the people. It is not a building, and it is not the worship service. It is the people. The church needs to be a place where you can find comfort, rest, someplace safe. A place to be encouraged/uplifted, and where you can ask the tough questions. The church also needs to be a part of the community. You see, the church I used to call home, if it did die, no one in the surrounding community would have noticed. That is sad, and not what Christ intended. So is the traditional church doing what was outlined in Acts? No. That is why Christianity is failing in the world today. Not only is the word being over used, it is also being misused, and the church, for the most part, is not helping. We need to bring Christ back into the church, back into our everyday lives, and live the church, not just attend the church. That is why I praise God for Paradox, FINALLY, a church that gets it.

I got this email the other day...

Let me start by saying, I am an indepenent. I have always voted for the right man for the job and never for a party as a whole. Some of my views may lean right, and some lean more left, but, I'd like to think I have the best interests for my family and country in mind. With that...

I got this email the other day, it was your typical left-bashing-right rhetoric, but I gave it a reading. Sometimes these things can be funny, though this made a poor attempt at humor, if that was its purpose. Normally these things don't bother me, I brush off most crap spewed from either side, but the opening line pissed me off. Well, that was my first reaction, then it just saddened me.

"Jesus loves you and he shares your hatred for homosexuals and Hillary Clinton."

Do people actually think this? If so, can I really blame them? The church, I think, is to blame mostly. They have obscured the view of Christ beyond recognition. For people to actually think that Jesus would hate ANYONE, means that someone, somewhere, seriously misunderstood who Jesus is. I really don't care if you think Jesus was God or if he was just a teacher/prophet. Both historians and theologians agree he was a man of love and compassion, a pacifist even. The idea of him hating someone is just...asinine, ignorant at best.

This is what passes as Christianity today, and why I try to stand apart. I believe the gospel story, I believe Jesus is God. What I don't believe and I refuse to entertain is, God/Jesus is religion, which is exactly what Christianity has become. I would love to call myself a Christian, the original meaning was 'Christ like,' but as I stated above that doesn't seem the case. Jesus said the greatest commandment was, "love God, and love people." If the 80% of Americans that claim to be "Christian," really believed that, what would this country look like?