responding to westboro

Westboro is a very awful community that calls themselves a Baptist church.  They claim that God hates certain people, and punishes those that don't love him enough.

So Westboro pickets anything they think God hates.  The funerals of gays, the funerals of those killed in the NIU shootings.  I don't have the energy sometimes to think about how this can even be happening.

Well, they are coming to U of Chicago.  Because we are the place where "the beast" (Obama) has some roots and because God hates us I guess.

U of Chicago students are organizing a protest.  Why protest a protest? I think it will just feed into their stupid ideas. (Stupid isn't strong enough.  Really, I feel like their hate is draining me of my energy).

My ideas? I don't know. So far I wish instead of protesting that we would all wear shirts that say "God loves the members of Westboro church, and ________________."  I want to show them love somehow, but I don't know that if I came face to face with them I could.

The blanks will be filled in differently on different people's shirts.  Examples?

a. homosexuals

b. transgendered

c. obama

d. married couples

e. divorced couples

f. you

g. me

i. heterosexuals

j. atheists

k. muslims

You get the idea... all people. God loves all people.

the bucks

What if we had to drink every beverage we make a mistake on?

-Amie

Separate note: I am REALLY excited about VIA.  It is Starbucks's ready brew.  Got a meeting where they serve awful coffee in a huge tub? Going to work at camp this summer? Sick of buying coffee mid day at school and just wish you could make your own and save some dollars? Starbucks VIA ready brew is coming to you, March 3rd.  

It tastes good, too. No chemicals added.  All you need is 8oz of hot water. And a cup, I guess.

follow through

If you are in charge of an after school program and you say to an 8th grader "if you do that again you are going to be in big trouble" and they do it again and you don't do anything but say "stop it" then I am going to want to punch you in the shin.  Especially when they get in a physical altercation and you still don't do anything about it. And I tell you they need a yellow card in front of him and... still nothing.

Yup. Punch you in the shin. Take that, physical altercation.

I like saying "physical altercation" instead of "fight."  Mostly because it seems so stupid.

you've got a thing for me

This is free on itunes right now.

If you get sick of the song, just mute it and watch the video.

I thought it was pretty funny.

After my post about crap music, right? ha ha.

bad music is taking over the world

Today I thought about taking any music off my ipod that talks about cheating, premarital and explicit sex stuff, divorce, degradation of women, littering, killing people, not caring about other people, and other things that are trashing my mind.  I am not trying to say it is terrible to listen to these things. I think I am just sick of listening to these things.

I'm not sure how much music I will be left with if I do this.  Not to say that I have a ton of crap music.  But there are just a lot of songs that have bad messages.

I think it is affecting our society.

I want to post this. But I don't want to come off all judgyChristian either. But it is really what I was thinking about today for me. I thought maybe I couldn't do it, which means maybe I should do it.

Anyway. I really like Plain White T's. I liked their old song, and I really like their new one.  I could have watched them play at the zoo once. It was either the zoo or six flags.  Either way, the plans fell through because the one friend I had at the time couldn't go at the last minute. Sad.

The video is filmed in Chicago!! At the skating rink I LOVE and need to try my new skates on soon. This weekend, right Ben?

communities

When I moved here I started going to Willow because I wanted to find community and it was the only church I knew about.

I've gone to their 20 somethings ministry the entire time I churched hopped, found my home at Harvest, and then church hopped again.

The ministry started off with everyone.

Then went to "Missional Community Hubs" which means the 20 somethings started meeting in smaller groups in their respective suburb areas.

Arlington Heights had one hub with about 8 regular attenders.

That number grew.

A lot.

We "reproduced" (they changed the name of that, thank goodness. I called it fruitify because I refused to call it reproduced. They have something that sounds better now but I forget it).

That group grew really big, so we fruitified again.

The leadership team of my hub is meeting right now on the first floor. (I'm not because I should be... and was.. doing homework).

But I can hear my other roommate down in the basement, practicing for her (different) hub's worship tomorrow.

My other roommate is helping her boyfriend form yet another hub.

I think that is very beautiful.

I love community. And growth.

lost

Dear writers of lost,

I don't watch lost.  I watched two episodes one time and decided that was enough, no offense. Anyway, on Wednesday I wanted to hang out with the people that were watching lost so I was in the room as I worked on something else.

I have the perfect ending for you.  Mid-season: have one of the dramatic events on the island (very unfortunately, of course) kill everyone.  The rest of the season can be the camera that dropped (because it would have got the camera man too) showing the different weather patterns and animals that happen to pass by.

You're welcome,

Krista