Hey Jessica. I did that web search. Some of these are really funny :)
Kristina needs your help
Kristina needs a two parent adoptive family with one or two older children or a baby
Kristina needs to stay at Sonny's
Kristina needs to update
Kristina needs this surgery
Kristina needs to find something to do tonight to keep her mind occupied
Kristina needs to stop thinking
Kristina needs to be here
Kristina needs sleep
Kristina needs to stop listening to emo music
Kristina needs more than a bandage
Kristina needs a fan club too
Kristina needs to send the receipt for the aprons to Danielle
Kristina needs an operation
Kristina has always been more of a leader
Kristina has always had a passion for public service
Kristina has always wanted pursue a career that had something to do with drawing
Kristina has always been a performer
Kristina has always had a strong interest in politics
Kristina has always loved dancing
Kristina has always been a strong speller
Kristina has always had a passion for helping others
Kristina has always risen to the top
Kristina has always been surrounded by music
Kristina has always loved animals, especially cats
Kristina has always had an interest in gardening
Some of those are true, but others are completely opposite of my personality!
Friday, June 30, 2006
Saturday, June 24, 2006
What Ukulele???
I don't know anything about this guy or the song he's playing, but it's just... amazing.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
A letter from Christian guys...
Girls, could we talk to you right out of our hearts for a few minutes? It is awkward for us to talk about something of this nature, in person, so we thought we would write our feelings.
We are young men who have been saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit. We desperately want to live for Christ and not follow the ways of the world. Since we have been baptized (immersed) in a "Holy" Spirit, we feel in our hearts that we should live "holy" lives. After all, our bodies are the temple, the sanctuary, the place where the "Holy" Spirit lives and makes His home.
We know that guys and girls are affected differently, so since we desperately want to follow hard after God, could we kindly and respectfully ask you to help us with a few things? We realize that girls are primarily stimulated or turned on by "touch." Did you know that guys are turned on by "sight?" So when you are "aroused" (sexually awakened) by a guy's "touch," we are in the same way aroused by mere "sight." Let us explain. When we see girls who are dressed in a suggestive, revealing, provocative, teasing, tantalizing manner, our sexual desires are aroused. Our bodies are then affected.
To be absolutely candid, let us give you some examples of what we are referring to:
If you are wearing a blouse that barely meets the waist of your slacks and some of your skin shows while you are moving around, or simply while you are walking, sitting, or kneeling, our minds are geared to wonder what more of your body would look like further up....This causes our bodies to respond biologically, and suddenl we are fighting a war in our minds and bodies. And that war of lust is continuing often long, even hours, after you are gone. We hate this, because our "righteous man" wants to think pure thoughts....
When you wear low-cut tops which are in any degree revealing, or when you bend over, and they are revealing, this again causes us big problems in the flesh. Or if the back is out of your top, we automatically think that you do not have the undergarment on, and the Spirit and the flesh begin to fight again. Or when we see any glimpse of your undergarments, such as straps and the like, we have trouble.
What we are trying to say is this: If it is not for sale, don't advertise it. We really feel that the still small voice of the Holy Spirit speaks to you and nudges you when it is too tight, too short, too low, or too revealing. Will you listen to that voice? For the Scripture says, "Quench not the Spirit." (1 Thess. 5:19).
Girls, do you know what we would really like? We would like to come among our Christian sisters and not have to fight and struggle in the flesh. We do not need to have to wrestle in the flesh at church or at church activities. We men, whether young, old, single or married, are faced with this every day among girls of the "world." But we would like to have rest in our Spirit man when we come among Christian girls. After all, doesn't the Scripture tell us to "come out from among the world and be you separate, saith the Lord." (2 Cor. 6:17) It also tells us that "all that is in the world, the lust of the eye, and the lust of the flesh, is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2:15) We are the church, not the world.
We know that people often use the verse, "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart," (1 Sam. 16:7) to condone anything they wish to wear. This is one of the most misused/used out-of-context verses in the Bible. Conversely, the fact is, if your heart is pure, your outward appearance will be modest....
Girls can be fashionable and modest at the same time. To be honest, we respect you more when your appearance is modest, as the Scripture commands in 1 Timothy 2:9. We really do not want the kind of girl who dresses provocatively, for we know that if we marry her, she will still be that way in the presence of other men once we are married.We know that we have Christian responsibilites toward girls, too. We must be careful to portray ourselves properly. We must treat you like ladies. If we are really committed Christian guys, we will strive to treat you like Jesus would. After all, you are daughters of God.
Thank you, dear Christian sisters, for hearing our hearts on this subject. Once we have conveyed the truth of the matter to you, you become responsible before God for what you do with the truth. We really are "our brother's keeper." (Genesis 4:9.) We know that there is a "cult of conformity" in our generation, but we as Christians "march to the beat of a different drummer."
Please, girls, do not say, "I don't care," but help us in these last days to live as close to Jesus as we can.
Thank you so much.
Sincerely,
--"Committed Christian Guys"
We are young men who have been saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit. We desperately want to live for Christ and not follow the ways of the world. Since we have been baptized (immersed) in a "Holy" Spirit, we feel in our hearts that we should live "holy" lives. After all, our bodies are the temple, the sanctuary, the place where the "Holy" Spirit lives and makes His home.
We know that guys and girls are affected differently, so since we desperately want to follow hard after God, could we kindly and respectfully ask you to help us with a few things? We realize that girls are primarily stimulated or turned on by "touch." Did you know that guys are turned on by "sight?" So when you are "aroused" (sexually awakened) by a guy's "touch," we are in the same way aroused by mere "sight." Let us explain. When we see girls who are dressed in a suggestive, revealing, provocative, teasing, tantalizing manner, our sexual desires are aroused. Our bodies are then affected.
To be absolutely candid, let us give you some examples of what we are referring to:
If you are wearing a blouse that barely meets the waist of your slacks and some of your skin shows while you are moving around, or simply while you are walking, sitting, or kneeling, our minds are geared to wonder what more of your body would look like further up....This causes our bodies to respond biologically, and suddenl we are fighting a war in our minds and bodies. And that war of lust is continuing often long, even hours, after you are gone. We hate this, because our "righteous man" wants to think pure thoughts....
When you wear low-cut tops which are in any degree revealing, or when you bend over, and they are revealing, this again causes us big problems in the flesh. Or if the back is out of your top, we automatically think that you do not have the undergarment on, and the Spirit and the flesh begin to fight again. Or when we see any glimpse of your undergarments, such as straps and the like, we have trouble.
What we are trying to say is this: If it is not for sale, don't advertise it. We really feel that the still small voice of the Holy Spirit speaks to you and nudges you when it is too tight, too short, too low, or too revealing. Will you listen to that voice? For the Scripture says, "Quench not the Spirit." (1 Thess. 5:19).
Girls, do you know what we would really like? We would like to come among our Christian sisters and not have to fight and struggle in the flesh. We do not need to have to wrestle in the flesh at church or at church activities. We men, whether young, old, single or married, are faced with this every day among girls of the "world." But we would like to have rest in our Spirit man when we come among Christian girls. After all, doesn't the Scripture tell us to "come out from among the world and be you separate, saith the Lord." (2 Cor. 6:17) It also tells us that "all that is in the world, the lust of the eye, and the lust of the flesh, is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2:15) We are the church, not the world.
We know that people often use the verse, "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart," (1 Sam. 16:7) to condone anything they wish to wear. This is one of the most misused/used out-of-context verses in the Bible. Conversely, the fact is, if your heart is pure, your outward appearance will be modest....
Girls can be fashionable and modest at the same time. To be honest, we respect you more when your appearance is modest, as the Scripture commands in 1 Timothy 2:9. We really do not want the kind of girl who dresses provocatively, for we know that if we marry her, she will still be that way in the presence of other men once we are married.We know that we have Christian responsibilites toward girls, too. We must be careful to portray ourselves properly. We must treat you like ladies. If we are really committed Christian guys, we will strive to treat you like Jesus would. After all, you are daughters of God.
Thank you, dear Christian sisters, for hearing our hearts on this subject. Once we have conveyed the truth of the matter to you, you become responsible before God for what you do with the truth. We really are "our brother's keeper." (Genesis 4:9.) We know that there is a "cult of conformity" in our generation, but we as Christians "march to the beat of a different drummer."
Please, girls, do not say, "I don't care," but help us in these last days to live as close to Jesus as we can.
Thank you so much.
Sincerely,
--"Committed Christian Guys"
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
In Common With Jesus
I have something in common, with Jesus my King.
You see He loves me so much,
He laid down His life down for me.
They pierced His hands and feet
The blood flowed from His side
Beyond recognition He was beaten
Upon His head He wore a crown of thorns
He was bruised for my iniquities
He was pierced for my transgressions
And every pound of the hammer
He felt the sins of the world
Being placed upon His shoulders
Yet by His stripes I am healed
His love, His grace, His mercy
My sins, my Savior, both died on that cross
He willingly bore the burdon of the world
And all the hate I have made
And all the hate I have endured
Was put onto Jesus, Love and Mercy manifest
He gave me life, I could never repay Him
All I could ever do is lay down my life back in His hands.
And that's what I have in common with Jesus.
You see He loves me so much,
He laid down His life down for me.
They pierced His hands and feet
The blood flowed from His side
Beyond recognition He was beaten
Upon His head He wore a crown of thorns
He was bruised for my iniquities
He was pierced for my transgressions
And every pound of the hammer
He felt the sins of the world
Being placed upon His shoulders
Yet by His stripes I am healed
His love, His grace, His mercy
My sins, my Savior, both died on that cross
He willingly bore the burdon of the world
And all the hate I have made
And all the hate I have endured
Was put onto Jesus, Love and Mercy manifest
He gave me life, I could never repay Him
All I could ever do is lay down my life back in His hands.
And that's what I have in common with Jesus.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
John
John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend[a] it."
The Gospel of John is my favorite book of the Bible, and the Apostle John is my favorite person (besides Jesus) in the Bible. He was called, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." We are all Jesus' friends if we obey His commandments, but John was especially close to Jesus as a friend and disciple.
I like the way John writes about Jesus, and speaks of himself as a third person giving respect to Jesus and the other apostles. He focuses on the deity of Christ, as well as His humanity.
He was the youngest of the apostles, and therefore I think that he may have had a less tainted worldview because of that. Perhaps, unlike Peter who called himself a "sinful man," John hadn't been hardened by years of sin and pride.
He was given the privilege of seeing what would happen at the end times, when Jesus comes back. And he was able to make a record of it so that people today can know what to expect, and see the prophecies being fulfilled, proving the Bible to be true.
Here is the introduction to the Gospel of John in the Nelson Study Bible:
The Gospel According to
JOHN
JOHN
The words "Read This First" have taken an important role in the packaging of modern consumer products. Most consumers think life is too short for instruction manuals, so the packagers state it plainly: If you cannot read the manual, at least read this very important part. "Read This First"- it is for your own good. The Gospel of John makes a similar claim. It is the only book in the Bible that states its purpose clearly and succinctly: It was written to tell individuals how to find eternal life (20:31). This clearly identified purpose sets the Gospel of John apart from the other Gospels. It is not so much a life of Jesus as it is a powerful presentation of His deity. Every chapter presents evidence-both signs and statements-for His divine authority. According to John, believing that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, is the beginning of eternal life (3:14-17). What could be more important? John's statement about his Gospel is as good as a "Read This First" sticker for one's entire life.
Author
The author of the Gospel of John does not identify himself by name, but his identity can be learned from the dialogue recorded in 21:19-24. The author calls himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (21:20), a designation that occurs four other times in the book (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7). This was the same "disciple who ... wrote these things" (21:24). The author had to be one of the twelve apostles, because he is described as leaning on Jesus' bosom at the Last Supper, an event to which only the apostles were invited (13:23; see Mark 14:17). These details imply that he was one of the three disciples closest to Jesus: Peter, James, or John (see Matt. 17:1). He could not be Peter, because 21:20 states that Peter looked back and saw this one Jesus loved, and in another place asked a question of him (13:23, 24). On the other hand, James was martyred too early to be the author of this Gospel (see Acts 12:1, 2). Thus it is reasonable to conclude that this book was written by the apostle John. This conclusion is supported by early Christians such as Polycarp (a.d. 60-155), who was a follower of John.
Date
In the nineteenth century, many critics claimed that the Gospel of John was written around a.d. 170. Then in 1935 C. H. Roberts discovered a scrap of papyrus in Egypt containing portions of 18:31-33, 37, 38 that disproved their theory. This fragment, the Rylands papyrus, was written around a.d. 125. The Gospel itself must have been written before a.d. 125, or even a.d. 110, allowing time for it to be copied and then carried to Egypt.
Conservative scholars typically date the book between a.d. 85 and a.d. 95. The book makes no reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70, implying that such a significant event must have occurred many years earlier. Moreover, the statement about Peter in 21:18, 23 seems to indicate that the Gospel was written when John was an old man. Only then would John have had to explain the death of Peter, or contend with a long-standing rumor of the early church. Others have suggested a date before a.d. 70 on the basis of 5:2, which indicates that Jerusalem was still standing. But there is a question about the interpretation of the tense of the verb to be. It is likely that the reason John used the present tense in this verse was to describe Jerusalem vividly, not to describe its present condition. Without more evidence than the tense of the verb in 5:2, the date of around a.d. 90 still seems most reasonable.
Theology
The Gospel of John is a persuasive argument for the deity of Jesus. It concentrates on presenting Jesus as the Word, that is, God (1:1) who became a man (1:14). Thus John meticulously records the statements and describes the miracles of Jesus that can only be attributed to God Himself.
Jesus called Himself the bread of life (6:35, 41, 48, 51), the light of the world (8:12; 9:5), the door for the sheep (10:7, 9), the good shepherd (10:11, 14), the resurrection and the life (11:25), the way, the truth, the life (14:6), and the true vine (15:1, 5). Each of these statements begins with the words, "I am," recalling God's revelation of His name, "I AM," to Moses (see Ex. 3:14). Jesus did not say He gave bread; He said He is the Bread which gives life. He did not say He would teach the way, the truth, and the life; instead He said He is the Way, because He is the Truth and the Life. These are Jesus' clear claims to deity: He was not a mere man.
Then there are the signs of Jesus' deity. Miracles in the Gospel of John are called "signs" because they point to Jesus' divine nature. John records seven such signs: changing water into wine (2:1-11), healing a man's son (4:46-54), healing a lame man (5:1-9), multiplying bread and fish (6:1-14), walking on water (6:15-21), healing a blind man (9:1-7), and raising Lazarus (11:38-44). These miracles show that Jesus is God; He possesses power over nature. Other indications of Jesus' deity include the testimonies of John the Baptist (1:32-34), Nathanael (1:49), the blind man (9:35-38), Martha (11:27), and Thomas (20:28)-not to mention Jesus'own words (5:19-26).
Jesus was also fully man. His body grew weary (4:6), His soul was troubled (12:27; 13:21), and He groaned in His spirit (11:33). At the same time, this God-man was Israel's Messiah. Andrew told his brother, "We have found the Messiah" (1:41). Nathanael concluded, "You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" (1:49). Even the Samaritan woman testified to Jesus' identity (4:25, 26, 29). Jesus the Messiah was and is the Savior of the world (4:42; 11:27; 12:13).
John urges us to trust in Jesus for eternal life. Our trust is built on our belief that (1) the Father is in Christ, and Christ is in the Father (10:38; 14:10, 11); (2) Christ came from God (16:17, 30), and God sent Him (11:42; 17:8, 21; see 6:29); and (3) He is the Son of God (6:69; 11:27; 20:31). John reveals the Bible's most important message: Believe and follow Jesus, because He is the way to eternal life.
Author
The author of the Gospel of John does not identify himself by name, but his identity can be learned from the dialogue recorded in 21:19-24. The author calls himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (21:20), a designation that occurs four other times in the book (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7). This was the same "disciple who ... wrote these things" (21:24). The author had to be one of the twelve apostles, because he is described as leaning on Jesus' bosom at the Last Supper, an event to which only the apostles were invited (13:23; see Mark 14:17). These details imply that he was one of the three disciples closest to Jesus: Peter, James, or John (see Matt. 17:1). He could not be Peter, because 21:20 states that Peter looked back and saw this one Jesus loved, and in another place asked a question of him (13:23, 24). On the other hand, James was martyred too early to be the author of this Gospel (see Acts 12:1, 2). Thus it is reasonable to conclude that this book was written by the apostle John. This conclusion is supported by early Christians such as Polycarp (a.d. 60-155), who was a follower of John.
Date
In the nineteenth century, many critics claimed that the Gospel of John was written around a.d. 170. Then in 1935 C. H. Roberts discovered a scrap of papyrus in Egypt containing portions of 18:31-33, 37, 38 that disproved their theory. This fragment, the Rylands papyrus, was written around a.d. 125. The Gospel itself must have been written before a.d. 125, or even a.d. 110, allowing time for it to be copied and then carried to Egypt.
Conservative scholars typically date the book between a.d. 85 and a.d. 95. The book makes no reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70, implying that such a significant event must have occurred many years earlier. Moreover, the statement about Peter in 21:18, 23 seems to indicate that the Gospel was written when John was an old man. Only then would John have had to explain the death of Peter, or contend with a long-standing rumor of the early church. Others have suggested a date before a.d. 70 on the basis of 5:2, which indicates that Jerusalem was still standing. But there is a question about the interpretation of the tense of the verb to be. It is likely that the reason John used the present tense in this verse was to describe Jerusalem vividly, not to describe its present condition. Without more evidence than the tense of the verb in 5:2, the date of around a.d. 90 still seems most reasonable.
Theology
The Gospel of John is a persuasive argument for the deity of Jesus. It concentrates on presenting Jesus as the Word, that is, God (1:1) who became a man (1:14). Thus John meticulously records the statements and describes the miracles of Jesus that can only be attributed to God Himself.
Jesus called Himself the bread of life (6:35, 41, 48, 51), the light of the world (8:12; 9:5), the door for the sheep (10:7, 9), the good shepherd (10:11, 14), the resurrection and the life (11:25), the way, the truth, the life (14:6), and the true vine (15:1, 5). Each of these statements begins with the words, "I am," recalling God's revelation of His name, "I AM," to Moses (see Ex. 3:14). Jesus did not say He gave bread; He said He is the Bread which gives life. He did not say He would teach the way, the truth, and the life; instead He said He is the Way, because He is the Truth and the Life. These are Jesus' clear claims to deity: He was not a mere man.
Then there are the signs of Jesus' deity. Miracles in the Gospel of John are called "signs" because they point to Jesus' divine nature. John records seven such signs: changing water into wine (2:1-11), healing a man's son (4:46-54), healing a lame man (5:1-9), multiplying bread and fish (6:1-14), walking on water (6:15-21), healing a blind man (9:1-7), and raising Lazarus (11:38-44). These miracles show that Jesus is God; He possesses power over nature. Other indications of Jesus' deity include the testimonies of John the Baptist (1:32-34), Nathanael (1:49), the blind man (9:35-38), Martha (11:27), and Thomas (20:28)-not to mention Jesus'own words (5:19-26).
Jesus was also fully man. His body grew weary (4:6), His soul was troubled (12:27; 13:21), and He groaned in His spirit (11:33). At the same time, this God-man was Israel's Messiah. Andrew told his brother, "We have found the Messiah" (1:41). Nathanael concluded, "You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" (1:49). Even the Samaritan woman testified to Jesus' identity (4:25, 26, 29). Jesus the Messiah was and is the Savior of the world (4:42; 11:27; 12:13).
John urges us to trust in Jesus for eternal life. Our trust is built on our belief that (1) the Father is in Christ, and Christ is in the Father (10:38; 14:10, 11); (2) Christ came from God (16:17, 30), and God sent Him (11:42; 17:8, 21; see 6:29); and (3) He is the Son of God (6:69; 11:27; 20:31). John reveals the Bible's most important message: Believe and follow Jesus, because He is the way to eternal life.
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