This commercial isn't real, and neither are society's standards of beauty.
It's funny (sort of) because it's true... Pro-pixel intensifying fauxtanical hydro-jargon microbead extract ftw!
Nicked from jesserosten.com.
Full post and behind the scenes vid here.
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Bible Musings: the Son of God
Oh dear, should I be doing this? Another Bible study, another awkward question I've been asked a few times: Why do you believe Jesus is the Son of God?
I'm not sure I can put the whole answer to that in one reasonably sized post, but let's make a start anyway; and let's start with the negatives.
Jesus is not the Son of God because of the virgin birth. The Son of God was not conceived at a specific moment within the body of a virgin. Neither did God have sex with Mary in any way we would understand it (look up the definition of 'virgin' sometime). Jesus, the human, was conceived supernaturally to be the vessel for the pre-existing Son of God.Jesus was the son of God before the virgin birth - in fact, before anything:
Jesus is not the Son of God because of anything he did or said. He did and said those things because he is the Son of God. And no, he didn't run around Galilee going 'Look at me! I'm the Son of God!' - if he had done something that stupid he would have gotten himself killed.
So if he didn't say it, why believe it? Well, when my car breaks down (and it does) and I call the RAC, and within an hour a big orange van with the RAC logo all over it pulls up behind me, and a man in RAC overalls gets out, calls me by name, fixes my car, and gets me to sign that bit of RAC headed paperwork that they always give you a copy of but you never know what to do with, I don't need him to say 'I'm the RAC bloke'. A person's actions demonstrate who they are.
What do you mean Jesus didn't have an orange van and a uniform? OK, if you want more, here is why I believe Jesus is the Son of God:
The angel Gabriel said he was, and God himself said he was. Twice. Well that's good enough for me anyway.
There are plenty of verses I could point to where Jesus basically does say he is the Son of God without using those words, but it seems rather superfluous to start adding those into the mix.
So, why do I believe Jesus is the Son of God?
Because he said so.
Because the angel Gabriel said so.
Because God said so.
Because he is the way that God relates to us, and we relate to God.
Because somebody needed to take the rap for all the bad stuff I've done.
Because God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
I'm not sure I can put the whole answer to that in one reasonably sized post, but let's make a start anyway; and let's start with the negatives.
Jesus is not the Son of God because of the virgin birth. The Son of God was not conceived at a specific moment within the body of a virgin. Neither did God have sex with Mary in any way we would understand it (look up the definition of 'virgin' sometime). Jesus, the human, was conceived supernaturally to be the vessel for the pre-existing Son of God.Jesus was the son of God before the virgin birth - in fact, before anything:
And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. (John 17:5)
Jesus is not the Son of God because of anything he did or said. He did and said those things because he is the Son of God. And no, he didn't run around Galilee going 'Look at me! I'm the Son of God!' - if he had done something that stupid he would have gotten himself killed.
For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:18)
So if he didn't say it, why believe it? Well, when my car breaks down (and it does) and I call the RAC, and within an hour a big orange van with the RAC logo all over it pulls up behind me, and a man in RAC overalls gets out, calls me by name, fixes my car, and gets me to sign that bit of RAC headed paperwork that they always give you a copy of but you never know what to do with, I don't need him to say 'I'm the RAC bloke'. A person's actions demonstrate who they are.
What do you mean Jesus didn't have an orange van and a uniform? OK, if you want more, here is why I believe Jesus is the Son of God:
But the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; his kingdom will never end.
How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin?
The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:30-35)
When all the people were being baptised, Jesus was baptised too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased. (Luke 3:21-22)
A voice came from the cloud, saying, This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him. (Luke 9:35)
The angel Gabriel said he was, and God himself said he was. Twice. Well that's good enough for me anyway.
There are plenty of verses I could point to where Jesus basically does say he is the Son of God without using those words, but it seems rather superfluous to start adding those into the mix.
So, why do I believe Jesus is the Son of God?
Because he said so.
Because the angel Gabriel said so.
Because God said so.
Because he is the way that God relates to us, and we relate to God.
Because somebody needed to take the rap for all the bad stuff I've done.
Because God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Monday, 23 January 2012
Musical Monday: Captivated
Animal is a church music geek. Me, I just know what I like - and what I love. And one church songwriter I love is Vicky Beeching. I expect regular visitors (do I have any yet?) will hear more from her on Mondays, but for now sit back, relax, and enjoy this...
Friday, 20 January 2012
Filth on Friday - some facts about internet porn
Well that might drag some visitors in from Google anyway :)
As it seems to have been Sex Week (or No-Sex Week) on this blog, Inow seems a good time to start my new weekly column about pornography. Now, you may have the impression from this blog that I'm an average, clean living Christian girl. You may have the impression that I'm some kind of ultra-feminist. Either way, you may be surprised to know that I've seen porn. It's a sad fact that most people these days have - with over 4 million pornographic websites out there, it's almost hard not to.
However, I am not talking about a hijacked site or an ill-advised click from some spam or dodgy link. I have been among the 68 million daily search engine requests for porn. I thought it was harmless fun. I thought it would spice up our sex life. And, for a while, it did. But I'm not here to talk about my past sex life; I'm merely making the point that my opinions on porn are not based on religion or feminism, but from having watched and enjoyed it myself.
But all that - and why I stopped enjoying it - is for another week; first, let's take a look at those facts about internet porn.
[Source: OnlineMBA.com]
As it seems to have been Sex Week (or No-Sex Week) on this blog, Inow seems a good time to start my new weekly column about pornography. Now, you may have the impression from this blog that I'm an average, clean living Christian girl. You may have the impression that I'm some kind of ultra-feminist. Either way, you may be surprised to know that I've seen porn. It's a sad fact that most people these days have - with over 4 million pornographic websites out there, it's almost hard not to.
However, I am not talking about a hijacked site or an ill-advised click from some spam or dodgy link. I have been among the 68 million daily search engine requests for porn. I thought it was harmless fun. I thought it would spice up our sex life. And, for a while, it did. But I'm not here to talk about my past sex life; I'm merely making the point that my opinions on porn are not based on religion or feminism, but from having watched and enjoyed it myself.
But all that - and why I stopped enjoying it - is for another week; first, let's take a look at those facts about internet porn.
[Source: OnlineMBA.com]
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Sex, marriage, purity and being a BarlowGirl
This is a question I ask myself more than other people ask me: why would a reasonably attractive, healthy woman in her 20s suddenly give up sex? It certainly wasn't because I didn't like it!
Neither is it because I believe sex is in some way evil, or sinful in itself. On the contrary, I believe God made sex to be fun, something for us to enjoy.
So, I ask myself, why not enjoy it? Why torture yourself with this born-again virgin stuff?
'One flesh' is a symbol of the inseparable union God intended for husband and wife, and in the act of sex, it finds its physical expression. I believe God intended sex to be fun for one man, and one woman, within the confines of an inseparable union - marriage.
The same is clearly reiterated throughout the New Testament:
Precisely because sex is so much fun, us weak humans are often tempted to abuse it. Marriage is held repeatedly to God's ideal for sex, and the way to avoid that temptation.
But why marriage? You're as committed to Animal now as you will be in 66 days time, why wait for a bit of paper?
Well yes, I am as committed to him now as I ever will be, but I am not his wife. For us, marriage isn't about a bit of paper and a ring, it's abouthaving a big party committing our relationship to God, and receiving his blessing. It's God that will seal the marriage, not a registrar.
But let's not forget that although sex is fun, it makes babies. It seems obvious to me that well-balanced children need the influence of a mother and a father. (I'm not judging single parents here; they're doing a tough job under imperfect circumstances, and the ones I know deserve nothing but respect for how well they do so.) God intended from the outset for us to go forth and multiply, and for children to be brought up within that family setting.
And let's not forget the other potential side-effects of extra-marital sex - after all, a baby is the nicest thing you can catch from having sex.
But what if he's rubbish at it? I'm trusting that we'll be compatible. He's my soulmate, a gift from God in every other way, so why would a loving God (who invented sex to be fun, remember!) leave me wanting in the bedroom? What I am certainly not going to do is take a test drive. We'll learn as we go along.
And what of purity? This may seem weird, but Animal's virginity means a whole lot to me - I wish I had treated my own with as much respect. I think this celibacy thing would be a whole lot harder if we both knew what we were missing, but more importantly, he's willing to share with me something he's never shared with anyone else. How can that not be special?
Final thoughts:
Neither is it because I believe sex is in some way evil, or sinful in itself. On the contrary, I believe God made sex to be fun, something for us to enjoy.
So, I ask myself, why not enjoy it? Why torture yourself with this born-again virgin stuff?
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. (Gen 2:24)
'One flesh' is a symbol of the inseparable union God intended for husband and wife, and in the act of sex, it finds its physical expression. I believe God intended sex to be fun for one man, and one woman, within the confines of an inseparable union - marriage.
The same is clearly reiterated throughout the New Testament:
But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. (1Cor 7:2)
Precisely because sex is so much fun, us weak humans are often tempted to abuse it. Marriage is held repeatedly to God's ideal for sex, and the way to avoid that temptation.
But why marriage? You're as committed to Animal now as you will be in 66 days time, why wait for a bit of paper?
Well yes, I am as committed to him now as I ever will be, but I am not his wife. For us, marriage isn't about a bit of paper and a ring, it's about
But let's not forget that although sex is fun, it makes babies. It seems obvious to me that well-balanced children need the influence of a mother and a father. (I'm not judging single parents here; they're doing a tough job under imperfect circumstances, and the ones I know deserve nothing but respect for how well they do so.) God intended from the outset for us to go forth and multiply, and for children to be brought up within that family setting.
And let's not forget the other potential side-effects of extra-marital sex - after all, a baby is the nicest thing you can catch from having sex.
But what if he's rubbish at it? I'm trusting that we'll be compatible. He's my soulmate, a gift from God in every other way, so why would a loving God (who invented sex to be fun, remember!) leave me wanting in the bedroom? What I am certainly not going to do is take a test drive. We'll learn as we go along.
And what of purity? This may seem weird, but Animal's virginity means a whole lot to me - I wish I had treated my own with as much respect. I think this celibacy thing would be a whole lot harder if we both knew what we were missing, but more importantly, he's willing to share with me something he's never shared with anyone else. How can that not be special?
Final thoughts:
- It breaks my heart that the one thing I treasure most in my fiancé is the one thing I can never give him back.
- Although being a born-again virgin is not easy, it is possible with God's strength. And I have no doubt that it well be worth it in the end.
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