A hot topic

I've seen this one before, and I just felt like posting it here.

Gay Marriage
1. Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, and birth control are not natural.
2. Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children. Infertile couples and old people cannot get legally married because the world needs more children.
3. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children because straight parents only raise straight children.
4. Straight marriage will be less meaningful, since Britney Spears's 55-hour just-for-fun marriage was meaningful.
5. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and it hasn't changed at all: women are property, Blacks can't marry Whites, and divorce is illegal.
6. Gay marriage should be decided by the people, not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of minorities.
7. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are always imposed on the entire country. That's why we only have one religion in America.
8. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people makes you tall.
9. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage license.
10. Children can never succeed without both male and female role models at home. That's why single parents are forbidden to raise children.
11. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and we could never adapt to new social norms because we haven't adapted to cars or longer lifespans.
12. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a "separate but equal" institution is always constitutional. Separate schools for African-Americans worked just as well as separate marriages will for gays & lesbians.


Originally written and published by Gator GSA, but I couldn't find a working URL to link to.

Raw Emotion & Inspiration

My friend, and fraternity brother, Jason has picked a fight with cancer. He himself is not stricken with cancer, but cancer has stolen treasures from his life. For the past few years Jason has participated in the LIVESTRONG challenge, cycling for 100 miles to raise money in the fight against cancer. Jason trains for the challenge most of the year, and as he has participated for the past few years, I'd certainly say that he has dedicated his life to the fight.

Watch this video, and tell me you are not moved. Watch this video and tell me you will not support Jason and everyone else who is so brave as to stand up and pick a fight with cancer.



If you were as moved as I was, you can go here to join the fight, and/or here to make a donation in support of Jason.

THANK YOU!

I'm feeling inspired today. Jason inspires me. and there are two women out in the blogosphere who I am happy to have been acquainted with. They are strong, extraordinary women, mothers, friends. So I post this poem in their honor. For Kori and April - Thank you for being phenomenal!

PHENOMENAL WOMAN
by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

from And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou.

Jason, Kori, April, you inspire and humble me. I am grateful to have you in my life.

Wisdom of Gandhi

I came upon this through Twitter. I have a vague recollection of hearing it before, but it's definitely worth repeating and remembering.

The Seven Blunders of the World

• Wealth without work
• Pleasure without conscience
• Knowledge without character
• Commerce without morality
• Science without humanity
• Worship without sacrifice
• Politics without principle

"This list grew from Gandhi's search for the roots of violence. He called these acts of passive violence. Preventing these is the best way to prevent oneself or one's society from reaching a point of violence."

So much love to give

It's everywhere... romance and marriage and love and kissing and sex. It's on TV, on the street, in the movies, all my friends are in relationships... I totally cannot relate with any of that right now. I'm single. I've pretty much always been single. I'm so over it. My Grandma tells me every chance she has that she prays for me everyday, and I'm 99% sure she's praying that I find a man and get married and have babies. Like, NOW. It's everywhere. It's all around me. All this good stuff that I don't have. I'm not complaining like I'm desperate, I'm just saying I'm annoyed.

My outlook has changed recently about all this love stuff. I used to feel like I desperately wanted someone to love me; to be in love with me. Of course I still want someone to love me, but now I feel that I yearn to love someone else. I feel like I'm welling up with love to give. This is a relatively recent realization that came to me a couple weeks ago. I was spending some quality time in the kitchen, which i very rarely do. I guess I just don't feel like it's worth it to just cook for me. So when I was making my clam chowder from scratch - figuring out how to friggin cook bacon for the first time - a thought came to me... I enjoy cooking for other people. I think when I'm in a relationship and when I get married I will definitely want to cook for my husband and family. I think it will be vary satisfying to give and to provide for him. I've felt this is the past with a couple guys I have dated and made dinner for, but I never really processed the thoughts until now. I'm yearning to have someone who I can love and I can cook for and I can take care of. I have so much love to give. It's like my heart is full, but at the same time incomplete.

This afternoon I was spending time with one of my best girlfriends, sharing these thoughts with her. She and her husband, whom I introduced her to, were married in November. She shared that she agrees; she really enjoys taking care of her husband and being able to provide for him in certain ways.

One of my favorite quotes is from When Harry Met Sally: "When you find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

In other news, my nephew Landon should be arriving any day now! As of this afternoon, his mom was dilated to 1 cm and having contractions every 15 minutes. That sounds pretty darn serious to me; like he'd be coming today or tomorrow, but her comment was "The contractions are only 15 minutes apart, so I think we have a while to wait still." (I obviously don't know anything about being pregnant and giving birth!) I have a feeling that I'm going to love Landon more than I've loved any one else before him. :)

Peace and love.

J

Things my Dad taught me

I got this idea from Stephanie Klein's blog.

Things I learned from my father:
1. I don’t need to learn to change my own oil because I’ll make enough money to pay someone else to do it.
2. Even he got Cs in school.
3. Boys have no social graces.
4. The monsters come out at night.
5. It’s ok to cry.
6. Not to call names.
7. How to drive a tractor.
8. Sometimes you have to do things you don’t like to do.
9. How to drive a manual transmission.
10. To make sure the horizon line is completely horizontal when taking a photograph.
11. Capillary action.
12. To enjoy smooth jazz.
13. To shred credit card applications before trashing them.
14. To read a map.
15. To use a computer.
16. That I can’t live without an Apple computer.
17. Reasons the refrigerator might not be working.
18. Economics (even though I still don’t really get it).
19. What it means to be a Democrat or a Republican.
20. x times x equals x squared.
21. What quality stereo sounds like.
22. To use a level, a voltmeter, and an electric drill, among other things.
23. How to pick up dog poop.
24. How to balance a checkbook.
25. To pump gas.
26. To pack by rolling things.
27. To love hockey.
28. How to ride a bike.
29. To get up and walk around when on a long flight.
30. How to fish.
31. How to get something out of the sink drain pipe.
32. To appreciate the fantastic-ness of Home Depot.
33. How to paint a wall.
34. How to pitch a tent, light a lantern, and light a stove.
35. How to pack to go camping.
36. To dig a trench around the tent if it’s going to rain.
37. Cats are awesome.
38. That I can do anything I put my mind to.
39. That education is important.
40. Not to “burn bridges” because you never know who you may have to work for in the future.
41. “There is a certain amount of money that causes all loyalty to go out the window.”
42. Don’t walk through oil spots in parking spaces
43. Avoid pot holes.
44. Unconditional love.

LOVE

After my last post I couldn't stop thinking about how I could be a better member of the Body of Christ. This, of course, led to frustration because I wish I could change this world for the better, but I feel so helpless against society and politicians. Those thoughts reminded me of this quote: "To the world you might be just one person, but to one person you might just be the world." All I can do is my best. All I can do is try to make a difference in my community and the lives of the people around me.

Sunday morning at church, Pastor Kent spoke on John 13:31-35, and I felt like his message was just for me. Isn't it crazy how God works? He is amazing. If I need to hear something, he will make sure that I get the message! The verses are as follows:

"We he (Judas) had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children I am with you only a little while longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Pastor Kent said that glory comes from giving yourself up; making sacrifices; being humble. All these can be done with an attitude of love. Kent gave 5 suggestions for extending love to one another:

1. Offer practical help/assistance. Employ common courtesies.
   
2. Be present. Waste time with each other. Bear each others burdens, believe together, hope together.
3. Have real interest. Put aside your own interests and take an interest in what others enjoy.
4. Delight in one another. Delight in things with someone else. Share joy.
5. Respect. No conditions. Simply - EVERYONE is created in the image of God.

This message spoke to me in a practical way, showing me HOW I can BE a proactive member in the Body of Christ. First, I can give of the love that God first gave me.

Peace and love.
J

We are the body of Christ

After listening to bad music on KIIS FM at work all day I hopped into my car for a commute with Casting Crowns. I have their self titled album from 2003 and I LOVE it. When the second track came on I felt convicted by the lyrics. I haven't been acting as the body of Christ in my daily life. I'm not doing horrible things, but I am not honoring Him and loving others to the fullest extent. I think we should all take these words to heart and encourage each other to live like the Body of Christ that we are.

If We Are the Body
It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in trying to fade into the faces
The girls teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

Chorus:
But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat and quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances
Tells him that his chances are better out on the road

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ

Jesus is the way


Praise Him!
Julie

Flaming Kitty

This is Sammy.



Sammy lives in San Luis Obispo with his "parents" Jeremy & Keshet. We think Sammy is gay. He likes to prance and strut around the house in scarves and feather boas.