.Amani
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Happy Easter~
So Easter just passed, and it was one of the best Easter celebrations in my life so far.
Growing up I was always into the commercial celebrations filled with candies, toys and baby animals. Easter egg/scavenger hunts in my home with my brothers every year was much more fun than the one time we went to an Easter service at a nearby church (which seemed to last forever... plus trying to find Easter eggs with vicious stranger kids was a turn-off). On the Jehovah Witness side there was none of this Easter nonsense.. which was even more of a bore.
Even when I started going to church within the last 2-3 years, it wasn't the same as this year. In 2010 and 2011 I was often distracted by the people's tradition of wearing 'new/stylish outfits', and trying to fit in with the rest of the church youth... Joining this smaller church was probably the best decision I could've made for myself spiritually.
Never did I understand the real meaning of Easter/Holy Week... never did I realize, like seriously -imagine- the magnitude of Christ's love that he would sacrifice himself for me and the rest of the world. Not until this week.
Thursday was foot-washing and holy communion, and that night I felt I was most affected by the Holy Spirit. Everyone I know seem to loathe the thought of handling someone else's feet, often intentionally arriving to the church late after it's done. This time I was actually eager to do it, and I found it to be a very humbling experience. Singing blood songs while washing each other's feet ended up putting me in a very solemn mood, as I thought of the scriptures and imagined Christ doing the exact same thing with his disciples.
As my pastor preached the Word, I became overwhelmed with emotion, feeling convicted over my current stagnant lifestyle. I was in tears, crying out in the spirit... it got really messy to say the least, haha. Snot and tears everywhere. Then communion happened, and once we took the blood and body of Christ and started praising him and thanking him, there I went again, in tears. I wish I was able to remember everything so I can put it in detail... but I know that even though I can't remember it, the message is still nourishing my spirit.
ANYWAYS, I didn't get to see all the presentations the next day of the last cries of Christ, but the presentations I did manage to catch were on point and of course, Resurrection Sunday was a full house and full of praise for the Living God.
I can babble on and on with nonsense because I honestly cannot put my spiritual experiences into words. I really can't. So I'm just gonna end it here. LOL
Obligatory outfit shots from Resurrection Sunday:
Next week is the Women's Retreat FINALLY, after a good month or two of waiting, it's only a matter of days until I'm off with the women to Camp of the Woods. I am beyond excited. I'm winding down my eating habits this week to prepare myself for a week-long fast and I am expecting so much out of this weekend trip. I'm supposed to do a dramatization of the story of the alabaster box (Luke 7:36-50) with another young sister or two, and... I'm not actually looking forward to that. First Lady wants us to do miming and any sort of performance that does not involve purely speaking... I am no good at. I have to try and find my way to go about this e__e lol
Monday, May 23, 2011
So the Rapture is finally done and over with.
Thank God May 21st passed.
Thank God.
No one can understand how aggravated I was from the hype, everything was astronomically retarded.
When they first 'announced' it, I was on edge for the simple fact that I knew that 'radical evangelists' would take the streets and seriously shove that load of crap down people's throats... What got me even more pissed off is the fact that the media paid attention to it and fed the crap out of it, and reaching foreign shores it made a total mockery out of Christianity, mainly American Christians.
There were several articles on it, e.x. this one story that was in the NY Times... this one woman quit her job as a nurse to "sound the trumpets" of Christ's return (um.... I swore that was the angels' job...). She decided to try and force her children into passing out pamphlets with her, but they didn't want to. The parents (including the dad, who btw didn't quit his job) believed the Rapture was gonna come, the kids didn't. So then apparently in response the mother said to them "I'm sorry you three will be left behind while your dad and I met God and enjoy His kingdom."
Are you shitting me???? Why would you say that to your kids? Like so much for ministering!
I'm pretty sure they were high school students at least, because their one major concern out of all this? was if they'd be able to afford college after their mom decided to be a fucking dipshit.
The day after the 'Rapture', the radio was talking about some man in Long Island who spent 140 THOUSAND DOLLARS 'spreading the word'
His response afterwards? "I don't understand why it didn't happen--"
WHAT
The main reason why I was so pissed over this whole thing was because it pretty much showed how gullible, and how lazy and misguided some of these 'Christians' are.
I'm not gonna judge them too much, but real faith comes from studying the unadulterated Word of God. How were you so quick to believe this guy's 'prophecy'? Ignoring the fact this dude did it at least twice before and failed?
Like, where is your faith now? Is it totally in the gutter because you failed to look back into the Bible?
I was nervous about the 'Rapture', not because I was afraid that it was gonna happen, but because I knew it was just gonna be an overflow of stupidity and epic fail. When I felt nervous I went back into the Bible and read the New Testament.
If people paid attention to these three things, and actually took the Word to heart, they wouldn't have lost so much time and energy, simpleminded people wouldn't have quit their jobs like fools:
1st - In Duetoronomy it said to not give heed to people who do divination/witchcraft, fortune-telling, reading of the stars etc.
2nd - Jesus said that at a certain point in time there would be false prophets, and people claiming to be Him
and 3rd- Jesus also said that no man shall know the day nor the hour of His coming, not even the Angels, only the Father.
And even in the Kings James version, in all it's Ye Olde English, did it plainly say these things.
Are people really that lazy to pick up the Bible and read? They prefer to listen to a preacher rather than actually taking the time to pick up a book?
I had to seriously this weekend for those who would be pushed away from God because of this, those (like the kids) that were really affected by it or will be affected by it because of other people's actions.. That and I prayed that He'd forgive the people who actually bought into this stuff and acted foolish over everything, as well as those who were being malicious like "lolChristians/Stupid Christians" and pretty much mocking the power of God. But seriously? stupid people are stupid, God. On both sides.
I'm just glad that the aftermath wasn't as loud as I thought it would be. I expected much more trolling but people seemed to have quieted down and got over it for the most part.
Now? For December 2012. I'm already preparing myself for the fail - w-
Thank God.
No one can understand how aggravated I was from the hype, everything was astronomically retarded.
When they first 'announced' it, I was on edge for the simple fact that I knew that 'radical evangelists' would take the streets and seriously shove that load of crap down people's throats... What got me even more pissed off is the fact that the media paid attention to it and fed the crap out of it, and reaching foreign shores it made a total mockery out of Christianity, mainly American Christians.
There were several articles on it, e.x. this one story that was in the NY Times... this one woman quit her job as a nurse to "sound the trumpets" of Christ's return (um.... I swore that was the angels' job...). She decided to try and force her children into passing out pamphlets with her, but they didn't want to. The parents (including the dad, who btw didn't quit his job) believed the Rapture was gonna come, the kids didn't. So then apparently in response the mother said to them "I'm sorry you three will be left behind while your dad and I met God and enjoy His kingdom."
Are you shitting me???? Why would you say that to your kids? Like so much for ministering!
I'm pretty sure they were high school students at least, because their one major concern out of all this? was if they'd be able to afford college after their mom decided to be a fucking dipshit.
The day after the 'Rapture', the radio was talking about some man in Long Island who spent 140 THOUSAND DOLLARS 'spreading the word'
His response afterwards? "I don't understand why it didn't happen--"
WHAT
The main reason why I was so pissed over this whole thing was because it pretty much showed how gullible, and how lazy and misguided some of these 'Christians' are.
I'm not gonna judge them too much, but real faith comes from studying the unadulterated Word of God. How were you so quick to believe this guy's 'prophecy'? Ignoring the fact this dude did it at least twice before and failed?
Like, where is your faith now? Is it totally in the gutter because you failed to look back into the Bible?
I was nervous about the 'Rapture', not because I was afraid that it was gonna happen, but because I knew it was just gonna be an overflow of stupidity and epic fail. When I felt nervous I went back into the Bible and read the New Testament.
If people paid attention to these three things, and actually took the Word to heart, they wouldn't have lost so much time and energy, simpleminded people wouldn't have quit their jobs like fools:
1st - In Duetoronomy it said to not give heed to people who do divination/witchcraft, fortune-telling, reading of the stars etc.
2nd - Jesus said that at a certain point in time there would be false prophets, and people claiming to be Him
and 3rd- Jesus also said that no man shall know the day nor the hour of His coming, not even the Angels, only the Father.
And even in the Kings James version, in all it's Ye Olde English, did it plainly say these things.
Are people really that lazy to pick up the Bible and read? They prefer to listen to a preacher rather than actually taking the time to pick up a book?
I had to seriously this weekend for those who would be pushed away from God because of this, those (like the kids) that were really affected by it or will be affected by it because of other people's actions.. That and I prayed that He'd forgive the people who actually bought into this stuff and acted foolish over everything, as well as those who were being malicious like "lolChristians/Stupid Christians" and pretty much mocking the power of God. But seriously? stupid people are stupid, God. On both sides.
I'm just glad that the aftermath wasn't as loud as I thought it would be. I expected much more trolling but people seemed to have quieted down and got over it for the most part.
Now? For December 2012. I'm already preparing myself for the fail - w-
Thursday, January 6, 2011
On "Homeless Man, Golden Voice"
Today I stumbled on friends posting videos of Ted Williams, a.k.a. the "Homeless Man with a Golden Voice". And the story drove me to tears. I didn't pay too much attention till hours later when I was bored, and after watching the original video (below), and update news videos, I wish I didn't ignore it at all.
The original video was touching, because looking at him and comparing him to the typical homeless person in New York City, he seemed very sincere, definitely not an act (besides his great voice), but then once I found the interview with CBS and his words just drove me to tears.
How many people could truly say they had a testimony any more amazing than his? Ex- alcoholic & drug-addict, homeless and panhandling for ??? years, and then someone finds your story and in not even a week, like, a day or two later, your life is completely changed around, you're groomed, dressed up, given a place to stay and now you have your DREAM job. Like seriously, how in 2 days does he get a deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers which includes your a new home???
God has put a whopping of an increase into this man's life and to hear him praise God and tell his story, it touched me so deep that words can't even explain. And for those who are in those videos talking about how he "doesn't deserve it", this that and the third, are seriously hating hardcore. But even then, a lot of blessings and things we get in life we never truly feel we deserve. That, or we never appreciate it until it's gone. And he's been on both ends of the stick.
I'm so praying for this man, and for his mother because I don't even know how she must feel hearing her son's story and finally seeing him for the first time in years.
The original video was touching, because looking at him and comparing him to the typical homeless person in New York City, he seemed very sincere, definitely not an act (besides his great voice), but then once I found the interview with CBS and his words just drove me to tears.
How many people could truly say they had a testimony any more amazing than his? Ex- alcoholic & drug-addict, homeless and panhandling for ??? years, and then someone finds your story and in not even a week, like, a day or two later, your life is completely changed around, you're groomed, dressed up, given a place to stay and now you have your DREAM job. Like seriously, how in 2 days does he get a deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers which includes your a new home???
God has put a whopping of an increase into this man's life and to hear him praise God and tell his story, it touched me so deep that words can't even explain. And for those who are in those videos talking about how he "doesn't deserve it", this that and the third, are seriously hating hardcore. But even then, a lot of blessings and things we get in life we never truly feel we deserve. That, or we never appreciate it until it's gone. And he's been on both ends of the stick.
I'm so praying for this man, and for his mother because I don't even know how she must feel hearing her son's story and finally seeing him for the first time in years.
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