Church notes

The first commandment forbids idolatry..part of which is witchcraft or magic. Part of that is simply put: power. Magic is man's attempt to be god over men. Our task is to be fruitful and multiply, to till the earth and to work. In opposition to this man seeks to turn man's listening from God to man. Magic says we can be our own interpreters instead of God's law which tells us how we are to interpret ourselves and the things around us. Pagan man thinks magic is the way to go since it is mystic...power to become our own god by our fiat word. Psychology is a form of power and control...or magic. Psychology seeks to understand man apart from God..it was embraced because man is all too ready to throw God out of the picture. Science is another form of magic...more accurately called scientism. A Brave New World shows us this with man as the idol and science encouraging it along. Nowadays we choose to abort over 9 million babies...just because we want to: control and power. Any science is only as good as the theology as it comes from. We try to separate theology from science, when in reality theology touches and influences every part of life...including science. Therefore we can have a Biblical psychology and science, but only as it descends from God's Word and Law. When it does not it seeks to make a paradise or utopia on earth..with man as the god. The state is opposed to solid orthodox Christians...the reason for this is simple: just as God hates magicians, so magicians hate God. The state is pushing their power controlling ways in order to become god. The simple fact is this: we cannot separate ourselves from God and we cannot hope to live in a Biblical fashion without God's Law.

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb. 
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
 For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.
 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.

 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

(The bold print are the particular passages I found directly touched upon what I spoke about concerning God always with you no matter how you deny it.)

Quote on Feminism

The chief results of the feminist movement has not been the independence, equality and flowering of women that was promised, but rather the result has been a savage dependence of the oppressed woman, as she becomes, in the New Feminist order, the slave in the workforce, the concubine of a barely known partner in the bedroom, and a stranger to her own children who are raised in some foreign commune by some statist Nanny. Feminism has hardened and embittered many a woman who were flowers which never bloomed because of the blight that is feminism. Feminism has held and abused women in these New Feminist order roles by the brute force of “glorious liberation” from the beneficent order of scriptural marriage.

notes on last week's Wednesday class

Sarah Bacon

History of Christendom

Week 19

Shakespeare had a small vocabulary, but nevertheless we have gotten many of our phrases and words from him. Within 280 years, we have moved from music by Bach to music by the Black Eye Peas. When we reduce our words and language with our literature and music, we are degrading ourselves. As we ever improve our vocabulary and language we are increasing our godliness and becoming an ever “higher” being. It is sad when we read/listen to things that do not improve our minds but rather dumb us down to become mindless cogs.

There are 3 ways to approach the work of Shakespeare:

Contemporaneous: this is Shakespeare in his time and among the people in his era (what might these plays have meant in his time?).

Traditional: this is how he’s been passed down and how he wrote for his time (how has it come down to us?).

Contemporary: how we view him now and how we can use/study him (is there any use for him today?).

In his characters we see many different types of emotions and personalities, drawing in readers of all sorts. Shakespeare used sonnets, epics, and soliloquies; he shaped words and phrases to be memorable. These can produce a desired emotion. Shakespeare was exposed to different linguistics, great teaching in grammar, as well as Latin and logic. Even his tragedies had a sense of comic humor in them…they are full of grief and sadness because we live in such a fallen world with sin. Actors were always travelling and moving. Female roles were played by men. They would perform at fairs and markets, theatres, and noble courts. Theatre companies would work alongside guilds or make their own. Most of the plays were performed on thrust stages. Actors would often be among the audience to cause an interaction with them and making it more personal.

Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born right about the same time that the plague made its first sweep through. London was known for its birthrate so the death rate of the plague didn’t make such a huge difference. From 1520-1670 the population jumped to 6xs the amount before. There was a good life in London, good chances for employment. Shakespeare was born in the city of Stratford-upon-Avon with many dialects and a good education. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway and had children. In 1587 he began writing more steady and joined London’s theatrical world. He got a vested interest in the success of a group and began to receive a salary. Shakespeare received commercial and critical success, but also received a good deal of money so he “retired” to Stratford and continued his writing.

Works and dates published:

Richard III (1592-3)

The Comedy of Errors (1593)

Sonnets (1593-1609)

Romeo and Juliet (1595-6)

Henry V (1599) Hamlet (1600-1)

Othello (1604)

King Lear (1605)

Macbeth (1606)

The Tempest (1611)

Two Noble Kinsmen (1613)

Books on Shakespeare could fill this room. We don’t need to do anything to rescue Shakespeare – he’s still alive and well in his works – but because so much has accreted and piled up about Shakespeare since his death, it’s sometimes hard to get to the love of his works and to a true appreciation of who he was. So many times he’s put away into fancy English departments. We don’t think we can study him unless we’re either dramatists or we’re going to be English majors, but it’s my hope today that you’ll see that in the bowl of Shakespeare there is a drink for everyone.

Worldview notes:

Marxism

Sociology – With the controlling of contraception’s, abortions, and gay “marriages” it just shows ever more how the state is nothing but a tyrannical and overpowering state trying to be God. They attempt to make all families equal…they succeed in the fact that everyone is equally miserable. We are growing to a point where we cannot live without the state ruling us. One of the ways they do this is by taking away all our rights and possessions. In a Christian state people get where they are because of hard work, not blood or favoritism (if you shall not work you shall not eat).

Philosophy – Everything is matter…there is no mind but rather a brain. From this you get so dumbed down that you reach out to strike God and hit yourself instead. We see this with the self-hatred of suicide. We have strayed from a proper view of God and hence we have a flawed view of ourselves. In an unchristian culture there is always a little “t” truth…truth is subjective. Capital “T” Truth needs a transcendent God to exist. Christ said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Anything else and you always have a continual change of the meaning of truth with no stability. There is not absolute truth for them, its only opinion. 

Quote of the Day!

"For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of
happiness."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson


(so true)

Popular Enough?

So I'm sitting in HPA's devotions and announcements the other day and I'm just a wee bit bored so I was observing the girl's hair in front of me. I was noticing how she had done her hair that day (a little straight with some curls added in..obviously done by a curler). Now...lately my sister has been on my case about letting my curls be natural...not blow-drying my hair or curling it with an iron...as that will completely ruin any girl's hair (fraying the ends and making it look very ragged). Also, I'm supposed to use only conditioner and no shampoo as the shampoo dries out my hair and strips it of its natural oils. So...that being said...I've been noticing girls' hair more often. And this particular girl's hair was very dry...no natural shine whatsoever. This made me think...and so I began to look around the room at more girls' hair. All the popular girls had very dry and unhealthy hair with the latest fashions...curls or stick straight...nothing wavy or natural looking. All the "unpopular" (as we'll call them...they're really not unpopular just not looked up to and seen as the prettiest girls per say) had very nice and healthy looking hair with regular and ordinary hairstyles. Nothing extravagant or unneeded. Popular girls really don't have it all...they go through so many more wasted hours of needing to have the perfect makeup and hair (I'm talking to myself here too!). Also...when was the last time any popular kid brought a packed lunch to something like HPA? Whenever I see them eating it's usually fast food from McDonalds. 


This all got me to thinking even more! It's not just their physical lives (eating and hair and such) that is damaging them...it's their popularity! I don't want to group all popular and amazing people in this group, because I personally know so many very sweet and *awesome* popular people! But in general whenever I see a super popular person they are being cliquey..hanging out with only the coolest and popular kids. Gossiping about people (I see this all the time!) about other popular and unpopular people (overheard this way too many times). They lead lives of falseness...faking that smile because you're supposed to be the prettiest and bubbliest...not the sad little popular girl. Popular kids have the title "popular" because they are always "happy". But honestly...for the popular people reading this...how many of your friends can you really rely on? How many are there for every bad day...willing to stay up till 4am on your bad nights? How many of your friends can you be 100% honest with 100% of the time and know that they'll always stick with you? Not just fake it...not just pretend to be a friend...but really be there. I constantly deal with the stress of "am I popular enough?" ...when in reality it's not the thing I need to worry about! Whether or not my hair is in the latest style...whether or not I have enough makeup on...I can always count on my friends and my God. My God will never leave or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5 look it up!). My friends are human...and can err...but the ones I have I trust. I love them deeply and passionately and won't ever leave them. When I make a friend, I keep a friend. As a follower and a light of Christ I am to be what He is for me...a brother (or...I guess a sister in my case) and a true friend. Always there...always reliable...always trustworthy. That is far more valuable than any amount of popularity could ever be. 


So take a moment next time you're tempted (I'm talking especially to girls here, but also to guys) to be that "extra cool kid"...to be cliquey or fake...to spend extra time looking the part...and just think of this verse:
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2

The Beauty Department: Your Daily Dose of Pretty. - CHALK IT UP

The Beauty Department: Your Daily Dose of Pretty. - CHALK IT UP

I found this article absolutely fascinating...I'm considering trying it!

Women and the Home

I found this interesting little snippet from a blog I follow and found it thought-provoking. Hope you enjoy!

“There in your homes, is your domain. There you rule w/ the scepter of affection , and not our conquerors. We beseech you, wield that gentle empire in behalf of the principles , the patriotism, the religion, which we inherited from our Mothers. Teach our ruder sex that only by deathless love to these can woman’s dear love be deserved or won. Him who is true to these, crown with thy favor. Let the wretch who betrays them be exiled forever from the paradise of your arms. Then shall we be saved, saved from a degradation fouler than the grave. Be it yours to nurse with more than vestal’s watchfulness, the sacred flame of our virtue, now so smothered. Your task is unobtrusive; it is performed in the privacy of the home, and by the gentle touches of daily love. But it is the noblest work which mortal can preform, for it furnishes the polished stones with which the temple of our liberties must be repaired…. The home and the fireside are the scenes of your industry. But the materials which you shape are the souls of man, which are to compose the fabric of our Church and state. The politician, the professional man, is but the cheap, rude day laborer, who moves and lifts the finished block to its place. You are the true artists, who endue it with fitness and beauty; and therefore yours is the nobler task.”

R. L. Dabney
19th Century Southern Theologian
Discussions, Vol IV — pg. 121-122

AH!

SO...finally after like...4-5 months I'm finally posting something. And it won't even be long! Basically, I'm writing to tell you I don't have time to write! :) My life has been a super crazy mess lately and as such I rarely have any time to even get online. If I do, then I check my email and Facebook and do a few random yet often important other things. It's not that I don't love all you dear, faithful readers...simply this being my senior year I'm cramming with schooling, music, work, and all that silliness that comes along with life! I love it all...don't get me wrong...but I also like having a bit of a breather. I'm very much looking forward to summer when school is done and music is a little easier! I'm looking at attending Blue Lake once again, but will need to send in my application really soon here, and am yet unsure as to if this is what God wants in my life! Prayers are *very* appreciated. Also, my health has been a little crazy lately...up one day and down the next...once again any prayers would be very much appreciated. Anyways...on with life and love...I pray you all are having a wonderful day and if you have any topic suggestions that I can write about when I have free time I'd love to hear it! <3