Give Phil Back

Hey, A&E, grow a pair!

For those of you who haven't heard yet, Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the Robertson family (Duck Dynasty) has been fired.  Why, you ask?  Because he was in an interview, where he was asked what he considers sin.  He listed a few things that are considered sin according to the Bible.  Among them was homosexuality.

Being Phil, of course he made a few off-color remarks on the subject.  But that wasn't the issue.  The issue was that Phil had the audacity to say homosexuality is a sin.  Of course, a few butthurt people later, and A&E has fired Phil.  (That's just crappy, crappy, crappy.)

I, for one, find this situation outrageous.  Phil didn't even say anything discriminatory in his comments.  He simply told what the Bible considers to be sin, and everything he said is in there.  Look it up. 

So, basically, people are offended by Phil telling the truth.  Now, I agree that it isn't good to maliciously offend other people.  If you get offended by the truth, that's your issue.  The truth is supposed to offend you because that's how you know you don't have it!

The fact is that a select group of people in this country have become the self-appointed thought police.  They have a specific agenda and won't TOLERATE anything else.  Then they have the nerve to turn around and accuse us (the religion whose sole objective is to show love to everyone) of the same thing. 

What if someday, I wanted to just go out and beat people I dislike?  I mean, that's just natural instinct, right?  Why would you deprive me of my right to express myself that way?  You bunch of intolerant hate-mongers, you.

That may be an extreme example, but you know what I mean.

If you're with me on this, and you want Phil to be reinstated go to http://www.istandwithphil.com and sign the petition to bring him back.

While we're on the subject, what's the rest of the family doing?  (I can hear Si now.  "Hey, looky here, back in Nam, I fought people who wanted to take the same rights you want to take.  Hey, you mess with my brother, you mess with me, Jack!") 

If Phil's gone, everyone's gone.  And to tell you the truth, I don't think they care.  A&E will lose all their viewers and Phil can have more time to hunt, undisturbed, having a happy, happy, happy time!

Crap Teachers Do

Hey guys.  I'm back, and for fun, I thought I would do a non-political or religious post.  This is basically just things teachers do in high school that annoy me.

-I hate that they won't let you use your phone in class.  What if we actually need it?  We may need to call or text our parents in school but we can't because if we get caught with our phones out, they'll get taken away.  But, of course, if the teachers need to call or text someone, they'll just do it no matter what.  And then they expect us all to be okay with this.

-Why don't they let us eat food in class?  Some people don't get a chance to eat in the mornings, so they bring a granola bar, or pop tart or something to class.  The teachers then flip crap about how we we'll make this huge mess and it's not the janitor's job to clean up the messes (which it is).  But again, they just turn out to be hypocrites as they pull out their entire lunch and start eating it in class because the teachers are just so much more careful than us, right?  HYPOCRITE!

-I hate that sometimes they assign homework or projects over breaks.  Look, weekends are bad enough.  But on breaks some of us actually like to have fun and spend time with our families.  We actually do have lives believe it or not.  So if this is the kind of crap you're gonna pull, don't get mad when I don't turn in your oh-so-important project right on the dot.

-I hate the double standard regarding the bell.  If you show up late for class, they refuse to hear any excuses.  They just mark you tardy because the bell rang and they say they don't make the rules.  But then at the end of class, if the bell rings and they're still talking they say, "The bell doesn't dismiss you, I do!"  And then of course, you're late for your next class, and the cycle just keeps going.

-It makes me mad when they give tests on Mondays.  Reality check:  Nobody studies on weekends!

-Going back to the project issue, I don't like when they assign group projects outside of school.  Again, we do have lives.  And finding a time when we're all able to work at the same time is next to impossible.

-How about when they won't let you go to the bathroom?  "Is it an emergency?"  they ask.  If by emergency you mean will disaster ensue if I don't go, then maybe, yes. I just want to ask them "Is what you're teaching an emergency?  Will I die if I don't hear this?"  All I'm saying is, if you don't want a puddle on the floor, LET ME GO!

Those are just a few things I hate about teachers.  What do you hate?

This Is a Brag Post...Sorry

Last night was stinking awesome. 

My family got free tickets to go see the Point Fest which is a big Christian concert held at Cedar Point.  First of all, I love Cedar Point, so that was cool.  Second, the artists they had (Building 429, Tenth Avenue North, Third Day, and Tobymac) were some of the best.

So I had a good day full of roller coasters and awesome Christian music.  Another thing I liked was how the artists took opportunities to try to preach the Gospel in between songs. 

A very good night it was.

My brag is over now.  You can now return to your lives.

 

 

Grace Revoked...? NO!!!

So, here's the deal.  I was recently assigned to be a Teen Spiritual Director at a retreat I help out with.  Pretty cool right?

The problem is I keep doing things that make me wonder if I'm a good fit for it.  I keep making mistakes that no good Christian should make (right?).

Take last night.  I got into a huge fight with my younger brother which I felt terrible about afterwards.  I mentioned to my dad that I was in no position to do this postition I mentioned above.  I felt like one of the fakers that I would publicly condemn usually.  Dad said I was probably in a better position than I thought.

My brother and I made up for the fight and things are pretty much okay now, but I was still puzzled by what Dad said last night.  I asked him what he meant, and he said I wasn't a faker.  A faker is someone who sins, doesn't care, and still tries to act all holy.  He said that we're all in need of grace.  He mentioned Peter, who denied Jesus three times.  Yet after this, Jesus forgave Peter and he ended up becoming the first leader of the church!

This is a good lesson for all of us.  Nobody is perfect.  If we were, Jesus wouldn't have needed to die for us.  Our mistakes are the very reason he offers Himself to us.  He came to save sinners, not condemn them.

No matter what you've done, He's always willing to forgive you and He has great plans for you.

Following are several videos to further emphasize the point.

WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!

(Quick Note:  From now on, I'll be posting songs at the end of my posts to emphasize the point better.  If you go back and look at previous posts, you'll see I've begun doing this already.)

Okay, not a super long post today.  I just wanted to take this opportunity to share something on my mind.  Earlier, I had to help altar serve a funeral mass.  (Yes, I am Catholic.  What about it?  JK)  Anyway, doing this made me start thinking about our mortality.  One thing everyone knows is that we are all going to die some day.  So, it just makes sense to be prepared because nobody knows when this is going to happen.  So, get yourself right with God and serve Him.

And that's all I have to say about that.

The American Noise

Recently, I got the new "Skillet" album called "Rise."  One of the songs on the album, "American Noise," talks about how our society is saturated with noise and how we should break it by doing something worthwhile.

I think that is a very good song for our times because it's true.  You can't go practically anywhere without being subjected to some form of noise!  It's almost frightening sometimes.

About five years ago, our family got rid of our cable.  We definitely have not missed much.  (Frankly, I'm surprised that the idiot box has survived this long, anyway.  If you want to see a TV show or movie you can probably by the DVD, watch it on Netflix, or just find it for free somewhere on the Internet.  Sure beats watching with the commercials.)  How little we've missed was discovered by my dad and brother this afternoon.  They were at the hospital and the TV was showing an episode of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" where the contestant was someone from the show "The View," which is basically a bunch of feminazis sitting around complaining.  The episode features clips of her kissing other women!  Not to mention the fact that she was playing the game to earn money for Planned Parenthood!  Could you possibly do anything else to make me dislike you? Why do we need TVs in hospitals anyway?  In fact, I dare you to tell me a public place without television.

All this to say that we aren't missing anything without the TV.

So why is there so much noise?  I think people are scared.  They're afraid of what they might hear in the silence.  Who knows maybe the reason a lot of Christians complain about not being able to hear the voice of God is  because of all the noise.  It seems a lot of people can't survive without the noise.  (Although, ironically, I'm listening to rock music from "Three Days Grace" while I'm typing this.)  Maybe God's love is what Skillet thinks we need to cut through the American Noise.

Think about it.  How can you expect to talk to or listen to God with all this noise around us?  Now, I know some good noise on occasion can be very helpful.  But we need to get away from it and do something worthwhile.  If you're a Christian (or, I suppose, even if you aren't) turn off the noise and pray or something!  Who knows?  You might even get some tips on how to fix the mess the world has become.

Abortion...Why?

I know this is a pretty messy topic, so I'll tread lightly.  HAHAHAHAHAHA!  (Wait, you actually believed that?)

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, someone you may not have heard of, is currently on trial for his less than delicate procedures in the abortion clinic.  He does little things like cutting baby spines or cutting them up after they're born.  You know, harmless little things like that.

Now, the reason you may not know about this monster is because the mainstream media isn't really talking about him.  Now, why would this be?  I mean, come on, a baby killer sounds like an answer to every reporter's prayers.  Could it be that they all know that the crimes this man has committed are really no different from the things abortion doctors across the country do every day, and the only reason this guy is considered a criminal is because of a technicality?  I'm guessing so.

No matter how you slice and dice it (no pun intended) abortion kills babies!  "DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO WITH MY BODY!"  I'm not.  But, I can tell you what to do with his or her body.  The only way you can argue that his has anything to do with your body is if you have two heads, four arms, four legs, and two separate sets of DNA.

People also get upset about the whole Casey Anthony scandal, but is it really that different from abortion?  Killing your child because you want to be free of responsibility and free to live your life the the way you want.  I'm not really seeing any differences here.

You might not think it could possibly be a baby in there, but it really is.  All you have to do is look at an ultrasound to know that that is a living breathing human being.  Also, just think of simple the simple fact that, as mentioned above, the baby has separate DNA and all those other systems that I could mention but am too lazy to look up at the moment.

Rape?  No excuse either.  Why should the baby be punished for the crime of the father?

You know people like to praise Obama for his quote, "We are willing to extend a hand to those who are willing to open a fist."  Apparently, that line only applies to known terrorists and not the little baby whose fist could be wrapped around your little finger.

Look, all life is beautiful.  So, treat it that way.

Believe it or not most Americans actually do consider themselves pro-life.  It's just that not enough of them are willing to do something about it.  Get out there.  Take a stand.

You might ask yourself, "Can I really make a difference?"  Well, as Bob the Builder says, "Yes, we can."
Hmmm...where else have I heard that line before?  Oh, wait....