Mirror242

What is Female Virtue?  After reading this article I had whole new perspective on the challenge facing girls in our world today.  I imagine girls today feel torn between two enormous pressures.  One the one hand to be treated with respect for who they are.  On the other hand to feel accepted and be desired.  The problem:  in our world today to be desired often seems to come at the expense of being treated with the respect deserved.  I read an article that address the challenge of what it means to be a woman living as God designed, facing these pressures and choose to respond to them.

I loved this quote from the article: “The important thing that I wanted to communicate in this is that a response is required. It is absolutely necessary to female virtue.  When some young man (or older, whatever) is imposing on you, you must not be imposed on. You do not just let these things happen.”  (underline is mine).

Yes  - a response is required in life when we have the opportunity!  Don’t be a victim.  When you have the power to act – do it.  Demand that men change their behavior.  God created you to be treated with respect!

Although this article is written for women, it’s insights are needed not jus for women but for men to consider too.  Men need do be faced with the culture we have helped create that has increased the pressure on women to abandon the kind of female virtue that God created for women to exemplify.  Again A RESPONSES IS REQUIRED for men too. First to take responsibility of your own actions, secondly to be your brothers keeper.  You see your other guys treated women in a less then honorable way, say something!  Be a man – take action.

Read the the article, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

http://www.feminagirls.com/2012/04/26/militant-virtue/#more-4228

According to Boxofficemojo “Hunger Games” has made $312 million as of yesterday (4/11/12).  Last week a group of us went to see it.  Here are my thoughts… I’d love to know yours.

Everyone asks, “did you like it?” :  Not really, but the movie does have a few well done themes that are worth talking about.  It’s always hard for a movie with a lot of hype to live up to expectations but I honestly really didn’t have any.  I haven’t read the books and didn’t know anything about the plot or actors.  I was going because I wanted to be on the “in” when others were talking about it and my main reason to go was to hangout.  I thought the plot was thin, the short history about the how and why of the “Games” left more questions then it provided answers.  The overall plot was predictable and a few outcomes left me going “give me a break” (best examples are when Everdeen is pinned down by the girl with knife to her throat and the times when the rules of the game changed – especially the second time).   An obvious high point of the movie was where Katniss took the place of her sister.

There were two deeper themes that really  are worth talking about .  The first, View full article »

I already posted briefly my thoughts onPastor Mark Driscoll’s latest book on Marriage (sex and friendship), it is not a work that I’d recommend especially compared to Tim Kellers new book on Marriage.  Someone told me that Mark and his wife were on the television show “The View” this last week and it was worth watching.  So while I was eating lunch I watched it.  Props to Mark and his wife.  I think they handled themselves very well.  In fact it’s really worth watching the first 3 minutes of the the show just to see how he handles Joy Behar’s question on why he opposes homosexuals “having fun”.  It’s really “well done”!  Notice how he makes the issue not about homosexuality – but simply that sex is reserved for a married heterosexual couple and any thing outside of that is “wrong”, as he illustrates by his own choice prior to being married.

Here is the link: http://abc.tv/x0vrRx

Every 4 to 6 months Apple comes out with a new product.  And their are great.  Usually in more ways than one.  One of the greatest testament to their products is – how other companies are quick to copy their new products.  The new iPad was released today and it didn’t disappoint.

Here is the thing – I have a iPad 2.  I read about the “new” iPad on what is now an “old” iPad.  Just like that, I got it 6 months ago and it already the “old” technology.  On the one hand its pretty cool how fast technology is advancing.  On the other hand it seems a little disturbing.  Who can keep up with all the cool “new” stuff that comes out?

I took television to the Goodwill today.  They said they don’t take televisions anymore.  I said it works great and it has a remote that works, with batteries.  No one wants round tube televisions anymore they said.  So I took it the dump.  That is what you do with “old” stuff that no one wants anymore.  Thats how it goes in our world, something new comes out -we like new – we buy new – we throw old out.  Things that once we thought we couldn’t live without we dump.

Could it be that living in a society that treats almost everything like I did the television, that we might find ourselves treating people the same way?  Could it be that excitement of getting someone “new” encourages us to dump the “old”?  Could it be that people become just like the products that we consume, when we are done with them or we see something better, we dump the “old” for someone “new”?

I think it could be true.

What do you think?

My grandfather passed away this last year.  He was a veteran of three wars (WW II, Korea & Vietnam).  It was VERY rare to hear him talk about his war experiences.  He regularly went to a reunion of survivors of the Chosin Reservoir, a horrific battle during the Korean War.  Upon asking about it, he shared few details but did tell me he how the bitter cold from the weather they suffered through effected him for the rest of his life.  I know he endured those days, and others like it, for his family, friends and country.

I just read another story of soldiers suffering through freezing conditions, although for an altogether different reason.  They were among the best soldiers there empire had.  They were not facing their counties enemies.  The suffered willingly and could of ended the suffering at any time.  In the end they froze for their faith.  Could you? View full article »

I’m not a fan of making an argument for the meaning and purpose of marriage apart from the Bible but I believe it can be done with an honest argument from a social / cultural perspective as well.  Heather Mac Donald is never shy with her arguments and her rebuttal to the “too poor to marry” theory is really good. 

What about you?  In the western-world marriage as an institution has fallen on really hard times and not without good reason.  Few work out well.  So what would say are the reasons to encourage people to consider marriage? View full article »

I used to wear a cross.   It was a good reminder putting it on each day that I belonged to God.  Each night I’d take it off and put it next to my wallet to be “picked up each” day, only one night it was gone, somewhere during the day the chain had broken and it it had all come off.  I went to get a new one the next day but as I looked at new ones I realized that I had become fond of the one I had and couldn’t bring myself to replace it.

I don’t wear christian tee-shirts, it seems to commercial, like I’m selling my faith via a walking billboard.   I don’t put christian bumper-sitckers on my car or have a “fish” on my licenses plate holder.  I know how I drive.  Jesus would prefer not to be known by me cutting people off. View full article »

About a minute and half into the video I wondered if the computer used in the crime would see an early demise.  I had a suspicion about how it might meet that demise.  I was right.  On both accounts.  If good discipline is a 2 part recipe, at least this dad got one part done well (minus the colorful language).  Good disciple should involve 1.  Good Communication – what rules where broken, why those rules exist and what the consequences are going to be  2.  Consequences – whether it is the lose of privilege, making amends where possible, a time out or spanking.  I think this is how we see God use disciple in the Old Testament with the Israelites. View full article »

“Nearly half of 11- to 14-year-olds say they have been in a dating relationship, according to a 2008 survey of 1,043…”  We are getting ready to kick off our new series: “Dating, Marriage, Sex” (2/21/12), so I’m reading up from my notes from two and a half years ago when we last ran through it.  I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve for this one that I think will make it even better than the last go round. View full article »

I bet you’ve been there before.  One week everyone loves you, the next week your in the dog house with everyone.  If you know that feeling you can image being Mark Driscoll, only in his case, it’s like on steriods.  Not long ago Driscoll was the darling of the conservative evangelical church, he is part of the Gospel Coalition, preaching passages that most pastors avoid, yelled at men to get their act together in homes and starting being the leaders God called them to be… good stuff!  He seemed to be on everyone’s A+.  Other pastors talking about him, copying him, promoting his books (and reading them and copying them in their messages), and having him speak at their conferences.  Then… WHAM! View full article »