Jonash .... Two of a Kind Working on a Full House

Thu-15-May-2008 - On Harry Potter & the Twilight Series

On the right side of my blog I had two links about Harry Potter, Harry Potter? and More on Harry Potter. The second one is broken, so I need to figure out if Voddie Baucham moved his blog about it or what.

I have these links because as a follower of Christ, I often wonder where to draw the line. I have on my wall a cross-stitch that says "Whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely . . . " You know the verse? I have never read Harry Potter. Is there really some benifit to reading about witches and wizards and things?

I find little squares blinking on blogs : GOD IS MY KING

and a little ways below it:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Does anyone else not see any sort of incompatibility here????

What about if we had:

GOD IS MY KING

and,

BAAL TEMPLES ROCK

The latest craze that I have become aware of is the Twilight series. It's about a vampire who falls in love with a human girl. It sounds quite riviting - so much so I have to guard myself. It really pulls at my emotional, romantic, female side. Is there not anything troublesome that a Christian could devote so much time into reading about something that is not, cannot be a godly topic - a blood drinker's romantic life - to the point that there are a bunch of CHRIST-FOLLOWERS that wish people that drank blood (vampires) were real???

That have "I love Edward Cullen" next to "I love Jesus Christ".

How can this be? The more I think about it the worse a taste I have in my mouth. No one seems to notice, no one seems to care. No one seems to recognize the incompatibility.

The vampire - Edward Cullen - is so smooth. He always says the perfect thing, of course, because he's scripted to do so and edited and when they put out the movie they will go over and over each sceen until it's positive to make every female in the audience swoon. In his "devotion" to this human girl he has to constantly "retrain" himself - it all sounds so courageous and impressive. I watched a clip yesterday -he says he is the "Ultimate preditor - everything about me, my voice, my looks, my smell, attracts you to me" or something along those lines.

I'm sorry, that's satan's line about sin. Everything about sin looks attractive to us and wants to draw us in.

So what will it be next? A demon that is so smooth and powerful and good looking that every reader wishes he were real and in love with them? (Hmm, wasn't there one on that Buffy show a few years back?)

What about a "well-written" book about two men or two women falling in love? If it's a "well-written" book we can read it and enjoy it anyway, right? Even if we don't agree with the premesis of the book?

Where do we draw the line? As a follower of Christ?

Is there really nothing out there to read besides this type of thing? I can hear people say "it's so well written" . . . is that to be our guide? Would it not be better to stay away from these types of things and read poorly written things? How often do we read the Bible - a HP book is huge! Surely as Christians we should read the Bible several times through while in the process of reading this series, right?

No, I fear that while everyone waits on pins and needles for the next book about spells and wizards and magic, the Bible is not read with the same eagerness.

Where do we draw the line????

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Wed-14-May-2008 - Things I Just Learned About Hair

Posted in Thoughts & Ideas

I have always enjoyed my long hair and didn't think it could get any better.

Although, if I didn't think it could get any better, it's hard to explain all of the different products I've tried. Expensive ones, popular ones, and then au natural ones : anyone remember my very first post – Never Wash Your Hair with a Banana Your Hair with a Banana! ?

But even before that I’ve had a love/hate relationship with my hair; as a little girl I was always getting burnt with the curling iron and finally my mom said I could “grow it out”. Then I didn’t get a hair cut until I was 16yo, and 8 inches of scraggly dead ends needed loped off in one fell swoop and I about died right there in the salon.

The hair stylist said she would help me grow it back out by only trimming off the dead ends every 3 months. And then she died in a car accident so I’ve been on my own.

Enter Susanna.

Remember me posting a while back about this girl that visited us and how my boys fell head –over-heels with here? Well, she has really long hair and understands hair and while she stayed with us I asked a buncha questions.

#1 I learned how to measure hair – from the hairline, back to the ends. So it doesn’t get confusing. (FYI, my hair is 28”. How cool is that? A little bit of me is just happier being able to put a number on my hair.) That's long enough for my son to stand on . . . . just kidding!

#2 I’ve tried baking soda, and my homemade soap. Unfortunatly, my head turns into a greasy mess and with 2' of hair, that’s waaaaay not any fun. Here is me with greasy hair but only because I put gunk in my hair and then didn't wash it in like, forever. My boys didn't seem to mind, though.

What Sue explained is that if it’s harsh enough to clean your scalp, it’s too harsh on the ‘length’ part of your hair.

So I quit using my shampoo except on my head and now I use my castile soap on the long part. Good grief, my hair is happy!!!! I didn’t even realize it was greasy for the first week, until every bit of the sticky suddenly left my hair and it’s so soft and smooth and you can actually play with it now.

It’s like TV commercial hair. And my husband can’t keep his hands out of it, LOL. J But I’m not really minding because for the first time my hair isn’t snagging on his hands.

On the downside, my hair is a bit more difficult to put up in a bun. It’s so soft that it is easy to plait it into a braid, though. It’s a soft braid, unlike all of the stiff, unhappy braids I had in previous years. And I’ve noticed that my hair will hold the crimp from the braid longer, which has never, ever happened. Ever!!!!

#3 I also learned that it’s a good idea to put a tiny, wee dab of coconut oil on the ends of your hair just as you get out of the shower – when it’s soaking wet. My brush doesn’t catch on the ends now. I’m in a bit of shock. I keep thinking it’s going to go away.

#4 I fell deeply into “like” with Susanna’s horn hair comb. It’s made from cow horn, the same stuff your hair is made out of, so there is no static created. It feels so yummy on your scalp, too, and spreads your natural oils through your hair. So I had to order one, but I have yet to receive it.

Now I have hopes that I might be able to get my hair to 3' long - that's only 6 more inches but it's about 5" longer than I've ever had nice, pretty hair. I have always, always dreamed of having hair to my waist, but the ends get too frayed and scraggly.

And even if my hair is never any longer than it is, now I'm about 100% happier to have it on my head. And I was pretty happy with it before, so this is pretty happy!

~Ashley~

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Tue-13-May-2008 - Family Pics

Posted in Family Photos

I really do want to blog. I have been working on a few post for over a week now, but my thoughts are too scrambled. So I edit and edit and never come up with what I want to say.