This post won’t make alot of sense if you don’t know much about the game/series, Final Fantasy.
So not sure what prompted it, but I decided to try and play through Final Fantasy 1, on the original NES, using party setups that are especially difficult.
The game is designed to be played with characters, of varying power and roles. The way to make the game most painful is to only use one character from the outset, and making that character be one of the most weak ones….
… so that’s what I did! First up, is a red mage. He’s a jack-of-all-trades kind of guy. He turned out to be fairly simple, as he can do everything just well enough to beat the game.
Below, a white mage. This was much more difficult. He has nearly 0 offensive power for the most difficult stages of the game, and ends up doing 1 damage per round on bosses than have 130 to 180 hp. In the end, I had to upgrade him to a white wizard for the spell FADE, as physical attacks were not enough to kill the last boss, Chaos, who heals himself to full life every 8 to 10 turns.
Screenshots show full info on both characters, as well as all theor compadres dead at level 1.
Been alittle while since a fluff-less post, so let’s give this a shot!!11 Yeah!
Heather and I, as well as a few others, have been discussing the nature of freedom in a Christian sense. Not so much as the freedom from sin in Christ, but more the freedom to act, go, and say as we are guided by the Holy Spirit.
I would say besides the depth of community we’re just now beginning to grow in to after a few years in house church, this freedom has been one of the more impactful things I’ve enjoyed since moving away from a more traditional church setting.
Succintly, such freedom is…
Coming to terms with the fact that the New Covenant is not just an updated version of the old Law, which was a law of bondage, but that it is a law of liberty. A liberty that extends to all parts of the Christian’s life, and that is only tempered by the role of the Holy Spirit in his and those around him’s lives.
Perhaps this doesn’t seem particularly mind-blowing to you. And in writing, it’s really not. Coming to actually live like it was true is a whole different story.
I think the freedom I speak of is best described in examples:
With regard to where we go:
- It’s the freedom that lets Heather and I go dancing at a club (Opera, to be specific), and be completely wrapped up in each other, despite the drunkenness and foolishness going on around us. I felt freedom from the Lord for us to go, and had a great time.
- It’s the freedom that lets Heather and I go hang out with a bunch of buzzed and/or sloshed old friends and just-met friends at a bar and feel at ease and not be wrapped up in judgment. Ironically, we met a couple that night and talked to them/encouraged them for awhile about communal living and moving toward a house church-type environment. We simply would not have met them, had we not gone.
With regard to the believers close to us:
- It’s the freedom that lets me talk openly (and sometimes in jokes =) about Heather and I working with a marriage counselor about various issues. There’s no shame or judgment, because I trust those I share with are operating from a similar place of freedom.
- It’s the freedom that lets us talk about the no-no topics typically avoided in traditional settings. To be more clear, that would be: sex, struggling with pornography, trouble with money and/or debt, etc. It’s not necessarily easy, but we have found freedom to discuss such things.
With regard to what we do and say:
- It’s the freedom that lets me say the word: “damn”. or “ass”. Or any other word, for that matter. Taking the Lord’s name in vain has alot more to do with calling on the Lord after you’ve done the exact opposite of what He’s counseled you to do, and then blaming him when he doesn’t come through for you, than it does with the singular phrase, “God damn it.”
- It’s the freedom to have a beer. Or a glass of wine. Or really any type of food or drink.
Perhaps you don’t agree with all of these. What’s great is, even if I was completely wrong on one (or more!) of these, I have two huge boons that the New Covenant made a reality, that didn’t exist before:
- The Holy Spirit. The still, quiet, steady voice that guides. Inasmuch as I am able to hear His voice, I have freedom to enjoy life fully, and not get tangled up in a hyper-detailed code of law. (Hear me properly – I don’t have freedom to sin. But inasmuch as I what I do doesn’t damage myself, those around me, or my relationship with the Spirit, I am free.)
- The Body. I can’t always hear the Spirit speaking in to my life. Frankly, it can be quite difficult. But that’s just fine, and even by design. I am surrounded by believers who know about all things listed above. And they can hear the Spirit just as clearly as me. And they have responsibility that if they received a word for me about what I do or say, to tell me.
That about covers it. Feel free to comment or reply as you see fit, all thoughts are welcome!
[note/commentary: it seems silly to write some of those examples, as some reading them would consider them basic/"duh" type stuff. I tried to write this post to believers from all different sorts of places and worldviews, so to any given person, some of them would have to appear to be plainly obvious.]
Gonna start a new feature(ette) on the ole’ blog. No promises on frequency or rules or any of that nonsense.
Today’s Category – My 3 favorite covers of gangsta rap and/or hip-hop by whities. Keep in mind that given the topic, the language in these is at best questionable, at worst crude.
1. Jenny Owens – Hot in Herre, as made famous by Nelly
This one is an easy first place. Custom-made music video involving igloo’s and very catchy cover.
Plus I love the original song.
2. Dynamite Hack – Boyz In Da Hood, as made famous by Easy E
Another custom video for the cover. This one with the band as a bunch of preps who play golf and wear sweater vests.
3. Alanis Morissette – My Humps, as made famous by the Black Eyed Peas
Alanis has skillz. She turns a mindless, agitating, horrible song into a, uh, masterpiece. Even if you didn’t like the original song, I recommend this one. Seems that the most effort was put into the music on this cover of the 3.
As may be clear from my last two posts, adoption is a topic that has captured my thoughts over the last few months, even before God broke me regarding abortion. Please remember as you read this post, I don’t consider these words to be “binding” to anyone reading this, including potentially me. It’s just my struggle at this juncture.
We’ll just get right to it. I fundamentally struggle with whether having my own child is an act of selfishness when God [has broke/is breaking] my heart regarding HIS heart for neglected children and the unborn, and what part I could have in that. Or put another way – why would I bring my own child in to the world when there are millions already being aborted and unwanted that need parents just as badly as my own children would?
Perhaps selfishness isn’t the fairest word. Perhaps it would be better worded to say that I struggle with whether it’s God’s call on my life to have my own children rather than adopt… and ignoring that call would be selfishness.
There’s always danger in the zeal with this sort of thing. It’s happened innumerable number of times throughout history, believing something God told you so fiercely and deeply that you begin to think that it MUST apply to every other believer. I know both Heather and I have done that regarding another call on our lives, the call to missions, but that’s another story.
It’s funny how I feel I need to disclaim my words at the beginning of this post, before I’ve even said anything. I know some people read what I say above and immediately feel the need to go look for God’s command to Abraham about being fruitful and multiplying.
But the problem with fruit (in the literal sense) is that if there’s more of it than can be eaten (or if we’re talking about children, cared for), it rots. If the positive fruits of the command to be “fruitful and multiply” is the joy of children and family, the sinful results of the same command being twisted are abortion, neglect, and forced poverty… or summed up in one word, rot. At this point in my life, I feel that adoption is the primary way that God redeems the sinful results of the twisted of this particular command.
So at the end of day (which is coincidentally only 10 minutes from now) I’m still left with the question… what would God have me do? I guarantee Heather and I will be seeking his heart further about that question.
I assure you that you’ll find out the answer there as well, by whether we announce an adoption or a pregnancy in the future =).
(I would recommend reading this post first if you haven’t already, it frames my initial thoughts and actions on this topic.)
This post is alittle bit different than the last. Originally I felt the need to speak only of my intentions and discoveries, without any encumberance of argument and discussion about the topic of abortion.
This time, I’m speaking to those of you who consider yourselves pro-life as well as a follower of Christ. I would encourage those of you who don’t consider yourself both of those things to read along as I hope you will find this post to be encouraging and thought-provoking.
The pro-life movement’s ultimate goal is to bring about the end of abortion. Typically, this would entail a ban at the governmental level on abortion procedures. This goal is basically the sum of various groups who hold abortion to be wrong, be they Christian or otherwise. I see the issue differently:
The end of abortion in the U.S., or even the world, is not the ultimate goal for me. The glorification of God through the actions, faith, and changed hearts of people on earth is.
This doesn’t mean I don’t support banning abortion. I certainly do and given the chance to vote I would support a ban of the procedure all together. Abortion is a sin, and it grieves the heart of God when it happens. But it just isn’t that simple, and its definitely not the only thing that is wicked in the eyes of God. There are a multitude of other sins that are entangled with the act of an abortion that extend way beyond the actual death of a baby. As I understand it, two large parts of that fall on the body of Christ:
1. We haven’t provided an alternative to abortion for women who feel trapped by one or more of the following:
- the demands of their parents for an abortion
- the financial obligations of raising a child
- the weak men who were certainly happy to share in the responsibility of “making” the baby but not in raising it, and tell the mother they will abandon them if they don’t abort it.
I place the blame for this on the church, not the government. For you larger churches with bigger budgets, where is the free daycare, job training, education, and counseling for women shunned by their boyfriends or families? For you smaller churches and house churches, do your members not have a spare bedroom? To save a life, would it really be so crazy for a woman and her child to stay with you for a time, even a year? Would it be messy? Definitely. Would you get manipulated, used, taken advantage of? Very possibly. Yes it would be a sacrifice. Yes it would stretch you to the point of breaking.
But imagine the fruit of such a sacrifice. Imagine the love and acceptance poured in to the lives of the mother and child. Imagine what hope and joy could come from such an action. God would effectively be re-writing history for that entire family. Cutting off a legacy of rejection and shame and replacing it with a blessing of life and fruitfulness.
2. Worse than even that, we pile shame on both those who have sex before marriage and even more shame on those who would consider having an abortion. Now hear my heart on this, don’t misunderstand. Do you think shaming someone really prevents abortion? Was shame what drew your heart to Christ? Was Jesus’ ministry such that shame from Christians is what changed people’s hearts? There is a time and place for conviction, but a woman on the verge of aborting her baby is NOT IT.
If the church continues to have this attitude that pre-marital sex and abortion are too henious to be discussed, we remain irrelevant on this topic and never will have the opportunities to minister to women as described in the paragraphs above, as women will not consider the church a safe place to even discuss it.
I do not wish to mis-characterize the actions and hearts of many pro-life believers. There are many people who DO care, and are pouring their lives, hearts, and fortunes out for those who would consider abortion. There are hotlines, counselours, homes for mothers to live in for free with their baby, etc, etc. But in general, even among committed followers of Christ, there is a callousness and a lack of passion or emotion on the topic. Worse than that, there is generally complete inaction and inertia.
Some of you may feel I’m being too hard on the church, and that ultimately people will do what they want, and that personal responsibility still has a place in this topic. And you’re right, and that’s the balance in the topic for me. Men and women who casually have unprotected sex and then abort the child without more than a moment’s thought… I agree that abortion in this case is simply wrong, and should not be an option. But I have trouble with a form of compassion that would begin and end with the child, and not consider the entire picture, as I tried to make clear above.
So what am I asking of you, believers?
1. Bow your heart in prayer to God on this topic. I believe I have said what God would will me to on this issue, and I beg that you consider it. If you have never deeply considered it, please ask God to reveal more of his heart to you.
2. Find your place to serve, be it prayer or more. Everyone has different gifts, and there are places for all. Some of you are called simply to minister to the hearts of women considering this or recovering from it. I know some of you have a simple and Godly kindness and mercy about you that I simply don’t understand, but I bless God that he gives us those like you. We need all gifts.
3. Share with me any organizations or churches or groups that do what I described above, and do it well. As I mentioned, I know the entirety of Christians in America do not neglect these issues. I would love to be in contact with those who are miles ahead of what I said above.
Thank you for reading. I hope my heart and conviction was not mis-understood. I welcome your comments on this one, whatever they may be.
It’s been an interesting week. Two days ago, I randomly decided to google abortion statistics. The 4th link, from unabashedly pro-life site Abort73, had one fact listed that has been heavy on my heart since I read it:
There are 770 abortions for every 1,000 live births in NYC (CDC).*
Whoa. Hold on, now what? That’s saying that every time the 1,000th baby gets born in New York City, 770 pregnancies/babies have been aborted? I can’t wrap my mind around that.
Moving Beyond the Statistics
So while I by no means have come to terms with that number, I have found that it has had one effect on me – it breaks my notions about the topic, as well as breaking my heart. It makes me weep while I commute. It makes me realize that a merely political stance on the topic is not a place I want to be in. I don’t want to be able to produce eloquent reasoning about the topic, to change people passionate about the topic (i.e. very much passionate about a right to choice, but not actually intending to have an abortion themselves). There has to be more.
So what’s this “more”, then?
Keep in mind these are my initial thoughts about the topic, be gentle on me =).
This “more” is about sacrifice. It’s about love, and courage. It’s going WAY past the notions that prayer (the sort of blanket prayer with no specifics, just asking God to end abortion in the U.S.) and voting for the pro-life candidate are going to magically change the hearts and minds of the people. The problem with these two solutions is neither offer a “better way” for the desperation of some seeking an abortion.
Here’s what I suggest, ranked in order of importance to me. I’m not advocating you agree with me, but here’s what God has placed on my heart:
1. Adoption - Perhaps because I feel called to it, God has impressed this answer to me over and over. I was reflecting on it earlier today, how close the words Abortion and Adoption are to one another and while not defined as antonyms, form direct opposites when viewed in light of children. I am starting to see more clearly how the adoption of an unwanted child is a redemption of the abortion of an unwanted child.
To abort the pregnancy of a person is one of the most ultimate forms of rejection – rejection of the person completely, to the extent that they no longer live. No other answer to abortion is as extreme in the opposite direction as adoption. To adopt a child is the ultimate form of acceptance, to take a person who is not your family or your own child, and treat them as if they were, for the rest of their lives.
I realize there are many roadblocks to why adoption isn’t the best answer – it’s prohibitively expensive for the adopter (a recent email I saw from a friend pegged the price through a particular agency between $20,500 and $35,000, depending on the circumstances), adoption law is very messy and can wear heavily on all involved, etc, etc. Not to mention, it’s clear the number of unwanted babies greatly exceed the number of people willing to adopt.
Fortunately for me, these roadblocks aren’t the destruction of my hope, or my own calling. My responsibility extends to what God has entrusted me to. Right now (as in, like, today), that responsibility means praying and seeking a mother who doesn’t want or can’t care for her baby and would otherwise abort it, and adopting it. Yes it’s only one, and that’s a drop in the pond. But it has to start somewhere, and for me, this is my place.
2. Prayer - I know several paragraphs ago that I didn’t see generalized prayer and voting as the solutions to the issue. Though I would whole-heartedly agree that both of these things do help, especially given the small amount of sacrifice involved with each.
But what I mean when I say prayer is much more specific, putting myself in a place where I can see God work, and be much more involved. It means going to abortion clinics and just praying for the unborn, and perhaps even pleading with the mothers who would enter the clinic. It means finding ways to serve and minister to people who struggle with the decision of aborting or keeping their baby, and falling on God to change their hearts.
Put succintly, its the type of prayer that puts you in a place where God has reign to ask you to sacrifice in some way. For me, that could be adoption. For you, it could be any number of things. (a few examples: volunteering at organizations that offer counseling to mothers, accepting ridicule and shaming at those who disagree with your actions or beliefs, supporting others financially or emotionally through the adoption process either on the adopter or the mother’s side.)
3. Awareness - I hate the word “awareness”. It’s usually applied to something that most people are fairly aware of already (did you know that February was National National Awareness Month Awareness Month? Epic list of all awareness-themed months, for the whole year!).
I will list it though, because I do believe that a part of what needs to happen is that the people around me also become passionate about the topic. A real part of the problem with this topic is that the people who are aborted never have any say in the matter. While other social issues around the world typically deal with people who are less able to speak for themselves (usually the poor, victims of war, racism, etc.), there often arises an advocate personally affected by the injustice to speak for their brethren.
This will never be the case with abortion. It’s not the type of thing where an unborn child will ever be able to hold a rally in D.C. and speak for all the other unborn children.
So this third reason, Awareness, is really the reason for this post. I’m personally of the belief that God is the one who breaks a person’s heart on this topic, and I believe that when the facts about the topic are laid bare (the numbers of abortions, the methodologies, etc.), a person will be more receptive to being against the act.
Look for more posts about this topic. If you know of any good agencies or organizations for linking adopters and women considering abortion, let me know. If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please read the following information below. If you don’t, feel free to skip it as it contains info about what types of comments and discussions I will engage, and which I will delete.
[Few ground rules for discussion. Fail to acknowledge them, and I promise your comment gets deleted.
1. I'm not here to discuss whether abortion should be legal or not, or whether it is moral by the Bible or any other standard. I've come to an answer on this question (obviously) and debating these questions in the comments is a waste of time. God changes peoples hearts, and comments on blogs do not. I've tried to make it clear the purpose of the post isn't to try and sway your heart, only to let you know what I plan to do. If you'd like a theological explanation of how I feel about abortion, the Abort73's website has a fairly short discussion of the topic.
2. I'm not going to discuss the issue of "what about rape, incest, health risk to mother or child". While it is a valid question, the VAST VAST majority of abortions have nothing to do with this question, if 770 babies are being aborted per 1,000 live births in NYC. I consider this question nearly exactly the same as asking a pacifist, "well what would you do if a person broke in and tried to murder your family, would you fight back then?" Sure, it happens, but its simply not the norm.
3. If you can't behave by these two simple rules, I'll just lock the comments. If you want to discuss it further or in a more personal manner than in blog comments, email or facebook-message me. eric and henderson at g and mail dot com. Take out the and's and the at.
* Sourced from the CDC – Link to report, from 2002. Specific link to said info can be found by going to that report, and doing a Find (Ctrl- or Apple-F) for the phrase “776 per 1,000 in NYC”, without quotes.
