Please do not send me private messages unless I give you permission. I will NOT add anyone as a friend who asks to be my friend in a private message. thank you! And if you want to link back to me, click on my button on the sidebar.

**********************************
Hey everyone!

So I got two new CDs today: a tenth avenue north one and an article one cd. Have to admit I'm crazy about Article One. They're amazing! =D Who couldn't love a band which has a violinist???

But while I was walking around town today, I kept on seeing posters about celebrities, models, singers, etc about their "break-ups and make-ups", complete makeovers, or breakdowns.

Made me wonder, "What kind of a culture are we that we worship these people and then destroy them by our always-present cameras and reporters?"

Then I get home and listen to my multiple CDs, flip through a magazine, and laugh with one of my girlfriends about what those kids on Britain's got Talent (yes, I love talent shows of all kinds) did at their last performance.

Then it hit me, that it's people like me that those magazines our out for!

If there weren't people interested in the lives of celebrities, singers, etc why would the magazines even be out? Why are we even interested in it?

Truth be told, it's because it makes us feel better about ourself.

When we see our favourite model/celebrity mess up, it makes us realize, "Wow. I'm so much better morally than they are. I'm a better person. I would never do anything like that, they really messed up."

But what right do we have to judge these people?

Remember, God will judge you by the standards that you judge others with.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 5, Paul talks about judging those outside the church. "What right is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Let God judge those outside, and we will judge those inside," he says (putting it into modern-day speech). He also tells us to "expel the wicked man from among you."

Did you hear that? It is NOT  our job to judge those outside the church. BUT  it is our job to judge those INSIDE.

But are you judging them in the right way? Are you judging them because they claim to be a Christian, but then steal from their favourite shop, or are caught with their girlfriend after hours in a sketchy setting? Or are you judging them because of what they're wearing or their accent or because of the people they're friends with?

What standards are you judging those in the church by? God's standards? Or yours?

we are called to judge "anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler-- with such a man do not even eat."

Did you hear that? It doesn't say to judge those who "wear the dirty jeans to church" or "who looks like she hasn't brushed her hair in five years."

Are you looking at outward things, or at the heart?

Be careful. Christians should be anything but judgemental. What portrayal of Christianity are you setting for the rest of the world?

BeCcA

Please do not send me private messages unless I give you permission. I will NOT add anyone as a friend who asks to be my friend in a private message. thank you! And if you want to link back to me, click on my button on the sidebar.

********************************************

Hey girlies! [[ and guys... if any read. ;) ]]

I wrote this as a reply to one of the sisterhood girls on the thread "too young what happens?" under spiritual. I'd advise all of you to check it out! It's a very interesting thread. :) It's on susiemagazine.com under sisterhood, under forums.

So I was replying to a girl who was arguing for predestination. She had some very good points, but here was my reply:

*******************************

To the girl who believes in Calvinism:

You believe in predestination, right?

Well, if you believe in predestination, that means that if there is one little girl in Africa who is destined to go to heaven, all of the missionaries can just say "oh well. she's going to heaven anyway. I don't need to do anything about it."

Is that what God wants us to do?

the answer is obvious. NO. But, if we believe in predestination, our argument is valid. We dont' have to do anything at all! We can all sit at our computer screens and watch videos of stars and singers dancing around on a stage all day--completely forgetting about the people who need our help. If we believe in predestination, we are not able to help, and missions are useless.

Also, if we believe in predestination, we believe in a God who picks and chooses who gets to enjoy eternal life with him in heaven. He sorts through all the people and sees who's worthy.

sounds like those annoying girls who put you down every day at school, doesn't it?

But God is NOT LIKE THAT. It says in the Bible that no one has an excuse for not knowing God. That means that no matter what, someone can become a Christian.

God is a just, fair, loving God. He isn't a God who looks at someone and says "I think I'll let them burn in Hell, even if they try and find me."

To be honest, that's what predestination says that God is thinking.

Also, there are two different versions of predestinations. I'm going to clarify right now what I mean by "predestination," and what I think you mean. (they're the same)

The first way of saying predestination means that God knows your every move, your every thought, your every word before you even say it. He planned you from the beginning, but you sill have free will in your life. He simply knows what choice your going to make before you make it. (which gets into more theological discussions like "but then do we really have free will?" But that's beyond the point)

The second point is that you have no control over your life. No matter what you do, you couldn't help it, and you're either going to heaven or hell. You can't control it. So if you're a "good" person, and you try and help everyone in the world, but you're predestined to go to Hell, there's nothing you can do about it.

I'm talking about the second one.

A just God does NOT send people to hell without giving them a chance. A just God sends people to heaven if they find him, and gives everyone an even chance.

Our God is just, loving, kind, and compassionate. He does not send people to Hell without them choosing their path. He urges us to choose the narrow road, and that the wide road will only lead to death and destruction.

why would he warn us if we had no choice over our lives? Why would he warn us if he had already programmed us, like his little robots?

He wouldn't.

It's not logical.

To sum everything up, here's the whole thing in a simple syllogism :

If we believe in predestination, we believe that no one has a choice in whether they are condemned to suffer in hell or not

However, we know that God is a just God, and we know that a just God gives everyone a choice, as does our God in multiple places in the Bible.

Therefore, everyone must have a choice whether they enter heaven or hell at the end of their life because our God is a just God.

BeCcA

(And I have Bible references to back up every single thing I said. )

******************

What are your thoughts? Please tell me! I love debating, and I'm open to learn more about my heavenly father. :)

BeCcA

Please do not send me private messages unless I give you permission. I will NOT add anyone as a friend who asks to be my friend in a private message. thank you! And if you want to link back to me, click on my button on the sidebar.

*************************************

Lest we forget.

A list of all of the soldiers who have bravely died serving our country during the afghanistan war up to now:

****************************************

Marc D. Léger, Ainsworth Dyer, Richard Green, Nathan Smith , Robert Alan Short , Robbie Christopher Beerenfenger , Jamie Brendan Murphy ,Braun Scott Woodfield ,Timothy Wilson , Paul Davis , Robert Costall , Matthew Dinning , William Turner , Myles Mansell , Randy Payne , Nichola Goddard ,Anthony Boneca , Francisco Gomez , Jason Patrick Warren , Christopher Jonathan Reid , Vaughn Ingram , Bryce Jeffrey Keller , Kevin Dallaire , Raymond Arndt Master , Jeffrey Scott Walsh Master , Andrew James Eykelenboom , David Braun , Frank Robert Mellish, Richard Francis Nolan , William Jonathon James Cushley , Shane Stachnik , Mark Anthony Graham, David Byers , Shane Keating , Keith Morley,. Glen Arnold , Josh Klukie , Craig Paul Gillam , Robert Thomas James Mitchell, Mark Andrew Wilson , Darcy Tedford , Blake Williamson , Robert Girouard , Albert Storm , Kevin Megeney , Donald Lucas ,Aaron E. Williams , Brent Poland ,David Robert Greenslade , Kevin Vincent Kennedy ,Christopher Paul Stannix , Allan Stewart, Patrick James Pentland T, Anthony Klumpenhouwer,Matthew McCully, Darryl Jason Priede, Darryl Caswell , Christos Karigiannis, Stephen Frederick Bouzane ,Joel Vincent Wiebe, Matthew Johnathan Dawe ,Jordan Anderson, Cole Bartsch , Lane Watkins, Jefferson Clifford Francis , Colin Bason ,Simon Longtin ,Mario Mercier, Christian Duchesne ,Raymond Ruckpaul,. Nathan Hornburg , Nicolas Raymond Beauchamp, Michel Levesque ,Jonathan Dion ,Hani Massouh, Eric Labbé ,Richard Renaud, Etienne Gonthier, Michael Yuki Hayakaze ,Jérémie Ouellet, Jason Boyes, Terry John Street,Michael Starker,Richard Leary, Jonathan Snyder , Brendan Anthony Downey ,Colin William Wilmot , James (Jim) Hayward Arnal , (Josh) Brian Roberts , Erin Doyle Master ,Shawn Allan Eades ,. Dustin Roy Robert Joseph Wasden , Stephan John Stock , Andrew Paul Grenon ,Michael James Alexander ,Chadwick James Horn , Prescott (Scott) , Robert John Wilson , Mark Robert McLaren , Demetrios Diplaros , Thomas James Hamilton , Justin Peter Jones , John Michael Roy Curwin , Michael Bruce Freeman ,Gaetan Joseph Roberge ,Gregory John Kruse ,Brian Richard Good ,Sean David Greenfield , Dennis Raymond Brown ,Dany Oliver Fortin,Kenneth O'Quinn , Marc Diab , Scott Vernelli ,Tyler Crooks ,Jack Bouthillier ,Corey Joseph Hayes , Karine Blais , Michelle Mendes , Alexandre Péloquin, Martin Dubé, Nicholas Bulger ,Charles-Philippe Michaud ,Pat Audet Master ,Martin Joannette ,Sébastien Courcy , Christian Bobbitt, Matthieu Allard, Yannick Pépin, Jean-Francois Drouin ,Patrick Lormand ,Jonathan Couturier , Justin Garrett, Steven Marshall

************************************************

One hundred and thirty three names. One hundred and thirty three families. One hundred and thirty three stories.

They died for us.

They died for me.

They died for you.

What are you doing for them?

Are you showing you appreciate them?

Or are you putting them down by telling them they're not helping?

They need our support, whether we believe in the cause or not.

They`re willing to risk their lives for people who don`t even appreciate them. What are YOU doing in this world?

Wear a poppy. Say a prayer for our troops. Read all the names. Honour them.

Lest we forget.

I will finish with the most famous poem of all time, in Flanders Fields
****************

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
*************************************


BeCcA

Please do not send me private messages unless I give you permission. I will NOT add anyone as a friend who asks to be my friend in a private message. thank you! And if you want to link back to me, click on my button on the sidebar.

**************

...I'll never shut up, it's our turn to speak out. these streets are dead, just waiting to c..o..m..e.. //alive\\

Barlowgirl--Come Alive (from their new album Love & War)

I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! :p

Again, so sorry about the updating part of blogging. I'm bad at it.

that and the commenting part.

and the messaging part.

and just blogging in general.

So I'm going to answer a couple of your comments:

joyful24 (felicity): thanks! I love the pics too. xD They make me laugh. :p Just to let you know, I don't go everywhere wearing wrist warmers and looking like a duck.

anonymous: here was her comment:

You have real potential, but are caught in the hair of the early 90's. Restyle the glasses, flatter your shape with your clothes, and work your makeup. You are already beautiful, you just need others to see that.

Umm.. I'm not sure if this a compliment or criticism.

anyway, whoever you are, I have to differ. My mom has pictures from the nineties. They did anything BUT straighten their hair. Honestly. I don't know where you got that. when I have it all down, I have been told by approximately seven people that I have Jennifer Aniston hair. Not 90s hair. Plus, you can't even tell what my clothes look like! you can only really see just past my shoulders! it's like giving a head shot to someone and telling them that they need a new pair of jeans! To let you know, I think (and have been told) that I am very much up to the plate when it comes to fashion and trends. I'm not saying this to make you feel embarrassed at all, but I like replying to comments. Commenting is supposed to be an ongoing conversation with someone, not just an opinion that is given with no way to answer.

I honestly don't care if you think I'm pretty how I dress myself or not. If I flattered my body type more than I do with my modest but still trendy clothes, they would cease to be modest. I might look "hotter," but not how I think a Christian should look.

So yeah.

My entry is actually about this comment. I want to go over a couple of basic blogging rules with you:

Never comment on anyone's appearance unless they ask you personally.

If I had asked this girl to tell me what she thought of my makeup/clothes/hair etc, it would be perfectly fine what she said. She said it in a very nice, polite, and encouraging manner. But the fact remains, I didn't ask her. Again, if you are ever asked to tell someone something, she had a very polite and nice way of saying it. try to do it somewhat like her example if you are ever asked and you feel you must respond.

If she came to my blog and liked my entry but not my header, she should comment on my entry and not mention my header at all. We go to bambi:

If you can't say somethin' nice......don't say nothin' at all. (thumper's my favorite. ^_^ )

Though she did say it very nicely, it was uncalled for since it was not in context with my entry, or with any comment I had ever given her, since I hadn't given her one as far as I know.

Last of all, if you feel you have to leave a comment that you don't give a way for the reader to find you, you likely shouldn't leave it at all. Unless it's an anonymous question for something like ibeauty and there are specific instructions to leave it without a username or url. If you feel ashamed enough of what you are saying that you don't think you can log in so that the blogger can get back to you about it, dont' say it.

So yeah! That's Becca's Lesson on Manners today. :)

Again, to Anonymous: if you're embarrassed or feel like you've been made fun of in anyway, it was completely by accident. Your comment was not exactly thought through, even though it is obvious you meant well. Maybe think through the next time you think you should judge how someone else looks without their permission. That's to everyone, not just Anonymous. How many times have you judged how someone looked without them asking you? How many times have you said "she's got tons of potential, if only she would do this..."?

"For man looks at outward appearances, but God looks at the heart." (unknown reference.)
" what is highly valued among men is detestable on God's sight." Luke 16:15b

Outwards beauty is passing, and even though it is nice to look pretty, it is important to focus more on the inward things than the outwards.

Next time you think about commenting on someone's blog about things like appearances, think before you act.

BeCcA

*side note: I was slightly offended about this comment, but nothing to really worry about. :) No worries.

Please do not send me private messages unless they have a point to them. thank you! And if you want to link back to me, click on my button on the sidebar.

*********************

hey everyone!

On Susie Shellinberger's blog (which you can find the link to on my links part of the sidebar) she posted something about asking God questions.

They're great blog posts! you should go read them ^_^

Anyway, she posted the passage in Matthew where the disciples ask Jesus "who will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"

She asked us sisterhood girls "Why was this the wrong question to ask Jesus?" and "what should they have asked him to get the kind of answer that would benefit them in their spiritual walk?"

Or something like that. It sounded better when she asked it. :)

(in case you haven't guessed, I'm a great fan of Susie. ^_^ )

So I responded:

""It was the wrong question to ask because when you try to get to heaven, you shouldn't worry about the glory and the fame. You should only think about how your creator thinks of you. If you're caught up in seeing who's the best at what and who has the best this you're never going to get your focus right.

They should have asked something like, "How can I better myself so that when I get to heaven, my father will say 'Well done, my good and faithful servant?"

I think it's the same today, though. We're all looking at them and saying "isn't it obvious they're in the wrong?" But how often are we doing the exact same thing? How often are we looking at how we look and who is friends with us and which guys have a crush on which girls instead of thinking about how people see us as a worker for Christ?

Just something to think about."

What do you think? What should they have asked? How was what they asked the wrong way of asking Jesus what they were trying to figure out?

I want to hear your answers! I love your comments, so keep them coming! ;)

Becca