As the title of this entry suggests, my day consisted of a trip to Knott's Berry Farm. Today was Military Day, so military got in free, and their friends could get in for $15. A bunch of us from this Bible study I go to went; it was pretty fun. I was super tired from the day before, so it was a little hard to get moving this morning, but I ended up sleeping a bit on the way up, and I took a nap around 1. We got there around 8, but before we went to the park, we checked out a church up there. It was a little different than what I'm used to: a lot of congregational involvement, and we came at the very end of a sermon series, so it wasn't a typical sermon either. It was cool though, and there was this extremely awkward, drawn-out Christian rap song that this chick made up, and she seriously did this rap for about 8 minutes or so. Pretty funny.
Anyways, the park was fun, I got to go on most of the rides, because the park didn't get crowded till about noon. Kyle and I forced Shelly to go on a lot of rides because she was scared, which is always fun. That's how I got over my fear of rollercoasters, cause I got forced.
We left for home about 6, hung out at Krikorian and KJ's house for a little, then came home. Now I'm trying to get some homework done before tomorrow, so I can take it a little easy tomorrow. Next week is going to kill. Black Friday sale at WalMart, plus a research paper, and book report due next Monday. *sigh, so much for Thanksgiving vacation...
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
My Phenomena (a poem by meeee....)
Angels tread silently while in her presence
In a true admiration of her awing beauty
She rules as a queen amongst women,
And I am forever her dumbstruck king
For I am forever undeserving of her
And the selfless love that she provides.
She is my private garden, divinely planted,
A hidden spring that only I may drink from.
Tears of joy flow forth from my hazel eyes
Every time they manage to steal a glance.
My ears resonate with the songs of seraphs
Every time she speaks aloud my dry name.
My mind reverts to that of a foolish child
Every time her silhouette paints the wall.
My heart palpitates at the speed of sound
Every time her perfect hand grazes mine.
Praises to the King of all, who elected me,
Who destined me of all men in his world
to be her caretaker, her partner, her lover, her friend,
to be the man who dubbed himself the luckiest man ever.
by Stephen Byrne
*sigh....where are you?
In a true admiration of her awing beauty
She rules as a queen amongst women,
And I am forever her dumbstruck king
For I am forever undeserving of her
And the selfless love that she provides.
She is my private garden, divinely planted,
A hidden spring that only I may drink from.
Tears of joy flow forth from my hazel eyes
Every time they manage to steal a glance.
My ears resonate with the songs of seraphs
Every time she speaks aloud my dry name.
My mind reverts to that of a foolish child
Every time her silhouette paints the wall.
My heart palpitates at the speed of sound
Every time her perfect hand grazes mine.
Praises to the King of all, who elected me,
Who destined me of all men in his world
to be her caretaker, her partner, her lover, her friend,
to be the man who dubbed himself the luckiest man ever.
by Stephen Byrne
*sigh....where are you?
Coal Afternoon - a poert
"Coal Afternoon"
This ticket feels so heavy as I turn it over in my hands.
Cold October air bites at my face with unbridled ferocity.
I check the old station clock behind me every minute
To know whether or not the noon train is running late.
The seconds tick by like dew slowly dripping from a dahlia.
12:01. 12:02. Impatience gives way to irritability.
At last I hear its mighty trump sound as it roars to a stop.
And the anger roaring within me is quelled in a breath.
by Stephen Byrne
This refers to the impatience I often feel with others that interfere with my own schedule. I know as a Christian, I should be practicing patience, but I do fail...often.
I like writing poems with imagery.
This ticket feels so heavy as I turn it over in my hands.
Cold October air bites at my face with unbridled ferocity.
I check the old station clock behind me every minute
To know whether or not the noon train is running late.
The seconds tick by like dew slowly dripping from a dahlia.
12:01. 12:02. Impatience gives way to irritability.
At last I hear its mighty trump sound as it roars to a stop.
And the anger roaring within me is quelled in a breath.
by Stephen Byrne
This refers to the impatience I often feel with others that interfere with my own schedule. I know as a Christian, I should be practicing patience, but I do fail...often.
I like writing poems with imagery.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
to my wife (wherever you are)
All the shining stars in the charcoal sky
Are dimmed against thy brightened radiance
Aphrodite turneth her face to cry
At the glorious sight of thy passance
For thy love I will all others disown
Clothed in splendor, fit to wed a king
I would give thee all the riches I own
Lowly lived thou art, but thou art my queen
Man is mortal, and beauty shall soon fade
All our glory shall be reduced to dust
But what is eternal is our love made
And cherish that love forever we must
For content I pray thou always will be
For my ultimate content, Love, is thee.
Are dimmed against thy brightened radiance
Aphrodite turneth her face to cry
At the glorious sight of thy passance
For thy love I will all others disown
Clothed in splendor, fit to wed a king
I would give thee all the riches I own
Lowly lived thou art, but thou art my queen
Man is mortal, and beauty shall soon fade
All our glory shall be reduced to dust
But what is eternal is our love made
And cherish that love forever we must
For content I pray thou always will be
For my ultimate content, Love, is thee.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Thoughts on all the Prop 8 commotion...seems to be a lot of it
So much has been said concerning Proposition 8 over the past few months, and now that it has passed, it doesn't look like the talk is going to die down anytime soon. Now I realize that there are some very opinionated people on both sides of the argument, and to the intelligent and well-informed champions of either side, I respect you. But my main concern has to be with so-called Christians, and I use that term very loosely because I am more or less forced to.
First off, I have been bombarded by an influx of information that a large number of "Christians" see no moral dilemma for homosexuals, and many practicing homosexuals call themselves "Christian" with no shame or conviction. Earlier today, I was reading through a topic thread in a Christian group concerning Proposition 8, and was disturbed to find many of the posters were practicing this lifestyle and still were championing their cause with no disgrace. If we call ourselves Christians, we cannot pick and choose which parts of the Bible we want to believe and follow and which ones we want to discount and throw away. Homosexuality is explicitly stated as sin, both in Levitical law and by several New Testament writers, including Paul and Jude. Homosexuality is a choice, just as is promiscuity, infidelity, premarital relations, covetousness, murder, and lying. Those who say they were "born this way," that they cannot change the way they were made are blinded by their own sinful nature. To say that a homosexual cannot change the way they are is akin to a thief saying he can never stop stealing or to a murderer saying he cannot stay his hand. It is a choice. To engage in homosexuality is a choice. To have homosexual tendencies does not make one a homosexual, only the act itself does, and such a person can learn to curb their desires much as one who is predisposed to look on a woman lustfully can learn to avert their eyes. With the Lord comes grace and the power to change. I am not saying all homosexuals, when they come to Christ, magically become heterosexual; the sinful nature still wars with the Christian daily, but the Lord can change hearts, and sin's power can be quelled to a degree that these desires can be fought. But, aside from this, grace does not equal a condoning of that sin. Sin must be expelled from the congregation of God, for he cannot abide with sin. Therefore, we as believers can never treat homosexuality as acceptable behavior, neither can we approve of any sin. But, I must add, to treat a homosexual with contempt, is plain wrong and detrimental to the kingdom of God. They must be loved with the love of Christ (who did not turn away the adulteress or the sinful Samaritan woman), and be given the grace we have been bestowed with. But, to reiterate, this should never be mistaken to say we should not hate the sin.
Second, concerning the actual Proposition 8 argument, I am torn, in a way. I voted "Yes" on the ballot, because of personal conviction, but many of my friends, who are Christian (and God-fearing), did not vote on this issue. Most of their reasoning arises from the opinion that homosexual couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples, such as tax write-offs, wills and testaments (in regards to each other as beneficiaries), insurance, etc. As far as this is concerned, I agree. I have no problem letting homosexual couples marry for these reasons, if it were solely these reasons. But adding the tag lines to the "No on 8" campaign signs "Equality for all" and "No intolerance" scream their advocates' agenda: "Accept my behavior. You have no right to tell me what I'm doing is wrong, and I'm going to shove it down your throat." This campaign has never been one of tolerance, it has been one of approval. I heard on the radio that at a polling place up north there were Prop. 8 opponents passing out pro-gay materials. If someone refused their pamphlets or stated that they were voting "yes," these so-called "tolerant" people would scream obscenities at these people and call them homophobes. The issue was never tolerance. It is about sinful people desiring approval of their lifestyle, and anyone who disagrees is an intolerant fool. If it was simply people wanting certain rights that did not affect me on a moral scale, fine. But the second I hear word that my church could get sued some day because they refuse to perform a homosexual ceremony, or that, were I to put my child in public school because, Heaven forbid, I could not afford either the time for home schooling or the funds for private school, he would learn about homosexuality as a perfectly normal, acceptable lifestyle, I fear I cannot keep my mouth shut. This extends far beyond the Christian's responsibility to love the sinner and urge him toward salvation. This is about someone imposing their morality on me, something completely contradictory to what I believe as a Christian. However, according to the other side, in doing so, I am imposing my morality on them. Well, then, it looks like we are caught up in a shoving match. Somebody's morals have to get shoved down somebody else's throat, and frankly, I would rather let God's morality reign that that of man. That is why I voted yes on 8. But, I believe voting has to be a personal issue between you and the Lord. If you are to vote on something, you should do it with conviction, as it is a very important thing; no one should vote flippantly. I cannot speak for every man, but I would hope at least most Christians would agree with me on the majority of what I say.
That being said, I don't want to come across as being hateful, because I'm not. God commands me to be intolerant of sin, but I do not pass my own judgment on anyone. It is reserved to Christ to be Judge of man, and I would not take that from him. All I can do is point you to the Bible and show you what it says.This is an issue far from dead, and I hope it opens doors to point lost souls to the Man who can change any life and make it new. If only one person comes to Christ through discussions about Proposition 8, it is not in vain, whether it stands or is overturned. Keep that in mind that the Christian faith is about JESUS first, then pointing people to Jesus. We aren't going to dissuade any people from sin, without first allowing the Holy Spirit to work in such an apparent way that others notice, and condemning others is not such a way.
First off, I have been bombarded by an influx of information that a large number of "Christians" see no moral dilemma for homosexuals, and many practicing homosexuals call themselves "Christian" with no shame or conviction. Earlier today, I was reading through a topic thread in a Christian group concerning Proposition 8, and was disturbed to find many of the posters were practicing this lifestyle and still were championing their cause with no disgrace. If we call ourselves Christians, we cannot pick and choose which parts of the Bible we want to believe and follow and which ones we want to discount and throw away. Homosexuality is explicitly stated as sin, both in Levitical law and by several New Testament writers, including Paul and Jude. Homosexuality is a choice, just as is promiscuity, infidelity, premarital relations, covetousness, murder, and lying. Those who say they were "born this way," that they cannot change the way they were made are blinded by their own sinful nature. To say that a homosexual cannot change the way they are is akin to a thief saying he can never stop stealing or to a murderer saying he cannot stay his hand. It is a choice. To engage in homosexuality is a choice. To have homosexual tendencies does not make one a homosexual, only the act itself does, and such a person can learn to curb their desires much as one who is predisposed to look on a woman lustfully can learn to avert their eyes. With the Lord comes grace and the power to change. I am not saying all homosexuals, when they come to Christ, magically become heterosexual; the sinful nature still wars with the Christian daily, but the Lord can change hearts, and sin's power can be quelled to a degree that these desires can be fought. But, aside from this, grace does not equal a condoning of that sin. Sin must be expelled from the congregation of God, for he cannot abide with sin. Therefore, we as believers can never treat homosexuality as acceptable behavior, neither can we approve of any sin. But, I must add, to treat a homosexual with contempt, is plain wrong and detrimental to the kingdom of God. They must be loved with the love of Christ (who did not turn away the adulteress or the sinful Samaritan woman), and be given the grace we have been bestowed with. But, to reiterate, this should never be mistaken to say we should not hate the sin.
Second, concerning the actual Proposition 8 argument, I am torn, in a way. I voted "Yes" on the ballot, because of personal conviction, but many of my friends, who are Christian (and God-fearing), did not vote on this issue. Most of their reasoning arises from the opinion that homosexual couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples, such as tax write-offs, wills and testaments (in regards to each other as beneficiaries), insurance, etc. As far as this is concerned, I agree. I have no problem letting homosexual couples marry for these reasons, if it were solely these reasons. But adding the tag lines to the "No on 8" campaign signs "Equality for all" and "No intolerance" scream their advocates' agenda: "Accept my behavior. You have no right to tell me what I'm doing is wrong, and I'm going to shove it down your throat." This campaign has never been one of tolerance, it has been one of approval. I heard on the radio that at a polling place up north there were Prop. 8 opponents passing out pro-gay materials. If someone refused their pamphlets or stated that they were voting "yes," these so-called "tolerant" people would scream obscenities at these people and call them homophobes. The issue was never tolerance. It is about sinful people desiring approval of their lifestyle, and anyone who disagrees is an intolerant fool. If it was simply people wanting certain rights that did not affect me on a moral scale, fine. But the second I hear word that my church could get sued some day because they refuse to perform a homosexual ceremony, or that, were I to put my child in public school because, Heaven forbid, I could not afford either the time for home schooling or the funds for private school, he would learn about homosexuality as a perfectly normal, acceptable lifestyle, I fear I cannot keep my mouth shut. This extends far beyond the Christian's responsibility to love the sinner and urge him toward salvation. This is about someone imposing their morality on me, something completely contradictory to what I believe as a Christian. However, according to the other side, in doing so, I am imposing my morality on them. Well, then, it looks like we are caught up in a shoving match. Somebody's morals have to get shoved down somebody else's throat, and frankly, I would rather let God's morality reign that that of man. That is why I voted yes on 8. But, I believe voting has to be a personal issue between you and the Lord. If you are to vote on something, you should do it with conviction, as it is a very important thing; no one should vote flippantly. I cannot speak for every man, but I would hope at least most Christians would agree with me on the majority of what I say.
That being said, I don't want to come across as being hateful, because I'm not. God commands me to be intolerant of sin, but I do not pass my own judgment on anyone. It is reserved to Christ to be Judge of man, and I would not take that from him. All I can do is point you to the Bible and show you what it says.This is an issue far from dead, and I hope it opens doors to point lost souls to the Man who can change any life and make it new. If only one person comes to Christ through discussions about Proposition 8, it is not in vain, whether it stands or is overturned. Keep that in mind that the Christian faith is about JESUS first, then pointing people to Jesus. We aren't going to dissuade any people from sin, without first allowing the Holy Spirit to work in such an apparent way that others notice, and condemning others is not such a way.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
"If I Told You All That I Was Thinking, You Would Be Me, Or At Least A Crude Replication"
I laugh to myself
How can you miss her?
You don't even know who she is...
But I tell the truth I am sick in longing for her
I picture her arrival as such
A pompous parade accompaning her
As much as would a queen
For that is what she will be to me
In any case, I know this will
Not be the manner
But this will be: when I know her
For who she is, or rather,
Who she will be, one can only
Imagine the joy that will fill my soul
Until then I am only half a man.
How can you miss her?
You don't even know who she is...
But I tell the truth I am sick in longing for her
I picture her arrival as such
A pompous parade accompaning her
As much as would a queen
For that is what she will be to me
In any case, I know this will
Not be the manner
But this will be: when I know her
For who she is, or rather,
Who she will be, one can only
Imagine the joy that will fill my soul
Until then I am only half a man.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Woes
Change is coming. Its black clouds loom on the horizon.
Change is coming. You have whored yourselves to it.
Mammon be praised, God is found in your pocket.
Once again he has bought your souls with blind oaths
Dark minds are swamped with your empty desires
And haughty eyes are blinded by wanton longings.
Why do you continue your hard-hearted rebellion?
Is it so hard for you to kick against the goads?
My brethren bemoan your pitiable destination,
A wrath aflame and judgment divine await.
Fates worse than death knock at your door,
And you swing wide the gate of your iniquity.
When your sentence is read, will you weep?
Will you regret sins committed on beds of infidelity?
For you have prostituted yourselves to Death,
And Hades trails not far behind, ready to receive.
Demons that you have worshiped lurk ever closer,
Extending hellish claws to rake into your lost souls.
Lament for your children, for the horrors to come,
That the stain of your sin does not infect their hearts.
Pray the Mercy that you have denounced is near,
And maybe He will be moved in his grace to hear you.
America, you have decided; you have chosen.
Now face the consequences you have earned.
-Stephen Byrne
Believers, pray for America. This is the time. The wheat is on the threshing floor. It is time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Stand by the Lord. The hour will come when he may be all you have.
Change is coming. You have whored yourselves to it.
Mammon be praised, God is found in your pocket.
Once again he has bought your souls with blind oaths
Dark minds are swamped with your empty desires
And haughty eyes are blinded by wanton longings.
Why do you continue your hard-hearted rebellion?
Is it so hard for you to kick against the goads?
My brethren bemoan your pitiable destination,
A wrath aflame and judgment divine await.
Fates worse than death knock at your door,
And you swing wide the gate of your iniquity.
When your sentence is read, will you weep?
Will you regret sins committed on beds of infidelity?
For you have prostituted yourselves to Death,
And Hades trails not far behind, ready to receive.
Demons that you have worshiped lurk ever closer,
Extending hellish claws to rake into your lost souls.
Lament for your children, for the horrors to come,
That the stain of your sin does not infect their hearts.
Pray the Mercy that you have denounced is near,
And maybe He will be moved in his grace to hear you.
America, you have decided; you have chosen.
Now face the consequences you have earned.
-Stephen Byrne
Believers, pray for America. This is the time. The wheat is on the threshing floor. It is time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Stand by the Lord. The hour will come when he may be all you have.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Election Day '08
All I can say going into this election day is, "WOW!" How did we get to this point: where we have two choices for president, and one choice, Sen. John McCain, albeit a pretty average guy, is looking more and more like a saint next to the other choice, Sen. Barack Obama, who I'm becoming more and more convinced is going to get us blown up. Aside from that, we in California have some pretty important Propositions to vote on, mainly Prop. 4 and Prop. 8. This I believe is the proving ground for God's people. How we respond to these issues is, in my opinion, a pretty clear indication on how we stand with the Lord. Think about it! How did we get to the place where we have to define what marriage is, even though it is clearly stated in the Bible what God's law is? How did we get to the place where we have to vote on whether or not parents should have the right to know when their underage daughter wants to get an abortion? This has never been about tolerance or acceptance or discrimination. It has always been about people living in sin wanting approval for their actions. And we give it to them! How Jesus must weep at our blatant disregard for what his truth says. Wake up, America! Your days are numbered! Turn to God, and he will hear from heaven, and will heal us and this sin-ravaged land.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
