Would you look around at the world today.
People trying to live through sin and lies.
I want to know your life and what you say,
Tell me what do you see through your sad eyes.
I see a world falling apart slowly
People only thinking about themselves
Even the church which claims itself as holy
We too only think about ourselves
I see a world hanging on by a thread.
Losing its view of what is right and wrong.
We live in a routine as if were dead.
Through false beliefs, acting as if we belong
I see an unredeemed world which needs change.
This only can be done through an exchange.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 15, 2013
Creon the True Hero of Thebes
I sat before the my loyal subjects of Thebes. Looking down from my pedestal I am able to see deeply into the eyes of my men and women. These eyes were not filled with happiness and joy, but express deep sadness and depression. They all had been mourning the deaths of love ones. Brave souls who had died valiantly defending their country. Too many had died today. Too many sons, husbands, fathers, and nephews; almost everyone was in pain. I know that I would have to stand up and condemn the traitors, or these incredible men's deaths would all be for naught. Standing up I spoke to my people,
"When I see any danger threatening my people, Whatever it may be, I shall declare it. No man who is his country's enemy [s]hall call himself my friend. Our country is life; only when she rids safely, have we any friends at all. Such is my policy for our common weal" (131).
When I said this I saw hope creep back into my people. They now know my true feelings. That their sons, husbands, fathers, and nephews were my friends. Their deaths hurt me just as much as it had hurt them. No! The traitors deserve to rot in the scorching sun. For Polynices came, "intending to burn and destroy his fatherland and the gods of his fatherland" (131). He strived and accomplished to destroy homes, and the lives of the innocent. When I look around I see pain and suffering. These people had no need to involve themselves in my family's dispute, but they willingly volunteered themselves to put down the traitors. Like faithful subjects they are. I say now "there is no more deadly peril than disobedience; states are devoured by it, homes laid in ruins... simple obedience saves the lives of hundreds of honest folk" (144). This traitor does not deserve the honor of being buried. His actions had but one motive, to destroy this beautiful city. Do you think this is what makes a good leader, acting purely on emotions? No, he deserves to rot. The devastation Polynices caused is evident to my subjects.
If I bury him, I will be honoring the man who killed many of my men. If I bury him, the people will lose sight of what is important. If I bury him, I will never forgive myself for letting some edict of the gods get in the way of the happiness and well being of my people! I WILL NOT BURY HIM!!!!!
"When I see any danger threatening my people, Whatever it may be, I shall declare it. No man who is his country's enemy [s]hall call himself my friend. Our country is life; only when she rids safely, have we any friends at all. Such is my policy for our common weal" (131).
When I said this I saw hope creep back into my people. They now know my true feelings. That their sons, husbands, fathers, and nephews were my friends. Their deaths hurt me just as much as it had hurt them. No! The traitors deserve to rot in the scorching sun. For Polynices came, "intending to burn and destroy his fatherland and the gods of his fatherland" (131). He strived and accomplished to destroy homes, and the lives of the innocent. When I look around I see pain and suffering. These people had no need to involve themselves in my family's dispute, but they willingly volunteered themselves to put down the traitors. Like faithful subjects they are. I say now "there is no more deadly peril than disobedience; states are devoured by it, homes laid in ruins... simple obedience saves the lives of hundreds of honest folk" (144). This traitor does not deserve the honor of being buried. His actions had but one motive, to destroy this beautiful city. Do you think this is what makes a good leader, acting purely on emotions? No, he deserves to rot. The devastation Polynices caused is evident to my subjects.
If I bury him, I will be honoring the man who killed many of my men. If I bury him, the people will lose sight of what is important. If I bury him, I will never forgive myself for letting some edict of the gods get in the way of the happiness and well being of my people! I WILL NOT BURY HIM!!!!!
Friday, October 18, 2013
What is He?
The world is perfect. There is no racism or sexism. Everyone is equal. No one was more ugly or more beautiful then the rest. This was all because of Amendment 514 to the Constitution of the United Government Organization. From January 1st 2250, when 514 was put into effect, everyone was issued a devise. This devise covered their face with a white mask, and put a white robe over their body.
He was walking along the street. Next to him was his best friend, or a stranger, he could not tell anyone apart. From the casual glance of the rooftop observer he was just another white speck, in the white river headed toward the amphitheater. When he arrived in the theater he stood in the far back leaning against the wall. A man, the president or maybe a spokesperson, no one could tell stood on stage shouting through a microphone. The man called for more equality, more similarities, and more promises. The crowd screamed in response. Through the microphones in their masks, the screams came out to be the same pitch, same sound, and same tone.
But He was not screaming. He was not jumping up and down for joy. He just stood silently in the back, shaking his head in disagreement. When the man on stage called for any opponents to step in stage, He stepped one step off the wall, but then stopped. The booing that the opponents received shook him to the core, he was scared to be hated like that. So he took his position back on the wall. Silently opposing, but saying nothing.
After the "show" He left and walked down the alleyway toward the slum. The only thing that the government could not make equal was the class separation. Slowly he moved, deeper and deeper into the slums. He stops at a graffiti filled door, looked around, and knocked once, twice, three times. He paused looked around again then knocked five more times in quick succession. The door opens up seaming like a black portal. Out of the darkness comes loud thumping music. He enters the door, closes it, and takes off his mask. Underneath is a black haired boy, age 17, wearing a black shirt, jeans, and black Vanes. He walks downstairs and is greeted by his best friend. All around are people who had removed their masks. Man if the government saw this they would have executed them all.
He walks around talking to everyone, greeting old friends and new faces. Any who had seen him at the amphitheater would not have recognized him. The one at the theater was timid, quiet, and scared. The one in the club was charismatic, friendly, and welcoming. Then the music dies down and the DJ gets on the mic and says, "We were all at the speech made at the amphitheater today. What do you have to say in this unbiased setting?" This time though with his back straight, He confidently strolled through the front. Stepping onto the stage he grabbed the mic and said, "I think ............" In response he received both boos and praise. When he stepped off the stage he was not scared and shaking, but gave off the feeling of confidence.
He was walking along the street. Next to him was his best friend, or a stranger, he could not tell anyone apart. From the casual glance of the rooftop observer he was just another white speck, in the white river headed toward the amphitheater. When he arrived in the theater he stood in the far back leaning against the wall. A man, the president or maybe a spokesperson, no one could tell stood on stage shouting through a microphone. The man called for more equality, more similarities, and more promises. The crowd screamed in response. Through the microphones in their masks, the screams came out to be the same pitch, same sound, and same tone.
But He was not screaming. He was not jumping up and down for joy. He just stood silently in the back, shaking his head in disagreement. When the man on stage called for any opponents to step in stage, He stepped one step off the wall, but then stopped. The booing that the opponents received shook him to the core, he was scared to be hated like that. So he took his position back on the wall. Silently opposing, but saying nothing.
After the "show" He left and walked down the alleyway toward the slum. The only thing that the government could not make equal was the class separation. Slowly he moved, deeper and deeper into the slums. He stops at a graffiti filled door, looked around, and knocked once, twice, three times. He paused looked around again then knocked five more times in quick succession. The door opens up seaming like a black portal. Out of the darkness comes loud thumping music. He enters the door, closes it, and takes off his mask. Underneath is a black haired boy, age 17, wearing a black shirt, jeans, and black Vanes. He walks downstairs and is greeted by his best friend. All around are people who had removed their masks. Man if the government saw this they would have executed them all.
He walks around talking to everyone, greeting old friends and new faces. Any who had seen him at the amphitheater would not have recognized him. The one at the theater was timid, quiet, and scared. The one in the club was charismatic, friendly, and welcoming. Then the music dies down and the DJ gets on the mic and says, "We were all at the speech made at the amphitheater today. What do you have to say in this unbiased setting?" This time though with his back straight, He confidently strolled through the front. Stepping onto the stage he grabbed the mic and said, "I think ............" In response he received both boos and praise. When he stepped off the stage he was not scared and shaking, but gave off the feeling of confidence.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Personal Statement Rough Draft
Ring!! Ring!! Ring!! Call from Mom, Ring!! Ring!! Ring!!! The voice of the monotone, unfeeling phone echoed out of the darkness. I ran through the empty house, and down the hallway to the phone. At the time the hallway seemed to stretch on forever, but I shrugged it off. I answered the phone with my typical, "What's up" I groaned on the inside because what surly followed was a long list of chores. However, what my mom said next would forever be ingrained in my mind.
That day had been like any other school day. I had gone to school, joked with my friends, and stared at the clock waiting to get home. The weather when I got home turned for worst. It was kind of discomforting. Immediately when I got home I ran through the cold house to start on homework. No one else was home, and I turned off all the lights except my own to save electricity. There I sat alone in a cold empty house. I could hear the rain on the roof, a steady pitter patter, and the occasional groan emitted from a settling house. I could feel the increased humidity sticking to my skin like a wet uncomfortable blanket. Occasionally a whipping wind would rush through, chilling me to the bone and filling the air with the smell of wet grass.
Then the ringing started happening. That dreaded phone always bringing what I considered the worst news, chores. I could not have been so wrong. On the other side of the phone was of course my moms voice. She sounded shaky almost like she had been crying. The first thing I heard from her mouth, "Matthew you cousin, Brian, has been mugged in the alleys of Las Angles. He is intensive care right now." My vision flashed red for a second, then I lost my vision completely. I could feel my body swaying, and had to steady my self on the counter. I felt like I would lose my lunch.
Soon afterward I could feel myself grow hateful. In a sense my little world I lived in, had been torn down and left with only a black pillar of hate. I hated the world for doing this, I hated the people who had mugged him, I hated the insurance agency for taking away his insurance, and most importantly I hated my self because in no way could I help him. It took me months of talking to my youth pastor and adults close to me to be able to let go of the hatred. But it was not for about six months when I heard Lecrea speaking about forgiveness was I truly able to let go of my resentment, sadness, and hatred. He had gone through much more things then me, but he spoke on how his life was full of happiness because he learned to forgive.
Through all this I have grown though. I was able to become more forgiving, because I realized that holding on was tearing me apart. I have become more authentic through this time of trial because am I more confident to express my self. Because I had found myself falling apart, I now am more level header and posses a stronger "foundation." Finally through this all I was able to become a stronger Christian and grow closer to God.
Just like Matthew West said in his song Forgiveness, "Forgiveness Forgiveness it flies in the face of all your pride. It moves away the mad inside... It's the whisper in your ear saying 'Set it Free.'"
That day had been like any other school day. I had gone to school, joked with my friends, and stared at the clock waiting to get home. The weather when I got home turned for worst. It was kind of discomforting. Immediately when I got home I ran through the cold house to start on homework. No one else was home, and I turned off all the lights except my own to save electricity. There I sat alone in a cold empty house. I could hear the rain on the roof, a steady pitter patter, and the occasional groan emitted from a settling house. I could feel the increased humidity sticking to my skin like a wet uncomfortable blanket. Occasionally a whipping wind would rush through, chilling me to the bone and filling the air with the smell of wet grass.
Then the ringing started happening. That dreaded phone always bringing what I considered the worst news, chores. I could not have been so wrong. On the other side of the phone was of course my moms voice. She sounded shaky almost like she had been crying. The first thing I heard from her mouth, "Matthew you cousin, Brian, has been mugged in the alleys of Las Angles. He is intensive care right now." My vision flashed red for a second, then I lost my vision completely. I could feel my body swaying, and had to steady my self on the counter. I felt like I would lose my lunch.
Soon afterward I could feel myself grow hateful. In a sense my little world I lived in, had been torn down and left with only a black pillar of hate. I hated the world for doing this, I hated the people who had mugged him, I hated the insurance agency for taking away his insurance, and most importantly I hated my self because in no way could I help him. It took me months of talking to my youth pastor and adults close to me to be able to let go of the hatred. But it was not for about six months when I heard Lecrea speaking about forgiveness was I truly able to let go of my resentment, sadness, and hatred. He had gone through much more things then me, but he spoke on how his life was full of happiness because he learned to forgive.
Through all this I have grown though. I was able to become more forgiving, because I realized that holding on was tearing me apart. I have become more authentic through this time of trial because am I more confident to express my self. Because I had found myself falling apart, I now am more level header and posses a stronger "foundation." Finally through this all I was able to become a stronger Christian and grow closer to God.
Just like Matthew West said in his song Forgiveness, "Forgiveness Forgiveness it flies in the face of all your pride. It moves away the mad inside... It's the whisper in your ear saying 'Set it Free.'"
Friday, September 27, 2013
My Affirmation
So this is my favorite affirmation
It was done by my Youth Pastor, Jake Allstaedt
Matthew is:
Loyal
Reliable
Faithful
Authentic
Curious
Matt is the kind of guy that has real integrity. In no small part to his faith in Christ, he has a conscience that keeps him in check. He places healthy boundaries to unhelpful things and is eager to do good- whether it be in service to someone else or for the simple satisfaction of doing the right thing. What you see is what you get- a grounded individual who tells you what he thinks, (to your enjoyment or not!) and commits to his promises. He is reliable and loyal. Tell him to do something and he will do it. He is a lover of God and of people.
It was done by my Youth Pastor, Jake Allstaedt
Matthew is:
Loyal
Reliable
Faithful
Authentic
Curious
Matt is the kind of guy that has real integrity. In no small part to his faith in Christ, he has a conscience that keeps him in check. He places healthy boundaries to unhelpful things and is eager to do good- whether it be in service to someone else or for the simple satisfaction of doing the right thing. What you see is what you get- a grounded individual who tells you what he thinks, (to your enjoyment or not!) and commits to his promises. He is reliable and loyal. Tell him to do something and he will do it. He is a lover of God and of people.
Bow down before the INTJ
My profile outcome is this
INTJ
Introvert(67%) iNtuitive(12%) Thinking(50%) Judging(67%)
- You have distinctive preference of Introversion over Extraversion (67%)
- You have slight preference of Intuition over Sensing (12%)
- You have moderate preference of Thinking over Feeling (50%)
- You have distinctive preference of Judging over Perceiving (67%)
To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age.
INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.
INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability.Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their respect -- and will generally be made aware of this; INTJs have also been known to take it upon themselves to implement critical decisions without consulting their supervisors or co-workers. On the other hand, they do tend to be scrupulous and even-handed about recognizing the individual contributions that have gone into a project, and have a gift for seizing opportunities which others might not even notice.
Typical INTJ career choices are in the sciences and engineering, but they can be found wherever a combination of intellect and incisiveness are required (e.g., law, some areas of academia).
INTJs are idea people. Anything is possible; everything is negotiable.Others may see what is and wonder why; INTJs see what might be and say "Why not?!" Paradoxes, antinomies, and other contradictory phenomena aptly express these intuitors' amusement at those whom they feel may be taking a particular view of reality too seriously.
Here is a list of people that are INTJ's. Susan B. Anthony, Lance Armstrong, Augustus Caesar, C. S. Lewis, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, General Colin Powell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy, Hannibal Lecter, Gandalf the Grey , and Professor Moriarty.
That's right guys, I am secretly a woman activist, drug using elite athlete, roman emperor, world renown Christian writer, black first lady but at the same time white hockey mom, 4 star general, famous action flick governor, bible cutting Deist, young president to stay young forever, a cannibalistic serial killer, gray turned to white wizard, and criminal mastermind called the "Napoleon of crime" (Sherlock Holms).
Friday, September 20, 2013
You are God's house.
Here is the quote that stuck out to me the most.
I do not know where it is in the book, I just had it written down in my journal.
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
This is by far the best description I've heard on how God works in our life. The quote in itself is easy to understand. However, the personal application can dive deeper then others imagine.
How this quote touched me is simple, but also very complex. By house was just like the quote describes. I had a leaking shower head, a falling roof, a half broken wall, shattered windows, peeling paint, and a moldy floor. From the outside this house looked like it is in peak condition. But one trip inside will reveal that the house was literally falling apart. To bad I had locked the doors and only let a select few see then inside of the house. So I asked God to rebuild my house. I wanted him to fix me just like he fixed other that I had seen. What I didn't expect is the extent that he would go in order to fix my life.
C.S Lewis describes it as, "knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably." This statement is 100% true. When God started to extensively fix me it hurt a lot. He didn't just add on to what was there. In my story he torn down the whole house. God completely levels it so that there is only one pillar standing in the very middle of the open plot. This one pillar starts to turn black, with hatred. But as God starts to lay the foundation I was able to recognize what he was doing. He was not only rebuilding the house into something much more grand, but he was using this one pillar as the main supporting part. What used to be a side pillar I had hidden away in my old house, has now become the foundation for the new house he is building.
This is why this quote/ analogy is the most important for me. For what used to be just a, "decent little cottage" is now becoming a castle. One that when completed will be fit for him to live in.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Masks
Litney(rewritten) by Matthew Straume
You are the part that others see,
the one in the light.
You stand in front acting the piece,
appeasing them all
You are there beside me and part of me,
but mostly in front of me
However, you are not what is wanted,
or desired,
but continue to exist here.
You are definitely not as strong as I thought you were.
Most definitely not as strong.
You are the chains that bind me,
and the thing that causes me the most pain.
but you are not even close
to the thing that stops me
When you look in the mirror you see me,
it reveals that I am getting stronger,
and slowly tearing away at you
Just so you know I do not despise you
your time has come
and you must now give up the light
I am the schemer in the darkness
the rebel who opposes the king,
and the unknown stranger
I am also the destination for which you are headed
and the light at the end of the tunnel
but you should worry, for you may be the part that others see
But that is for just a moment
Soon I will be the part that others see
in addition to the one in the light
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