PART 2 EUROPE PICS

I think there was an interesting rock at my feet. At this beach. In Corsica.

THIS IS FOR ALLISON AND MIA, HORCHATA LOVERS. These were all over Europe.

THIS IS FOR YOU KELSEY. Since you love shrimp.

It's us in a tree while I'm drinking espresso in Valencia.

SCALING THE HEIGHTS.

Mini Golf. No one cough while I take my shot.

Someone must've coughed.

MUSCLES OF MAGNITUDE SCALE THE HEIGHTS AGAIN. But a different redhead.

The contest. My contestants. It looks fair.

Walking into the Vatican. So cool, i had to bring an orange college bag.

Inside the Vatican. Ducks in a row.

If only the Pope was out, he'd be Photobombing us.

SISSY&SISTINE!

SISSY2&SISTINE

I love to stare at your face, Jeremiah, whilst you stare at that thing up there. Whatever it is.

NOT A SISSY, ME&SISTINE.

Coyly and intelectually raising left eyebrow in front of painting of port city of Rome, Civitivecchia.

Like a big deal. But Jeremiah's got something else on his sleeve. But we are a dramatic and awesome trio.

Not a bad snail of a staircase.

PART 1 EUROPE PICS

This. Is us. In the train station after Espresso to go to Malaga from Madrid. Alive yet again.

Before I was alive, yet after the 8 hour flight. NEVER BECOME THIS. Note bloodshot eyes.

DRAMATIC+SEA+ME. PORT. MUAHAHA

The Mediterranean looks good on Lily.

Aaron, THIS is how you strike a penseive sea-pose.

DEAD TIME IN SHUFFLEBOARD. TIME TO DERP IT UP.

Yes this is for the unbelieving. There WAS ice skating on the ship. You can see Aaron, Lily, and Grace.

JUST CHEESIN at only the Eiffel Tower.

PEACE OUT Y'ALL at the Parisian Pantheon. Dr. Jeremiah, there.

Pantheon again. Can't beat it. Our faces loved it.

Lookin FRESH at the barred entrance to the VALENCIA FUTBOL CLUB'S stadium. In Valencia.

The scary poem

A hall of closed doors
The terror of the floor...
Signing perhaps the wick'd unknown.

Like a casket, shut
Leaves nothing but
This nameless fear to own.

So many, it's true
Could one be even you?
A ghastly shadow comes between
The earth and one so dear

Quick! Dive under the covers and wait til morn
But even now a new closed door is born
And with a knowing glint
the dark does leer.

~By me.

Well there it is. Hopefully you can tell what I mean.

1984

Hey Peeps, Chicks and Bunnies. As well as my loyal fan. I am a member of my own blog, so I like to give a shout out to myself as my only loyal fan. 

Anyway. This is an essay that I had to write as part of a final exam for this year. I rather liked it, and so I thought that I would post it to see if anyone else would like reading it. Hopefully this is self-explanatory enough to not require the reading of 1984 to get it, but basically, the essay was in answer to the question: "Describe what a Christian response would be to a world of pretended absolute power like the one Winston Smith lives in, in the book 1984." So here it is:

              “Big Brother Is Watching You.”[1] This line describes perfectly the situation in which Winston lives in the novel 1984. In it, as is easily guessed, there is some murky deity, a malevolent all-seeing all-knowing personage intent on keeping you in check at all times. This seems very scary, but how should we as Christ’s children react? Specifically, we should stand strong in our faith, but while the government agrees with God’s commands, obey the government. Once violated, however, we should follow God’s commands above the contrary commands of Big Brother, and finally we should bear up in Christ’s strength all persecutions we come under as a result.

                First, in Romans 13:1-2, God tells us to, “[B]e subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” So we can see that all rebellion for the sake of itself against our governments would be against God’s commands, even if we do not like the government as it stands. Even if Big Brother is watching you all day every day, it does not violate God’s commands to submit and let him. Man’s basic instincts press him on to rebel against all things that are inconvenient or unpleasant, but this is not God’s will. We would resoundingly feel the injustice, but to stand up for something unpleasant, but not damning, in the face of this command would be damning in and of itself because of the sin against God’s commands.

                Secondly, what if Ingsoc, the government in 1984, was endeavoring to make you believe something against God’s commands? For instance, “We control life, Winston, at all its levels…we create human nature.”[2] This is the first time that Big Brother’s view of himself is stated definitively in the book. However insinuatingly this idea was woven into the story, it is only now that we see the utter blasphemy of the entire system. When we see anyone making themselves out as the creators or controllers of life, automatically we know that they are lying, unless it is God speaking. Big Brother is not God, and so we can be sure of his untrustworthiness. However, thoughtcrime committed even by Big Brother does not make grounds for revolution. It is only when Big Brother acts it out, toys with life, and makes himself appear to be God while disposing of life, raising life up, and (he thinks) inventing life that he transgresses God’s commands. In requiring Christians and all people to be accomplices to acting out his blasphemous ego, he instigates the breaking of his laws. Regardless of the habitat we are in, we are to stand firm in the faith, as we are commanded in Ephesians: “[B]e strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”[3] This is a direct command to stay on the straight and narrow and never to swerve, despite outward opposition. Nor should we be afraid that justice will never be done towards the wayward rulers, because as one example, Nebuchadnezzar was told that he, “[Would] be made to eat grass like an ox, and [would] be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time [would] pass over [him], till [he] kn[e]w that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.”
               

                Lastly, how should we act when we are persecuted, imprisoned, and maybe killed for the faith by an entity which knows every bit of unauthorized behavior ever committed? With both feet planted perfectly on the Word of God, just as in any other situation. Even if those in Big Brother’s Ingsoc know everything about you, can kill you, torture you, God will give you all the strength necessary to stay true to Christ. As He says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” [4] We should rest assured of God’s sufficient Grace and know that however powerful those of this world appear to be, God is bigger than everything, the real Creator, and thus there is no difference in His means for us to overcome their power.

                We should be immensely heartened by this whole treatise on withstanding so seemingly “absolute power” as seen in Winston Smith’s life in 1984. Not only do we have a completely comprehensive plan as to when to break the laws of the land, but we also know how to act when we are persecuted for our faith. Just as Jesus says, “When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.”[5] So we are absolutely equipped for every situation we could think of under any possible kind of absolute human power, and can rest assured in God’s strength. We need only follow God with the strength God provides, and trust him for all things. Our part is easy, and the outcome is assured. So when the Big Brothers of our world come knocking, we can assuredly be Godly men and women and never become his minions, being answerable to the only True Judge of the world.

---

[1] Orwell’s 1984 Chapter 1

[2] O’Brien to Winston, Orwell’s 1984 Chapter III Section 3.

[3] Ephesians 6:10b-11

[4] 1 Corinthians 10:13

[5] Matthew 10: 19

MY WALL OF AWESOME FAME TO BE

 This is my new wall decoration. All of it.

Faithfulness

Disclaimer: This was not just for this blog. It was an Omni assignment. I just thought I'd post it cause I liked it decently well. It's from Daniel

Faithfulness is the power of the Holy Spirit coming to rest, as bestowed by God upon us. And in Daniel, every single faithful thing is worked through that Spirit. Whenever you see Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, or Abednego standing firm against any adversity while doing what God commands, God is showing us in His Word how His Spirit can take cooked noodles and turn them into unyielding steel. So since faithfulness makes this steadfastness actually possible, what are really these Heroes? People transformed by God’s Grace, Hope, and Truth, led by and enabled by the Spirit. All through the book when these heroes pop up, namely Daniel the multiple times, you’re really seeing God’s Spirit at work to instill Faithfulness in His Believers. Faithfulness is not just the disassociated sort of abstract trust that you might think that you have in God upon becoming a believer (the devil himself has this so called “faith” in God, knowing he’s there as God in all His Being); but Faithfulness, like Love, and all other Fruits of the Spirit, is a verb, implying, commanding, entailing, and MEANING action. It is not faithfulness without constantly ACTING it out. Not just admitting to the Gospel, though that’s a great part, it’s living it out, come what may. And it doesn’t matter an iota what God starts with, because God’s Strength is so far above ours that any greater or smaller strength on a human scale is completely irrelevant. His Holy Spirit transforms all those who truly receive it, to give them not a transformed Spirit and Heart, but a new one.  And when you’re a new person, you can do new things. God puts HIMSELF into you so your Spirit is only HIs, work-completed, and therefore everything about you is His alone. Daniel says to us, “See what ‘I’ just did? You can do it too, because I’m not the one doing it. It’s God. And if He can work through me, He can work through you too.” Faithfulness is the fuel for our Christian lives, and it’s always infinitely available. Without it, no one can hope to achieve God’s Commands.