Success!

Ok everyone, I did it. I made a new blog, and thus will be deleting this one in a week or so. You’ll find my new blog here. I’m still working through the kinks, so there may be days when it’s appearance is completely different, or the title changes, but this will nonetheless be my new blog. Hope to hear from you there!

Opinion poll

Well, here I am in NYC already overflowing with news to share. However, I’m in a bit of a not-so-serious quandary.  Thus, I decided I would bring the problem before my (what, maybe 3?) readers.  The question I have is this: to change, or not to change–my blog, that is? Because WordPress will not allow me to change the name or web address of this blog, I am contemplating deleting the blog and starting over from scratch.  What do you think? Should I keep the blog exactly the same; keep the blog and change the theme; or delete the blog and begin again?

As the wind blows…

Hi everyone!  I wanted to let whoever actually reads this blog know that I will be making some adjustments to my blog in the next week or so.  Beginning Saturday, August 22, I will be going to school in New York City. This step is quite gigantic for me, and I know that many of my friends and family are wanting to hear from me about life in the city.  Thus, I decided it would be easier to blog about how God is growing me in this new location, rather than write individual emails to you all.

Basically, instead of picking weighty topics to write on every once in a great while, I hope to mix it up some and write every as much as possible.  However, there is no need to worry, as I will not be making this blog my journal; consider it instead to be my own personal newspaper on city happenings seen from my eyes. There will be both deeper contemplations on what God has brought to my attention, as well as light-hearted stories as this country girl adjusts to living in the Big Apple.

…And, since I am so far away from absolutely everyone, I’d love to hear back from you all in the comments section. Let me know what you think, how you’re doing, and if you enjoy the blog!

To be a moral witness is perhaps the highest calling of journalism…

These are the words which caught my eye as I opened E. Benjamin Skinner’s book A Crime So Monstrous to read the book description.  Though this phrase could be debated, it nonetheless offers some important truth.  Words are valuable, and communication is powerful.  He who has the ability to wield words well has the power to influence many.  As quoted in Spiderman, “with great power, comes great responsibility.”  There are so many journalists today who abuse their roles.  American citizens rely on the media for information on current events.  Therefore, when stories of these events are given from bias point of views, twisted to fit the journalist’s own agendas, or even withheld from the public attention, American’s have little hope for accurate understandings of current events.   

This is why I have chosen to pursue journalism.  Not because I believe myself to be an incredible writer, nor because I adore writing.  I am learning to write well, but that is a process; and I do enjoy writing, but it is not my first passion. I am pursuing a vocation in journalism because I value communication and truth. God gave us the gift of language, and just as He commanded us to be good stewards of the earth, He also expects us to use the gift of language wisely.  We are not to use our language to twist the truth, but to witness and understand truth, and communicate it to those who have not heard or seen.

Justice Dilemma: a world with no anchor

Allow me to vent my frustrations.  One of the many things that I have been learning in my studies lately is that, for all the governments attempts to maintain a “just” society, justice simply will not prevail when its center is removed.  And what lies at the center, you ask?  Christ. 

Consider the following scenario.  A father, going through a divorce, is fighting for custody over his two sons.  The sons, who already are experiencing the trauma and heartache which comes with divorce, are forced by order of the court to speak with a counselor.  That counselor is known to be not only verbally threatening, but also dishonest in court, twisting the two boys’ words in order to use against the father.  Although the boys have tried to bring someone with them into their sessions, the counselor refuses to allow this and will not meet them anywhere but his home.  Knowing what his sons are going through, the father is now refusing to allow the counselor to meet with his sons.  As a result, the sons are beeing taken from him, and he is facing a jail sentence.  Keep in mind: this is no dead-beat dad.  He is a hardworking and loving father who is only trying to do what’s best for his sons and is now being punished by the state for it. 

Justice?  Hardly.  This is only a picture of what the world becomes apart from Christ.  True justice can be found all throughout Scripture.  Christ is the very picture of justice.  Coming to die on the cross for the sins of man so that God’s wrath might be satisfied.  God is love, yes, and that love is both merciful and just.  Were He not just, He would not be God. This is why there must be punishment for sin.  However, He is merciful in this:  that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5.8).  The punishment for our sin, my sin, was placed on the shoulders of an innocent man.  He died so that our debt might be paid, and he then rose from the dead so that we might walk in newness of life. That is justice; and that is mercy. 

When the state rejects God and instead tries to be God, justice is no longer dealt rightly.  Any attempts at justice apart from the holy and righteous law of the Almighty God will never cease to fail.  Oh there may be times where the government deals rightly; but tell me, what is “right” apart from Christ?

While We Sit in Silence

“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people”

 

These words were written by Martin Luther King, Jr. in his “Letter from the Birmingham Jail.”  Although he was referring to the injustice occuring between African-Americans and whites in his day, I believe that it can be applied to any point in time when injustice goes largely ignored by those who have the power to change, Christians especially.

 

More specifically this quote is easily applied to the issue of contemporary slavery and sex trafficking.  There are some who cry out against this appalling crime, raging at the abuse dealt to women and children at the hands of traffickers and brothel owners alike.  But very few are ever moved to action.  Our voices carry nowhere, and never will until they lose the note of apathy.  All the while innocence is lost and evil triumphs.

 

Apathy is a great tool in the hands of traffickers, and as Luther stated it will not be them alone who will stand in judgment for their crime.  We also must repent of our complacency, back our voice with action, and see that Christ’s healing is brought to those in need. 

The End for Which this Blog was Created

I am currently wrestling through Jonathan Edwards’ The End for which God Created the World, and have thus decided to utilize Edwards’ use of ‘ultimate’ and ‘chief’ ends in explaining my reasons for creating this blog.

There were three ultimate ends I had in mind when I created this blog, the first being the desire to improve my writing capabilities.  For those of you who are unaware, my plan is to finish college with a degree in journalism.  Unfortunately, I have had very little experience in the journalistic field.  Thus, at my teacher’s suggestion, I decided to start  a blog  in hopes of sharpening and polishing whatever gifts God has given me in the area of writing.

The second purpose I have for this blog is to inform people of whatever I learn on the issue of slave-trafficking. A few years ago, God brought to my attention the issue of modern-day slavery, and since then I have felt a tremendous burden for those who have fallen prey to this heinous crime.  Too few people are aware of this monstrosity, thus I intend to devote a portion of my blog to whatever information which I find on human trafficking around the world.

The final and chief end for which I created this blog is to glorify God by using the gifts He has given me.  It was in this desire that the title for my blog originated. We have such a short time on this earth when compared to eternity, thus there is no spare moment to waste.  I rarely remember this fact, and often find myself wasting precious time pursuing frivolous things which mean absolutely nothing in the face of eternity.  At these times I find myself depressed, continually searching for something to bring meaning to life.  God is faithful, however, and He continually reminds me of what it means to be a child of God, and what it means to bear His image and reflect His glory.  As John Piper says, we are most satisfied when God is most glorified. 

Thus, it is my hope that above all else I will use this blog to acknowledge God and give Him the glory in all things.  There will be posts which in the grand scheme of things mean very little, but my chief end is to write everything from the proper perspective, realizing that my life on earth is only a vapor.  I am here for a little while and then vanish (James 4.14).  Thus I should seek to make the maximum impact to further the Kingdom of God in whatever ways God has made me capable.

Baby names

For my first post, I would like to share some minor frustration that I have had in creating my blog. 

A couple of months ago, I was encouraged by certain persons to start a blog, for reasons that I will explain in a later post.  I have, since then, attempted on four occasions to create my own blog site, but each time ran into difficulties.  What has caused me such a hindrance?  Let’s just say that the issue has made me in a way better able to relate to expecting parents unable to decide on a name for their child.

I am, to my chagrin, a hopelessly indecisive person.  This trait is the cause of my many failed attempts at creating a blog; every single attempt I made stopped short once I reached the step which required me to decide on a blog address.  My issue was not that I could not think of a name, but that I could not decide on a name.  I had wanted the title to in some way relate to James 4.14, but could come up with nothing satisfactorily.  Finally, while reading a friend’s blog I found my inspiration:  this vaporous life. 

To some this title may seem cheesy, let alone this blog post.  I plan to explain the reason and meaning for my final blog title in an upcoming post, but for now I simply wanted to share how intimidating and humorous this creation of a blog has been for me.  In all honestly I felt as though I was naming my child.  I laugh at myself now as my sympathy goes out to all expectant parents faced with the magnanimous decision of choosing a baby name.