The answer is YES. How, you may ask?... Well, what consumes your time? What do you think about day and night? What do you plan your schedule around? Are you consumed by the internet? Can you not survive the week if you don't get to see your favorite show on TV? Do constant thoughts about your future (spouse, job, finances, schooling, etc...) consume your mind?
If you answered yes to any of those, it is possible that you might need to make some changes... And I am not just talking to my readers. I am also talking to myself. I recently gave up the Facebook game FarmVille for this very reason. When I am worried that my crops will die instead of how I am treating others, or how my outwardly example is showing God's love, I think I have a problem... We don't need the things of this world. The Bible says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2) How are we supposed to know what God's perfect will is, if we have consumed our mind with "which crop should I plant, how am I going to get enough items to build my turkey roost, I really need to create another Facebook account so that I can help myself with my barn raising and give myself that pig to finish my pig pen"... What could you be doing with your time instead of "wasting" it on things that will not help you in the future? I personally have decided to turn my past FarmVille time into a more productive use of my time. This includes helping others with things around the house, updating the church's web site, making consistent blog entries for you, and writing letters of encouragement to others.
Now, I am not saying that FarmVille is bad, or that you are making an idol out of any of those things I mentioned above. What I am saying is you might want to examine your life and what is consuming your time. Maybe refocus yourself on things that God has desired that you focus on. Maybe he has been trying to tell you to start a Bible study with some friends of yours, or volunteer at church with the kids, be on the worship team, or run power point and/or the sound system. God has given you talents and gifts. What are some of your gifts and talents? Are you using them to bring honor and glory to God? If not, how can you change that?
Make a decision to not squander your time here on earth. As people like to say "We only live once". I don't want to look back and see that I spent 1000 hours playing a useless computer game that I now have nothing to show for...
Let me know what changes you want to make in your life or have made and how they are making a difference for you! As always I am very interested in your feedback!!
Blessings! ~S*
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Nativity (Part 2)
Did you watch it yet??? Well, before you read on here is one last chance... Last week I encouraged you to watch "The Nativity Story" and read Matthew and Luke's versions of the story to compare them... I also suggested you make a list of the things the movie got wrong... How many did you get? Did you get some I didn't catch? Below is my list:
1. Luke 1:19: The angel Gabriel appeared to Zachariah at the right of the altar... In the movie Zachariah only heard a voice...
2. Luke 1:13 Zachariah's prayers were answered by Elizabeth bearing him a son. In the movie he acted like he had never heard tell of the idea...
3. Luke 1:20 Zachariah was told he would be able to speak the day it happened. In the movie this was not mentioned.
4. Luke 1:24 Fact: Elizabeth remained in seclusion for five months after becoming pregnant.
5. Luke 1:36 Fact: (goes with #7) Elizabeth was in her sixth month when Mary first saw Gabriel. Fact: It does not mention weather or not Mary already knew that Elizabeth was pregnant before the angel came to her...
6. Luke 1:40 Mary entered Zachariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. In the movie she was outside...
7. Luke 1:56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months. It does not say that Mary was or wasn't there; however, following the times that were written, it would seem that she was there when Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist...
8. Luke 1:62-64 When learning what John the Baptist's name was going to be the people asked/made signs to Zachariah to ask what the baby's name was to be. Zachariah wrote John and then he could speak.
9. Matthew 1:20-21 An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Fact: It does not specify who the angel was or what the dream was about. I think that whenever Gabriel was revealed to anyone he would have been mentioned by name...
10. Luke 2:6 "While they were there" the baby came. Fact: It doesn't say she was in labor and they got there in the nick of time... They could have been there for a week...
11. Luke 2:13 A "Company" or "Multitude" of heavenly hosts appeared with the angel praising God. In the movie you just see one angel. Fact: Once again it does not specify that the angel was Gabriel...
12. Luke 2:16 When the shepherds came the baby was "lying in the manger" just like the angel said. In the movie Mary is holding Jesus...
13. Matthew 2:1 The Bible does not specify the number of Magi. It has been assumed that there were three because of the three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh... But I personally do not agree with that number...
14. Matthew 2:2, 7, 9-10 It was A star, not three joining together. It has been proven by planetarium that it wasn't some fluke phenomenon like the movie depicts...
15. Matthew 2:1-4 After the Magi arrived and announced they saw the star then Herod, the chief priests, and teachers of the law asked them where the Christ was to be born. (It says nothing of previous killings or inspections.) It appears (biblically Verse 3) that Herod had not considered the idea at all until the Magi came... The movie makes it appear as though Herod has been searching and doing everything in his power to prevent the predicted King from taking over his throne...
16. Matthew 2:7 Herod called in the Magi secretly to find out when they first saw the star. In the movie they talked around a very full table with little children present.
17. Matthew 2:11 The Magi came to a house and saw the child with his mother. It is almost certain that the Magi were not there when Jesus was born, but instead arrived when he was between 24 and 15 months old. Thus the Magi would not have been present when the shepherds were there, nor would they have seen Jesus lying in a manger...
18. Matthew 2: 16 (Continuing from 17...) The above statement also explains why Herod had children killed that were two and younger... The age has to do with how long the star had been visible to the Magi...
19. Matthew 2:12 The Magi were "warned in a dream" not to go back to Herod. In the movie they just play it as they thought Herod was creepy, and they were wise enough not to go back to him...
20. Matthew 2:13-14 Not long after the Magi left an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream (once again does not say if the angel was Gabriel) and told him to take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. So he got up in the night and left. In the movie they are still in the cave/stable, and they leave while the soldiers are knocking on other houses looking to kill the children. They would have been in a house, if Jesus was almost two years old, and most likely they would not have "just escaped" right before the soldiers opened the house door... They could have fled days before the episode or the night before...
So there you have it... My take on the incorrectness of "The Nativity Story". Do you agree? Did you find other things that didn't match up with what the Bible says? I also don't think the angel visits to Mary, Joseph, or the shepherds would have been in any way creepy or mysterious... Let me know what you think!
~ S*
1. Luke 1:19: The angel Gabriel appeared to Zachariah at the right of the altar... In the movie Zachariah only heard a voice...
2. Luke 1:13 Zachariah's prayers were answered by Elizabeth bearing him a son. In the movie he acted like he had never heard tell of the idea...
3. Luke 1:20 Zachariah was told he would be able to speak the day it happened. In the movie this was not mentioned.
4. Luke 1:24 Fact: Elizabeth remained in seclusion for five months after becoming pregnant.
5. Luke 1:36 Fact: (goes with #7) Elizabeth was in her sixth month when Mary first saw Gabriel. Fact: It does not mention weather or not Mary already knew that Elizabeth was pregnant before the angel came to her...
6. Luke 1:40 Mary entered Zachariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. In the movie she was outside...
7. Luke 1:56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months. It does not say that Mary was or wasn't there; however, following the times that were written, it would seem that she was there when Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist...
8. Luke 1:62-64 When learning what John the Baptist's name was going to be the people asked/made signs to Zachariah to ask what the baby's name was to be. Zachariah wrote John and then he could speak.
9. Matthew 1:20-21 An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Fact: It does not specify who the angel was or what the dream was about. I think that whenever Gabriel was revealed to anyone he would have been mentioned by name...
10. Luke 2:6 "While they were there" the baby came. Fact: It doesn't say she was in labor and they got there in the nick of time... They could have been there for a week...
11. Luke 2:13 A "Company" or "Multitude" of heavenly hosts appeared with the angel praising God. In the movie you just see one angel. Fact: Once again it does not specify that the angel was Gabriel...
12. Luke 2:16 When the shepherds came the baby was "lying in the manger" just like the angel said. In the movie Mary is holding Jesus...
13. Matthew 2:1 The Bible does not specify the number of Magi. It has been assumed that there were three because of the three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh... But I personally do not agree with that number...
14. Matthew 2:2, 7, 9-10 It was A star, not three joining together. It has been proven by planetarium that it wasn't some fluke phenomenon like the movie depicts...
15. Matthew 2:1-4 After the Magi arrived and announced they saw the star then Herod, the chief priests, and teachers of the law asked them where the Christ was to be born. (It says nothing of previous killings or inspections.) It appears (biblically Verse 3) that Herod had not considered the idea at all until the Magi came... The movie makes it appear as though Herod has been searching and doing everything in his power to prevent the predicted King from taking over his throne...
16. Matthew 2:7 Herod called in the Magi secretly to find out when they first saw the star. In the movie they talked around a very full table with little children present.
17. Matthew 2:11 The Magi came to a house and saw the child with his mother. It is almost certain that the Magi were not there when Jesus was born, but instead arrived when he was between 24 and 15 months old. Thus the Magi would not have been present when the shepherds were there, nor would they have seen Jesus lying in a manger...
18. Matthew 2: 16 (Continuing from 17...) The above statement also explains why Herod had children killed that were two and younger... The age has to do with how long the star had been visible to the Magi...
19. Matthew 2:12 The Magi were "warned in a dream" not to go back to Herod. In the movie they just play it as they thought Herod was creepy, and they were wise enough not to go back to him...
20. Matthew 2:13-14 Not long after the Magi left an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream (once again does not say if the angel was Gabriel) and told him to take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. So he got up in the night and left. In the movie they are still in the cave/stable, and they leave while the soldiers are knocking on other houses looking to kill the children. They would have been in a house, if Jesus was almost two years old, and most likely they would not have "just escaped" right before the soldiers opened the house door... They could have fled days before the episode or the night before...
So there you have it... My take on the incorrectness of "The Nativity Story". Do you agree? Did you find other things that didn't match up with what the Bible says? I also don't think the angel visits to Mary, Joseph, or the shepherds would have been in any way creepy or mysterious... Let me know what you think!
~ S*
Monday, January 17, 2011
Nativity (Part 1)
I challenge you to watch the movie and make a list of all the things they got wrong in the movie… I will post a follow up entry with my list, but I want to see how many you can find on your own first... You can borrow the movie from the library, or watch it online: Click Here.
This past Christmas I read the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke. As I was reading I began to wonder what it would have really been like... What did Mary really think of Joseph? How old was she really? Did she just get up in the middle of the night and listen to her husband when he said they needed to flee to Egypt, or was she second guessing him, asking him why, hating every step in the opposite direction of their previous home? How much say did the woman really have? How did Joseph treat her? Was he the one to deliver the baby? Did she do it on her own? Did she really walk all the way to Bethlehem?
As you can tell, I am somewhat of a romantic, so that is kinda how my questions are leaning. I know there are supposed answers, but the Bible doesn't say she road on a donkey... The Bible doesn't say she was in labor when they got there almost ready to give birth... The Bible doesn't say there were only three kings/wise-men or that Mary was or wasn't there when Elizabeth gave birth... A lot of the things we have been taught or have seen while growing up are just assumptions... What do we really know about the birth of Jesus?
Read Matthew 1:16-2:23 and Luke 1:1-45, 56-66, 80-2:21 to find out
Let me know what differences you've found. I'm eager to hear them.
~ S*
Saturday, January 8, 2011
First Kiss...
So most of my readers already know that I am planning on saving my first kiss for my wedding day... How about you?? Are you planning on waiting?
I stumbled across an article yesterday about this very subject. (Click Here to read) The writer heard that a guy was planning on saving his first kiss for his wedding day, but to her that was pretty much a foreign idea... Reading the comments below the post was intriguing to me, for I have never really heard the world's point of view on this topic. I have heard some people say that they wouldn't want there first kiss to be in front of a bunch of people... I have heard people say they couldn't wait that long... At first the writer thought the idea was romantic, but quickly changed her mind as she proceeded to think about it. Most of the other commenters agreed that it was a stupid idea to wait until you were married; however, there was one that tried to explain the idea a little better while relating it to courtship. Although this commenter didn't follow this idea herself, she had a bit understanding.
I personally wouldn't mind if the entire world watched my first kiss with my husband on my wedding day. (who knows... Maybe that is how I will land a spot on "Say Yes to the Dress" or "Four Weddings"!) But even if it is just a private party the meaning of a first kiss wedding is an important one (for me anyway)...
The proof of your love and devotion for each other is shown in your willingness to wait. You are honoring your spouse to be in other ways too. If you save your first kiss, that means you didn't use it up on someone else! Saving your body for your husband will give everything you do with him a special excitement, you get to learn together, and you would never have to worry about comparing him to someone else, or him comparing you.
What are your thoughts? What are the pros and cons of waiting until your wedding day? Do you think it would be awful? Are you too shy to do it in front of an audience? Why or why not? Do you have regrets from times when you have given something away to a man you didn't end up marrying? I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!
~ S*
I stumbled across an article yesterday about this very subject. (Click Here to read) The writer heard that a guy was planning on saving his first kiss for his wedding day, but to her that was pretty much a foreign idea... Reading the comments below the post was intriguing to me, for I have never really heard the world's point of view on this topic. I have heard some people say that they wouldn't want there first kiss to be in front of a bunch of people... I have heard people say they couldn't wait that long... At first the writer thought the idea was romantic, but quickly changed her mind as she proceeded to think about it. Most of the other commenters agreed that it was a stupid idea to wait until you were married; however, there was one that tried to explain the idea a little better while relating it to courtship. Although this commenter didn't follow this idea herself, she had a bit understanding.
I personally wouldn't mind if the entire world watched my first kiss with my husband on my wedding day. (who knows... Maybe that is how I will land a spot on "Say Yes to the Dress" or "Four Weddings"!) But even if it is just a private party the meaning of a first kiss wedding is an important one (for me anyway)...
The proof of your love and devotion for each other is shown in your willingness to wait. You are honoring your spouse to be in other ways too. If you save your first kiss, that means you didn't use it up on someone else! Saving your body for your husband will give everything you do with him a special excitement, you get to learn together, and you would never have to worry about comparing him to someone else, or him comparing you.
What are your thoughts? What are the pros and cons of waiting until your wedding day? Do you think it would be awful? Are you too shy to do it in front of an audience? Why or why not? Do you have regrets from times when you have given something away to a man you didn't end up marrying? I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!
~ S*
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