Anything Up About "Upside"?

{Ok, I know, wacky post title, but I couldn't think of anything better... :] }

Has anyone heard anything about the movie "Upside"? I learned about it recently, and it sounds good so far, but as always, I'm a little leary about buying a movie I've never seen. It's supposed to come out on DVD on Oct. 5. If anyone knows if there's anything objectionable in it, or if it's another great one like Facing The Giants, Fireproof, or Come What May, please let me know!

9-11 - Remembering...

This picture is probably listed in the group of "Most Famous" photographs of America's history, along with images like the the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, the sailor kissing his girl at the end of World War II, and others.

I remember exactly what was going on in my life on that September 11. I was practing the piano, I'm pretty sure it was a Saturday, and when my Mom came into the living room with a stricken look on her face saying, "[Grandmother] called and said a plane hit the World Trade Center!", it was the first time I'd ever heard of those buildings.

We turned on the TV, and there followed a living nightmare, playing out on the screen before our eyes. All I could think about was, "The people! There must be people in there! Some must have died. Dear God help us!!"The other plane crashing the second tower (which had happened just before we turned the TV on), the newsreporter woman saying, "I'm seeing smoke coming from the direction of the Pentagon. We'll have details about what's going on over there shortly.", the plane crashing in Pennsylvania, and the absolute unbelievable horror as, one by one, the two towers just sunk in on themselves, and the feeling of utter desperate helplessness as I watched. People were dying! People were dying and going into eternity, many of them without Christ, and there was nothing I could do about it!

Have we learned anything from this? For a while after 9-11, America was on a 'religious kick' - everyone turning to God, because there was no one else to turn to! We, America, the strongest nation on earth, had taken a vicious blow in the stomach, and we were crippling under the impact. God was our only hope! But, within just a couple of years, we got over our need for God, and moved on with our greatness. What a mistake. What a tragic mistake we are making. If we can't get the message with a blow that took us to our knees, what will get our attention?

God help America! She is not the same land that prayed "God bless America ... Stand beside her and guide her ... with a Light from above.""We will never forget!" This slogan passed around the country in the months following September, 2001. We may not have forgotten, but our dull minds have shoved the memory to the back of the closet, and refused to learn. God help us!

9-11-2001 - Remembering...

This picture is probably listed in the group of "Most Famous" photographs of America's history, along with images like the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, the sailor kissing his girl at the end of World War II, and others.

I remember exactly what was going on in my life on that September 11. I was practing the piano, I'm pretty sure it was a Saturday, and when my Mom came into the living room with a stricken look on her face saying, "[Grandmother] called and said a plane hit the World Trade Center!", it was the first time I'd ever heard of those buildings.

We turned on the TV, and there followed a living nightmare, playing out on the screen before our eyes. All I could think about was, "The people! There must be people in there! Some must have died. Dear God help us!!"

The other plane crashing the second tower (which had happened just before we turned the TV on), the newsreporter woman saying, "I'm seeing smoke coming from the direction of the Pentagon. We'll have details about what's going on over there shortly.", the plane crashing in Pennsylvania, and the absolute unbelievable horror as, one by one, the two towers just sunk in on themselves, and the feeling of utter desperate helplessness as I watched. People were dying! People were dying and going into eternity, many of them without Christ, and there was nothing I could do about it!

Have we learned anything from this? For a while after 9-11, America was on a 'religious kick' - everyone turning to God, because there was no one else to turn to! We, America, the strongest nation on earth, had taken a vicious blow in the stomach, and we were crippling under the impact. God was our only hope! But, within just a couple of years, we got over our need for God, and moved on with our greatness. What a mistake. What a tragic mistake we are making. If we can't get the message with a blow that took us to our knees, what will get our attention?

God help America! She is not the same land that prayed "God bless America ... Stand beside her and guide her ... with a Light from above."

"We will never forget!" This slogan passed around the country in the months following September, 2001. We may not have forgotten, but our dull minds have shoved the memory to the back of the closet, and refused to learn. God help us!

Livvy at A Daughter's Heart posted this a little while back, and being somewhat familiar with the concepts demonstrated, I thought it was excellent. I wanted to share it here as a testimony to the fact that there is a Creator, and He does all things well! Enjoy.

Nature by Numbers from Cristóbal Vila on Vimeo.

SOLI DEO GLORIA!



-Kyrie<><

Fall And The Fair

{Image property of Livvy Taylor Photography. Used with permission.}

Fall is on it's way!!!
The last week or so, the mornings have been a tad chilly. Just a tad, mind you, but it has been there. Then this past couple of days, though it has still been hot during the middle of the day, the whole atmosphere has definitly been fall-ish. It's just something about the air - invigorating, spicy, refreshing, magical, beautiful! Oh I LOVE Autumn!

Fall also means Fair Time! Because of school, like last year I'm not getting to participate to the extent I have in past years. The Lord has blessed and helped me finish a few last-minute projects I was working on though, and we are going out to the Fair Grounds in a little while to drop off our items for the first installment of fair season - the County Fair. Next month will be State, and then the next County Fair. Because my family lives right on the county line, we get to participate in the fairs of both counties.

I'll try to post pictures later!

Thoughts On America's Prosperity

I am taking Geography online this semester, and the assignment this week was to post a response to the below thoughts:

"As we all know, America has the largest, most advanced economy in the world. The American people enjoy the most propsperous lifestyle of any large nation. However, this comes at great cost. For example, with 5 percent of the world's population, we consume 25 percent of the resources. The USA is also the world's largest polluter, and much of our wealth comes at the expense of other nations' labor and natural resouces.

This is not to assume that the American people are immoral. However, there is no doubt that presently it would be impossible for the rest of the world to enjoy similar prosperity. This would create economic and environmental chaos.

Thus, what is the solution? Are Americans justified in consuming so much? How can we bring the rest of the world "up" without reducing our own prosperity? Is this even possible? How much would you be willing to sacrifice for the greater good of other peoples and the natural environment?"

Hmm. Yeah. (Is it just me, or does this sound like Socialism?)

Anyway, here are my thoughts on the matter:

"The reality of this situation is that there just is not an answer that would satisfy everyone. For my part, I believe that the chaos in the world today is caused by one thing and one thing only: sin. Man is inherently sinful, evil, selfish, and greedy. Only by the grace of God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ, can the suffering of the world be alleviated and the evils of the world be righted.

God gave human beings the dominion over the earth - He made us the stewards to take care of nature and use our resources wisely, and we have failed miserably in many cases. There are, of course, many organizations out there trying to "save Earth", though lots of them are looking at the job the wrong way I think - worshiping the planet, instead of the Maker of the planet. But to a certain extent, they are at least trying to get the job done. I think recycling is good. I think being kind and humane to animals is good. I am not a wasteful person - in many areas of my life, I live by the old saying, "Use it up, wear it out. Make it do, or do without!" :) I recycle and I love animals - but it all goes back to the responsibility given to us by the Creator to take care of His creations!

I believe the reason America has prospered so mightily for so long, is that the men who led the founding of this nation realized Who is the ultimate source of life and liberty. They began leading the United States with the knowledge that, if the Lord is on your side, you cannot fail, and if He is not on your side, you will fail. For many years, we didn't fail - because "In God We Trust"ed. We are blessed here in America. We have been victorious in wars, undefeated in disasters, and prosperous in health and resources. In the past fifty years or so however, that has begun to change (I believe because of our national rejection of Christ as our Power), yet we are still the greatest nation on earth.

Is it possible to bring other suffering nations up to our level of prosperity? I don't believe so. Not considering all that an effort like that would involve and the immeasurable effects it would produce. Yes, in many nations, innocent people are going through horrible situations. But study the beginnings and histories of the majority of those nations - they relied on themselves and their personal strength and greatness instead of the Lord. They practiced Socialism, Communism, and rampant immorality. Now they are paying the prices.

I'm not saying we shouldn't try to help them! Another command God gave is that we should love others as ourselves. When we shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, and care for the hurting, we bless Him. And we have. As a nation, we have provided aid in many forms and in many situations: medical care, food, clean water, shelter and comfort in the aftermath of natural disasters, or even in places where hunger, disease, and poverty are, sadly, the "norm".

So, can we change the world? No. I don't think so. In many ways, the world doesn't want to be changed. If we are going to change the world, we've got to start with ourselves. Are we living right? Do we please God in what we say, do, or how we act? If we have allowed Him to make our hearts right, then we have changed part of the world! Now we are free to move on and, with His help, do what we can for the rest of it.

I in no way mean to sound harsh or unkind in all I've pointed out above. I'm just telling it the way I see it. And if you take the time to look at the situation with an open mind, I think you'll see that what I've said makes a whole lot of sense."

Hope I don't get an F :]

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

Thoughts On America's Prosperity

As you can see, I've been posting a little along, even though, technically, I 'quit' this blog. I've decided I'll keep it, at least for a while, and probably will keep posting things every now and then.

Today two things happened that I thought would be worth posting. This is number one. I'll post number two later, if or when I get the chance :)

I am taking Geography online this semester, and the assignment this week was to post a response to the below thoughts:

"As we all know, America has the largest, most advanced economy in the world. The American people enjoy the most propsperous lifestyle of any large nation. However, this comes at great cost. For example, with 5 percent of the world's population, we consume 25 percent of the resources. The USA is also the world's largest polluter, and much of our wealth comes at the expense of other nations' labor and natural resouces.

This is not to assume that the American people are immoral. However, there is no doubt that presently it would be impossible for the rest of the world to enjoy similar prosperity. This would create economic and environmental chaos.

Thus, what is the solution? Are Americans justified in consuming so much? How can we bring the rest of the world "up" without reducing our own prosperity? Is this even possible? How much would you be willing to sacrifice for the greater good of other peoples and the natural environment?"

Hmm. Yeah. (Is it just me, or does this sound like Socialism?)

Anyway, here are my thoughts on the matter:

"The reality of this situation is that there just is not an answer that would satisfy everyone. For my part, I believe that the chaos in the world today is caused by one thing and one thing only: sin. Man is inherently sinful, evil, selfish, and greedy. Only by the grace of God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ, can the suffering of the world be alleviated and the evils of the world be righted.

God gave human beings the dominion over the earth - He made us the stewards to take care of nature and use our resources wisely, and we have failed miserably in many cases. There are, of course, many organizations out there trying to "save Earth", though lots of them are looking at the job the wrong way I think - worshiping the planet, instead of the Maker of the planet. But to a certain extent, they are at least trying to get the job done. I think recycling is good. I think being kind and humane to animals is good. I am not a wasteful person - in many areas of my life, I live by the old saying, "Use it up, wear it out. Make it do, or do without!" :) I recycle and I love animals - but it all goes back to the responsibility given to us by the Creator to take care of His creations!

I believe the reason America has prospered so mightily for so long, is that the men who led the founding of this nation realized Who is the ultimate source of life and liberty. They began leading the United States with the knowledge that, if the Lord is on your side, you cannot fail, and if He is not on your side, you will fail. For many years, we didn't fail - because "In God We Trust"ed. We are blessed here in America. We have been victorious in wars, undefeated in disasters, and prosperous in health and resources. In the past fifty years or so however, that has begun to change (I believe because of our national rejection of Christ as our Power), yet we are still the greatest nation on earth.

Is it possible to bring other suffering nations up to our level of prosperity? I don't believe so. Not considering all that an effort like that would involve and the immeasurable effects it would produce. Yes, in many nations, innocent people are going through horrible situations. But study the beginnings and histories of the majority of those nations - they relied on themselves and their personal strength and greatness instead of the Lord. They practiced Socialism, Communism, and rampant immorality. Now they are paying the prices.

I'm not saying we shouldn't try to help them! Another command God gave is that we should love others as ourselves. When we shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, and care for the hurting, we bless Him. And we have. As a nation, we have provided aid in many forms and in many situations: medical care, food, clean water, shelter and comfort in the aftermath of natural disasters, or even in places where hunger, disease, and poverty are, sadly, the "norm".

So, can we change the world? No. I don't think so. In many ways, the world doesn't want to be changed. If we are going to change the world, we've got to start with ourselves. Are we living right? Do we please God in what we say, do, or how we act? If we have allowed Him to make our hearts right, then we have changed part of the world! Now we are free to move on and, with His help, do what we can for the rest of it.

I in no way mean to sound harsh or unkind in all I've pointed out above. I'm just telling it the way I see it. And if you take the time to look at the situation with an open mind, I think you'll see that what I've said makes a whole lot of sense."

Hope I don't get an F :]

SOLI DEO GLORIA!