Filed under: Sandals
This week at pipeline, (for those who don’t know Sandals 1st though 6th grade Sunday school) we had a crazy time. It started off kind of different this week, because we got Matt Cash instead of Eddie (which is good because matt cash is cool and has a cool phone, lol). After worship Mike and Raylyn do a silly “introduction” to what the kids are going to be learning. This week was a review so we didn’t have a video like normal, but we just finished this series called “Extreme Words” which is about crazy dirt biking. Well to show off to the kids mike decides to do a trick too. He was going to jump over a Styrofoam prop we made and go under another one all on roller blades. Well what was great was he made it over the first one but slammed into the next! Here’s the movie to it!
So I was walking to my next class and I heard some yelling, I looked up and saw this.
A man yelling holding a huge sign. What you can’t see in these pictures is on the other side, it says “Turn or Burn”. Which instantly brought back memories, of a video I saw a month or so ago.
I began listening to what he was yelling and he said things like, “God intended sex after marriage, Religion is ok, we are just like you, Come back to the Bible” unfortunately I was late to class so I had to leave, but even as I was walking to class I heard all the comments of other students walking with me like, “Just like him? Yeah right” and “I wish that guy would stop yelling stupid stuff”. I heard about 10 different things just walking by one courtyard. It’s obvious, I don’t think him doing this is working; I think it’s actually making things worse (which I knew it wouldn’t work). Even though the Bible is specific in saying that 90% of it all is meant and only meant for Christians, they are saying the world has to live by these standards. It even is confusing to me because even though I’m a Christian and I’m not yelling these kinds of things… me and him are both being looked at and categorized in the same way. It’s horrible to think that when people think of Christians, they think of this and how we are just trying to convert people. Jesus says that we are to save, not condemn. Also this method doesn’t appear very loving at all, especially when Jesus says, in the bible, that the most important thing to do is to love God and then love everyone else. How can I love someone I don’t even know that is just passing by? I have to have some kind of relationship with that person to even begin to make a difference in their life. How can we say we love God and don’t love the people around us? If we don’t love the people around us, we are all liars about what our love for Christ really is (1 John 4:19-21)? So I’m asking them and us to put the bullhorn down, I’m tired of it, were all tired of it, and I think Jesus is tired of it. Now comes the part where I examine even my own motives, what are we (mainly me) doing to change the perception to non-Christians that brings up such negativity. How is it that the beautiful perfect message of God get turned into something else, how do so few people speak for so many of us Christians. What we need to do is get out there, build relationships, and show people what Christ is really about. To love others is to love God (something I personally really need to work on). Love is Christ’s defining mark.
Filed under: Movies & TV
Here is the new TMNT trailer! Its the G4 one, just because i thought it is kinda cool too. Enjoy.
Filed under: Comics
The clone saga.
One of the “touchy” subjects in the Marvel Universe, the clone sage brought the Scarlet Spider. (Many people disliked this story line, but personally I loved the scarlet spider).
Well the ultimate universe decided to once again try this idea out. Like all the ultimate storylines before it, the writers always change the storyline. This was defiantly not an exception. Starting off, this storyline was quite confusing with the return of Peter Parkers father and Gwen Stacy, who were both dead. Other clones started popping up like Spider-woman, the scorpion (yes, which was quite a surprise) and quite a few other ones.
All clones of Peter Parker. Who was behind all of it? Doctor Octopus. In the Ultimate Universe if you are not familiar with the story line, Doc Oct has lost his 4 metal arms and now is working with the government. As peter finds out that he is behind all of this, one of his clones give the OZ formula to Mary Jane (originally the stuff that made Norman Osborn the Green Goblin, which ironically in this series is how Peter gets his powers). Peter and I guess Jessica (Peters female clone) are faced to fight the gimp Doctor Octopus…but wait was his powers gone? Apparently Doc Oct didn’t control his arms by it being attached to him, he can control metal too (which I thought was kind of a stretch). So he creates new arms and they fight. The two take him out because he can control everything but them (because they aren’t metal, which I thought was kind of lame too).
Peter then returns to help Mary Jane and they find a cure to suppress the gene, but this cure can also suppress his too!
This Series I thought was well done, a few kind of parts that I thought was a little hokey, but it was still a great storyline. Wish they brought back Scarlet Spider though…
Filed under: Readings
Rob Bell
Velvet Elvis
Movement One: Jump
*Springs*
The author tells a story about his son and a trampoline. In this section he brings a point on how the trampoline has springs and they are needed to help make it work. They are to help make sense of the deeper realities that drive how we live every day. The springs are God or Jesus, but they are statements and beliefs about our faith. Christians arent supposed to focus on the springs, what the springs are for is to help us understand the point (God) of our faith
An example Rob Bell uses is the Trinity. This idea has been in the Christian doctrine for a few hundred years, yet the word Trinity is not in the Bible at all. It is built on the idea of God being three separate personalities, yet still being one God. The Trinity was not part of the doctrine of the original church, but is widely part of the doctrine of today. So like the spring on a trampoline, Christian doctrine is constantly flexing and stretching.
In fact, its stretching and flexing are what make it so effective. It is firmly attached to the frame and the mat, yet it has room to move. And it has brought a fuller, deeper, richer understanding to the mysterious being who is God.
The author also brings up the example of Moses. God tells Moses that he is the I Am. Which back in this time no one had any idea how to describe God. God is not a visible object to be seen or heard, also even trying to define God, limits the power of God. What God is saying is that I will be who I will be (or knows Himself to be). This was a totally revolutionary idea back in Moses time, now it is knowledge to modern day Christians.
The point that Rob Bell is making, its Christians should study and get into the springs (Christian Doctrines), but when it becomes the point of our Christian life is the doctrines. It is wrong.
The springs are huge they hold up the mat but they arent God. They arent Jesus.
Filed under: School
Today was officially the first day of school! Unfortunately all my classes are back to back, so the only time i have to myself is the 5 mins i “get”, when i walk to my next class. I did however somehow dodge many of the clubs handout fliers….somedays you are just that lucky.
Filed under: Life
Now I know Donald Trump is rich and all….but I think this is going too far. Donald Trump is being fined for flying a large American flag in Palm Beach, $1,250 a day. Have we become so un-patriotic that we can’t stand our own flag? Or is it people are greedy and want money…I think it could be both…
Trump has refused to take down the flag. He has also filed a $25 million lawsuit against the town arguing, in part, that officials are selectively enforcing ordinances and that flying the American flag at his Mar-A-Lago club is a constitutionally protected expression of free speech.
Filed under: Randomness
There is no bigger PC game than World of Warcraft. This is, after all, the game responsible for uncountable lost jobs, broken marriages, and failed classes. It’s also spawned one South Park episode, a mini civil rights crisis, an in-production movie, an epidemic, and at least one reported fatality. Now it’s about to get its first expansion pack, opening up two new races and a whole new continent for players to explore.
If this doesn’t make you want to buy it, then I don’t know what will. Sounds cool and everything, but not for me anymore. About a year and a half ago….i was one of these people. I spent ALL my time playing this game. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this game is evil or bad in any way. What I am saying is this game takes A LOT of time and energy. It can be highly addictive and according to this article has been known for the loss of jobs, broken marriages, and failed classes. Kind of scares me, because I was so into it that I almost allowed it to do this to me (well not the marriage part). I was one of those ‘game addicts’ and this game contributed to my problem even more. So please…if you get this game, don’t let it take over your life.
January 4, I was once again at my old High School. Woodcrest. There was an ‘alumni chapel’, where I did the production for the SCU band as they rocked out. Was pretty awesome, I wish we had more of these chapels when I was going there. PRD was hilarious! I loved the ‘Crazy Bear Story’ (You had to be there). All in all, it brought back a lot of memories, good…bad…both. LoL Luckily they still had my banner up from winning state. Cross-Country Forever!
Filed under: Randomness
Apparently they don’t make trees like they used to. I went to L.A. today for a job orientation, and I found this metal tree. So I guess they decided that, they don’t want real trees…metal is better? Well, I guess you never have to water it.
Filed under: Life
So it actually snowed in the good old Inland Empire! Amazing. I think this is prolly the first time I’ve ever seen it snow here, but i know its snowed like 3 other times here and I didn’t see it. It’s kind of crazy because a few days ago it was 80 degrees and now its apparently cold enough to snow. Imagine that…!
Filed under: Readings
Yes…I’m infected. Well yeah I have pink eye…but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about being infected by a better way to live. What does this mean? It means I’m tired of living a average life of mediocrity. I’ve been infected with the bug of self improvement.
I’m convinced being generous is a better way to live.
I’m convinced forgiving people and not carrying around bitterness is a better way to live.
I’m convinced having compassion is a better way to live.
I’m convinced pursuing peace in every situation is a better way to live.
I’m convinced listening to the wisdom of others is a better way to live.
I’m convinced being honest with people is a better way to live.
Is this not a better way to live? Or is thinking of ones self first a better option? Jesus lived this out perfectly, for me to call myself a follower of Christ; I need to be convinced that this is the best way to live. Jesus says, “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life (John 10:10)”. How else can we live this out, unless we have a heart for humanity.
At Sandals this week we talked about being leaders in our community and that we need to invest in others. Is this a reasonable task? Should we invest in others or simply invest in our selves? These are moral questions asked by not only people who consider themselves “religious”, but by people all over the world. Jesus wants us to be real with ourselves, which is how we can become real with Him. God’s way isn’t about religion it’s about reality. It’s not about who’s right, but it’s about who’s living rightly.
Filed under: Life
Well better late than never I guess…lol. I’ve been so busy I have not been able to talk about our Disneyland experience. Well for Michelle’s birthday I took her to Blue Bayou (That restaurant in Pirate’s of the Caribbean). So we had reservations to at like 12 pm, so we got there an hour early and decided to get fast passes to Space mountain (If your haven’t heard, they changed the song to a Red Hot Chili Pepper’s song). So we get there and the place is packed. It takes us 45 mins to park, which means we need to be get there in 15 mins and it would have taken at least that long to get on a tram. So we decided to run. Now me, I was like yeah ok, but she didn’t have good shoes on so she ran barefoot. I give her props; it sucked because we ran on asphalt. So we get to the gate and still have 2 mins to get there, so we practically run through Disneyland. I don’t think I’ve ever ran in Disneyland this way…it rocked. Finally we make it and sit down, and our waiter comes up to us and says happy birthday Michelle, handing her a bottom (I still have no idea how he knew this). So we sit at the table and notice that the Ride has broken down and people were sitting and waiting to get going again, while we sat there breathing kind of hard from sprinting. The waiter comes back and gives us these menus and tells us we can keep them!
So we took them, because they freaking rock. Finally we eat and are about to leave and the waiter comes up and gives us a dessert for being her birthday and a card from random people (I have no idea who they were and how they knew it was her birthday). As we were leaving the same people were being evacuated off the right by going ship to ship because the ride still was broken, was awesome because they had to turn on lights and we could see really good in the room.
We finally leave and had to wait 70 mins to get on Space Mountain because the time we got over there, they stopped doing fast passes for the ride already at 1 pm. If you have a chance, ride it. They changed a few things in the inside. The ride was pretty cool. Well that ends our day at Disneyland. Food and only one ride! Lol.
Well…long story…but I’ve been super busy! Yes. Ill have to tell you about it, but its late so ill only go over new years. We decided to go to Disneyland for new years…Holy Crap…that’s all i got to say. I’ve never seen it so busy. The line to the entrance to go into Disneyland was backed all the way to the “California” in front of California Adventure. It was a lot of fun. We danced for like 4 hours, everything was a billion hours to get on a line, but it was a lot of fun. We went again the next day on January 1st, and there were barely any people. Note to self, go to Disneyland on the first.
