some things I hate
It's almost 8:30 and we've had worse thunderstorms in the last week than the rain we've had today. However, the sky is scary and the bamboo in the backyard is unnaturally bent by the wind. I stood on the back porch about two hours ago and thought, "Ha, we're in the middle of a hurricane!" However, I don't mean to make light of an impending disaster.
So, I hate this stupid, freaking computer! (sorry for the colorful language) I've absolutely HAD it with this dumb, crappy machine (there I go again with the colorful language). If I told you all the things that were wrong with this machine (for instance, how much memory it's operating on), I would BLOW your mind. I've finally decided that I do not care how much money it will cost, I am ready to take it to Best Buy and get it fully loaded: a generous memory upgrade and virus/firewall protection.
Something else I hate is how large groups of Christians take whatever they hear or read as gospel truth. Take for instance the hugely popular Prayer of Jabez of 3 or 4 summers ago. (Now, I don't mean to copy Derek Webb's rantings on the subject; believe me when I tell you that the whole thing annoyed me 3 or 4 years ago.) Basically, Bible studies and pastors everywhere were telling the masses, "Hey, pray this short, obscure Old Testament prayer, sit back, and watch the blessings roll your way." What the heck?! The crazy thing is, people bought it hook, line, and sinker. How about the whole modern worship and mega-church movement (if that's what it's called)? Where everyone gets to come and make their huge, concourse labeled church, "the compound", their entire life! These churches have courtyards, and bookstores, and cafeterias, and coffee bars, and 5 different worship bands, and a media booth where you can buy any service on tape, CD, or DVD. There are 100 small group Bible studies and "home fellowships" and a ministry for every kind of thing under the sun: haircutters, unemployed men, over 50's, to name a few. People flock to these churches (and currently, I go to one...so does this make me a hypocrit?) and they sit in church where the pastor might have some insightful things to say but the masses can't, or don't want to, take the time to sort through everything and leave the junk. Junk like, "Hey, if you were baptized as an infant, IT WAS NO GOOD!" They think, "Hey, if pastor so and so said it, awesome!" Then, they go to all their small group Bible studies and repeat the stupid stuff that is wrong.
And then there's Joshua Harris's whole I Kissed Dating Goodbye movement where the trendy thing was not to kiss your husband/wife until you were pronounced as such on your wedding day. I need to tread lightly here because 2 sets of very dear friends practiced this and each of their courtship stories are very beautiful. However, just because Joshua Harris wrote it and just about everyone involved in InterVarsity read it, doesn't mean that Christians everywhere have to do this. I don't get it! I plan on kissing whoever I marry before we stand up at the alter (and I don't think that my marriage will be any less blessed by God).
Today, Jed and I were making fun of messageboards and lame single groups and he sent me this article from Christianity Today. OH MY GOODNESS! After reading it, I was prompted to write this blog (and it's completely toned down from what I originally had to say). Basically, there was this guy at some singles convention who was spewing forth crap about how if you're single and you're in your 20's, then you're straight up a sinner. He was saying, why on earth delay getting married? In fact, he was encouraging young people to marry as early as 17 or 18. What the heck?! He said that he was thrilled when his sons popped the question to their respective wives because that moment marked the true beginning of their lives! What?! Also, he was saying that one cannot fully enter into adulthood until one experiences marriage. Ok, what?! And the sad thing is, there were probably loads of people at that convention who thought, "RIGHT ON! LET'S GET MARRIED!" (Hmmm...not to say that marriage is wrong, I greatly anticipate being married one day. However, I am no less of a person, and I'm not living any less of a life, than my friends who have already gotten married.)
If anyone wants to read this article, by all means visit, and here's just a taste to tempt you to read:
"I'm going to speak of the sin I think besets this generation. It is the sin of delaying marriage as a lifestyle option among those who intend someday to get married, but they just haven't yet. This is a problem shared by men and women, but it's a problem primarily of men."
http://www.christianitytoday.com/singles/newsletter/mind40811.html
So, I hate this stupid, freaking computer! (sorry for the colorful language) I've absolutely HAD it with this dumb, crappy machine (there I go again with the colorful language). If I told you all the things that were wrong with this machine (for instance, how much memory it's operating on), I would BLOW your mind. I've finally decided that I do not care how much money it will cost, I am ready to take it to Best Buy and get it fully loaded: a generous memory upgrade and virus/firewall protection.
Something else I hate is how large groups of Christians take whatever they hear or read as gospel truth. Take for instance the hugely popular Prayer of Jabez of 3 or 4 summers ago. (Now, I don't mean to copy Derek Webb's rantings on the subject; believe me when I tell you that the whole thing annoyed me 3 or 4 years ago.) Basically, Bible studies and pastors everywhere were telling the masses, "Hey, pray this short, obscure Old Testament prayer, sit back, and watch the blessings roll your way." What the heck?! The crazy thing is, people bought it hook, line, and sinker. How about the whole modern worship and mega-church movement (if that's what it's called)? Where everyone gets to come and make their huge, concourse labeled church, "the compound", their entire life! These churches have courtyards, and bookstores, and cafeterias, and coffee bars, and 5 different worship bands, and a media booth where you can buy any service on tape, CD, or DVD. There are 100 small group Bible studies and "home fellowships" and a ministry for every kind of thing under the sun: haircutters, unemployed men, over 50's, to name a few. People flock to these churches (and currently, I go to one...so does this make me a hypocrit?) and they sit in church where the pastor might have some insightful things to say but the masses can't, or don't want to, take the time to sort through everything and leave the junk. Junk like, "Hey, if you were baptized as an infant, IT WAS NO GOOD!" They think, "Hey, if pastor so and so said it, awesome!" Then, they go to all their small group Bible studies and repeat the stupid stuff that is wrong.
And then there's Joshua Harris's whole I Kissed Dating Goodbye movement where the trendy thing was not to kiss your husband/wife until you were pronounced as such on your wedding day. I need to tread lightly here because 2 sets of very dear friends practiced this and each of their courtship stories are very beautiful. However, just because Joshua Harris wrote it and just about everyone involved in InterVarsity read it, doesn't mean that Christians everywhere have to do this. I don't get it! I plan on kissing whoever I marry before we stand up at the alter (and I don't think that my marriage will be any less blessed by God).
Today, Jed and I were making fun of messageboards and lame single groups and he sent me this article from Christianity Today. OH MY GOODNESS! After reading it, I was prompted to write this blog (and it's completely toned down from what I originally had to say). Basically, there was this guy at some singles convention who was spewing forth crap about how if you're single and you're in your 20's, then you're straight up a sinner. He was saying, why on earth delay getting married? In fact, he was encouraging young people to marry as early as 17 or 18. What the heck?! He said that he was thrilled when his sons popped the question to their respective wives because that moment marked the true beginning of their lives! What?! Also, he was saying that one cannot fully enter into adulthood until one experiences marriage. Ok, what?! And the sad thing is, there were probably loads of people at that convention who thought, "RIGHT ON! LET'S GET MARRIED!" (Hmmm...not to say that marriage is wrong, I greatly anticipate being married one day. However, I am no less of a person, and I'm not living any less of a life, than my friends who have already gotten married.)
If anyone wants to read this article, by all means visit, and here's just a taste to tempt you to read:
"I'm going to speak of the sin I think besets this generation. It is the sin of delaying marriage as a lifestyle option among those who intend someday to get married, but they just haven't yet. This is a problem shared by men and women, but it's a problem primarily of men."
http://www.christianitytoday.com/singles/newsletter/mind40811.html
posted by alisa beth at 8:21 PM
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