Young, Hugo, Lewis, and Adams

I like this song by Adam Young, aka Owl City, for the Disney movie Wreck It Ralph.  The music video is kind of weird/cheesy, but I like the song.

I love books.  I'm about 200 pages into Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, and I have 1,060ish pages to go!  I'm reading it for a few reasons.
1. A new theatrical version is coming out in a few weeks.
2. Several of my friends have seen a play version of the story and/or love the music.
3. The discipline of reading a long loooooooooooooong book is good for me as a reader and as a person.
4. I want to be able to say that I've read the unabridged version. ;)

I'm almost done with Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C.S. Lewis.  I like it a lot.  Here is one quote that really stuck out to me.

"What I like about experience is that it is such an honest thing.  You may take any number of wrong turnings; but keep your eyes open and you will not be allowed to go very far before the warning signs appear.  You may have deceived yourself, but experience is not trying to deceive you.  The universe rings true wherever you fairly test it."

This reminds me of a quote from one of my teacher ed professors.  Dr. Adams never married, even though she wanted to.  She is now set to retire this spring, and Master's will have a hard time replacing her.  She taught a few seminar and credential classes as well as the intense-but-fun class known as Children's Lit.  She has a hundreds of children's books in her office. *sigh*

One year Dr. Adams spoke in a women's chapel about...something?  I think it was about trusting God with your life; I'm not sure.  Though I can't remember the exact topic, I do remember one exact sentence.

"God isn't going to let you unknowingly ruin your life."

This is very encouraging, and I think it goes along with C.S. Lewis' quote.  God will not let me unknowingly ruin my life.  He is a loving God, so He will use circumstances, people, His Word, and my conscience to show me the right way to go.  Even when I am confused, God is on my side.  He won't let me accidentally ruin my future.

Hell in the sanctified imagination

*Disclaimer: I know that people don't like to think or talk about hell, and I'm not sure that I do, either.  However, I am a Christian and thus believe in a literal hell.  I don't believe in hell because I want revenge on anyone, and I certainly don't believe that I have any responsibility for who goes to hell (referring to the common question, "if I don't believe in Jesus, do you believe I will go to hell?"  Well, yes, but it's not MY condemnation, it's your own for not accepting Christ, and it's what the Bible says.  "Don't shoot the messenger.")

At one of our Thursday Bible study meetings, our Bible study leader asked us, "What do you think hell is like?"  A few people gave some answers, then Jeff asked Amos what he thought.  Here's a paraphrase of Amos' response.  It is not meant to be taken as biblical fact but rather as Amos' own view of what hell could be like.

"I don't think hell is like a nightmare, like many people think [dark, scary, monster-filled, etc.].  I think it is more like finally understanding that God is God, and being eaten up by that knowledge for eternity.  You finally understand and believe what God has done for you  on the cross, and you are eaten up by the fact that God loves you and doesn't want you in hell, but that His perfect justice will not allow Him to take you out of hell.  You live in eternity with the knowledge of both the truth and your rejection."

How sad!  How horrifying.

A Polling Story

My parents love to vote, and they effectively instilled that love in their first four children and are currently working on the next four.

I love to vote, too.  I get so excited when I get to sign my name, take my ballot, mark little dots with a special pen, and submit my vote.  I almost tear up, just because I am so happy to participate in this great process known as democracy (I know, I need help).

When I was younger, my parents took my brothers and me to the polling places.  In the weeks leading up to the elections, Mom and Dad discussed the politicians, propositions, and measures, marking their choices carefully in their voting guides.  Or at least so I thought.  One year Dad didn't mark up his guide, so he came out of his little, corrugated plastic booth to ask Mom, who was voting in her own booth, which person or proposition he was supposed to choose.  Mom started to show him her choices when a poll worker popped out of nowhere and said firmly, "Sir, you can't do that.  Go back to your booth!"

Dad was caught off guard by her sudden appearance, so he blinked quickly, got out an apology, and hopped back in.  I don't know if he ever did pick the right candidate.

The Christian and the Homosexual

The Bible says that homosexuality is wrong (see Romans 1).  As Christians, we need to know how to respond to a culture that is increasingly accepting of homosexuality, even when there aren't that many actual homosexual individuals in the United States (this statistic was brought to my attention by Al Mohler in one of his Briefings).

One resource that I found very helpful was an interview conducted by Tim Challies and David Murray.  The interviewee was Rosaria Butterfield, an ex-lesbian who is now a conservative, Christian, homeschool-mom to four children adopted from the foster care system (yea!); talk about a one-eighty.  You would think that Rosaria would give the same pat answers and suggestions that you always hear, but I was surprised and challenged as I listened to her testimony and her words of advice.  She also is very eloquent, which I appreciate. :)  You can listen to the interview here.

Here's a quote from the interview that doesn't apply just to the problem of homosexuality; I found it very thought-provoking.

"True believers can be beaten down by sin faster and more furiously than sanctification can buoy them up."

What a call to be both on our toes and on our knees!