Is it preaching or indoctrinating?

My "review" or rather...my view of Jesus Camp. The documentary about a female children's pastor from Missouri who hosts a camp each summer in Devil's Lake, South Dakota.

This woman has such passion and desire to train young people and keep them from sin or wrong things. She loves the kids, spends time with them and truly wants to invest into their lives. But that's where my feelings of great stop. The film documents services, interviews with children and the pastor. You start to see forcibly causing a child to believe something, not allowing the option of another answer for a question. I can't but compare it to Muslims; forcibly learning children in the "Evangelical" culture to believe as leaders see fit. I've worked in ministry, at a camp and have seen children learn and grow...but this causes me to ask many questions. In this situation are they just mirroring what they have seen? Truly believe what they are taught? Or being indoctrinated to believe, act and think certain things? How different is this "Evangelical" way of thinking any different than teaching a child to wear a bomb belt, shoot an AK47 and kill at will? This is all for the sake of Allah, their god, correct?

indoctrinate
in·doc·tri·nate
1. to instruct in a doctrine, principle, ideology, etc., esp. to imbue with a specific partisan or biased belief or point of view.
2. to teach or inculcate.
3. to imbue with learning.
—Synonyms 1. brainwash, propagandize.

Strangely - the synonyms to indoctrinate cause it to seem even worse. How could someone who loves God want to forcibly make a child believe the same? Couldn't you learn the child of the Lord and allow them to choose what they believe themselves? How could Evangelical, Charismatic, Protestant, Christian, etc, churches manipulate their beliefs upon a young and pliable mind? Why wouldn't they just teach and allow God to do the changing?

Am I ashamed to have myself labeled as a "Christian" among those who are teaching their beliefs about religion, evangelism, government and politics to the next generation? With people who say they can sway the vote of America by their pulpit? Why is America a democracy if they are not allowing freedom of choice, separation of church and state and the right to vote? Has anyone seen the film/documentary? Do you have any view or insight in it?

Proverbs 22:6
6 "Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it."

I Find It Amusing

I find it amusing people tend to avoid certain blogs I write.... Some blogs people read and have an opinion, then there are these others read and quickly discarded. It tends to be the petty and shallow blogs people love comment and have an opinion. Then the deep or difficult blogs people seem to avoid.

Hmm...Amusing. Can you not handle deep? Or WANT to handle deep? Why is it that we, as a generalization of humans, would rather avoid then address difficult situations? Why do we tend to avoid those hurting, in need or going through a diffuclt time? We walk past the homeless, make fun of the disabled, lie and hurt to our own? Can we learn to love and walk in kindness? Or will our sin nature forever rule us?

The Storm Wouldn't Subside

It's storming again; a fierce threatening storm. The wind whips and whirls about you, looking for anything in its path to rip down and tear apart. The rain falls in floods of white whirling in a sad fight with the wind. They dance about as though each is in control, yet loosing to the other. The lightning flashes as it jumps out to hit its quarry. Like a snake's tongue it slithers out quickly hitting the prey and searching for another target. The flashes of light rapid but quite deadly and unforgiving. Anything along the path is quickly demolished, left to mere rubble and burnt ashes. The thunder grumbles loudly with each flash of lightening. Angry that it isn't noticed by sight, it must keep its presence known. Loudly it bangs, rattling your bones and causing your heart beats faster. East beat of your heart grows louder as the storm drags on. The water has begun to collect, causing floods and standing water. Eroding the ground and road beneath, the surge of water pushes everything out of its way. Further destroying what the wind and lightning have angrily torn apart. Left behind are shards of broken glass, fragments of wood and rubble lying aimlessly along the landscape. The lightning strikes the pieces, teasing and provoking to prove who is in control. Angrily growling the thunder rolls along screaming at the wind and the rain as they fall below, never ceasing their catty dance.

You are left standing there, wishing this battle wasn't. Wishing your head was clear and heart was settled. Wishing you understood why the sun shines outside and this fierce fight is reigning inside of you.

Do Southern Men Truly Out Do Northern Men?

So I've lived in a few different places, especially the past few years. Now I've gone on dates in Minnesota and I've gone on dates in Texas. Well lets just say that MN men don't seem quite as caring or attentive as Texas, or rather, Southern men do. Can someone tell me why? Now, I'm not dogging MN men, but men from the South seem to put more effort into a relationship. The small things are the things always count the most; opening car doors, letting you walk through a door before them, having you order your food before they order, calling you ma'am, just to name a few very petty items. Honestly it was almost culture shock moving to Texas and having guys get annoyed when I opened my own door, didn't order before they did or even walk through a doorway before them. Are men in the South raised with a greater respect for women then men in the North? How terrible would that be? I'm a true Minnesotan and love MN a lot...but where have all the good men gone? Or...maybe they're just back in the South? Hopefully my children will be raised to respect women, even if it's a younger sister. Wouldn't you treat your grandmother well, woud you not for someone you loved and cared about? Strange that "Southern Hospitality" seems to out weigh "Minnesota Nice." Honestly I think MN men probably were the same as Southern men...but time has worn them down? Or were they never equally nice?

Somebody please clarify, maybe I'm wrong but I've heard it from others as well...

Men! Confused? Yeah, me too

I'm just trying to understand men, impossible feat yes, but at least I'll try, right?

1. Why is it that the male species don't call for days...even a couple weeks. Then they call outta the blue and act like nothin. Not that it's a huge deal when you aren't serious or anything, but wouldn't a little effort be nice? Couldn't you text me every couple days? Or email me just to say hey. Or stop by with coffee and muffins. Or maybe try to plan to see each other a bit out. Wouldn't a little showing that you are interested be ideal? HUH??? Cuz I'm about to walk away and forget you just short of a week...only due to my #2 - see below


2. Or they decide they don't want to be involved (or like you, or don't want to be in a relationship, or deal with life or WHATEVER!) and just

stop.


Stop calling. Stop emailing. Stop texting. Stop coming around. Just stop.

A dead stop at that. Almost like you hang out one evening and the next day they don't call, then the next, the next, the next....and so on. No, not almost - it is like that. You're talking one day and then it seems like the door slammed in your face and you weren't even knocking on it!

WTF????? I'm confused? Do you not have a pair? And can you not call and SAY something. It'd be nice to at least know SOMETHING. :) Can anyone help me out in this region? Cuz I thought there were some nice ones, but it seems that the nice ones pull these stunts more than the complete jerk offs.

i'm done

i want out. i can't do this anymore...i can't take the false hope, faith and lies about the future. i don't see the good coming, i don't see the what my heart says might be there. i feel like i'm back at the same position i was so long ago...seemily worse off then it was. i've come to the point of desperation. i feel as though i can't believe anymore. it's the same thing it was...i believe in you and am greatly let down each time i do. i listen to the words said and the things done, then it all falls to pieces. my heart is a wreck, it can't go through this again. i can't understand what you say you'll do and don't, say you have but don't, say you want for me...but it never is. good and not bad, better and not worse...i feel worse, i see more bad and i can't understand even more. i'm not sure that i can trust and understand you like i thought i used to. i'm not sure i have the faith to believe, nor the faith to continue down this road. i want love and life, but i don't know if you give me that...i don't think you do

so I think God made me female on accident

lol...yes I do believe the title I gave this is what I'm thinkin.

I think I'm female on accident. I think God messed up and forgot I was to be a man...no creepy ideas in your heads people - my reasoning...I love sports! Sit me down to watch football, basketball...extreme sports, I'm STOKED! But I adore sports, I love to watch them. I love to play them. I love the excitement of them. And most of all I'm SUPER competitive. This week is brilliant! I watched the NCAA men's bball championship game last night - me and a bunch of guys!?! Tomorrow I'm headed to the Twins game, me and a buncha guys!? Yes and I adore it. I'm alllll for the game.

I can watch football, basketball, soccer, snowboarding, supercross and just about any extreme sport on TV. I absolutely adore going to the games! Baseball. Baseball is the one sport I tend to loathe on TV. Yeah, I'll watch it, but I'm for sure a better Twins fan in my seat at the dome.

So here I live my life as a woman truly devoted to sports. Tomorrow I'll be cheerin from the stands!! :)

cheers.

Nashvegas!!!

sooooo today it's official - i'm headed to Nashville next week!

woooooop wooop! i'm STOKED! I get to see my best friend and chill with her for a short while. she's preggers and i get to see her lil belly once again... and i love me some nashville. the biggest part of it I NEED TO GET AWAY! i need this mini vaca, even if it's just a long weekend away. so - today i thank Jesus for answering my HUGE prayer - "HELP!?!?!?! i need to get away and clear my head for a minute!"


that's the thought for the day...
that and it's snowing in MN! Ick. i thought it was spring!! sicko...i was wishin and hopin and prayin and beggggggggin for warmth and now it's SNOWING! aye dios :)

staying at the table

This weekend at Upper Room Kurt talked about "Staying at the Table". Staying at the table when someone has hurt, wrong, angered or more so...betrayed you...or when you've done any of the same to anyone else. It made me think about all the times I've sat at the table and had a situation similar to this. How many times had I STAYED at the table and fought for a relationship? How many times had I given up and walked away or gotten so angry I didn't want to deal with the situation and because of that left the table?

I look back and see the times where I've done someone wrong and they've stayed at the table and fought for our relationship - fought for our friendship even though I was in the wrong. I see the situations where they were hurt or angry and left the table...left our relationship out of my wrong doing. Then I see the times where someone has done me wrong and and they stayed at the table, wanting forgiveness...there were times when I walked away angry and didn't want to try for the relationship. A few times the relationship was lost and other times we went back to the table and our relationship was restored.

Looking at my life and the times I've been at the table there's been one relationship I've sat there repeatedly. Many times my fault, but sometimes their fault. This relationship has been a struggle...a relationship I've HAD to work at. The other person has had to work at the relationship as well. We disagree, fight and definitely have different points of view, but I've grown greatly through this relationship. I've learned to see through others eyes, I've learned to love and forgive even when your heart is screaming to walk away, to give it all up. Now that I've put so many years into the relationship, I couldn't think to give it up now, could I? The thing is, I could. Very easily when the times are tough I could step away and let it all go. But I'm choosing to work at it, I'm choosing to love and forgive and ask for forgiveness. I'm choosing the harder road. I love this person greatly, and I'd give anything for them. I've battled for their relationship, now I'd battle others for them. I know there will be days when we face each other accross the table once again...but I know it will make us stronger.

Sometimes I wonder if length of relationship is the only reason we stick somethings out. Or may it's because the person is family. Or because we don't want to go through the struggle of loosing someone and the normalcy of having that relationship in our lives? Sometimes we only tough things out because we've already been through a lot with someone. Are we really staying at the table to work things out because we love the person and want to grow through the relationship?

Seeing back at the first "table" I wonder if I would have the strength to do the same? Could I sit at the table with my closest friends and family and KNOW that each one was going to betray me...betray me with their lives and still sit there and break bread with them? Could I do what Jesus did and forgive them ... even before it even happened?

"Surprise Me God" Experience

I volunteer with YoungLife at Minnehaha Academy and YoungLife Capernaum...we're going through April with the "Surprise Me God" experience. I'm going to journal it...I'd love your input and thoughts.

Happy April - join in if you'd like to experience this with me!

http://anotherdayforyou.blogspot.com/