Second Thoughts – Katy Perry

Greetings Dear Reader,

Sometimes I will end the day with thoughts that are important to get out.  Usually I just write them and put them in my journal folder.  I have chosen that on occasion I will share them with you Dear Reader.

Please understand that this post is a direct response to several things I have heard today regarding last night’s Super Bowl Half-Time performance.  I will be clear that I enjoy some of the young lady’s music.  No matter what one think’s of her music, however, one cannot honestly deny that her voice is amazing.

I found her performance creative and entertaining.  She actually sang the songs.  She had interesting costumes.  The lion and the stars were truly imaginative. I have been unable to find a posted video of the performance.

What I truly wish to comment on is the things I have seen written and hear said about her by those who claim to follow Christ.  There is a binary choice to be made here. Either we treat her as someone who knows Jesus or we do not.  No matter which choice we make we have very specific obligations to Christ if we claim to follow him.

If one says that Katy Perry does not know Jesus then as a Christ follower one must do the following:

Love her

Pray for her

Refrain from Judging her

Not expect her to act like a Christ follower

Not speak evil things about her to others

If one says that Katy Perry knows Jesus then as a Christ follower one must do the following:

Love her

Pray for her

Refrain from Judging her

Not expect her to act like a Christ follower

Not speak evil things about her to others

Yes the lists are identical. No matter what I think of ANYONE I am obligated to love him or her.  I am bound by my own beliefs to pray for anyone who does not know Christ and for those who know him but appear to be off the path of following.  I say appear because I cannot know what someone else’s heart is before God.  I cannot say where Katy Perry is in her walk with Christ.

I can say that no matter where she is in that walk that she is worthy of love and kindness from anyone else who claims to follow Christ.  To judge and condemn her is neither our prevue nor our privilege.  If I could have a conversation with her I would apologize for those who do. 

The benchmark of the Christ follower is his love for others.  We cannot love God without obeying his command to love others.  That includes entertainers, sports figures, and politicians.  It includes everyone.

We must see her as she is. She is someone in whom God has created great talent and creativity.  She is someone for whom Christ gave his life.  She is worthy of our prayers and kindness.  If you need motivation to see her as she is give a listen to this:

Firework – Katy Perry

Do you ever feel

Like a plastic bag

Drifting through the wind

Wanting to start again

Do you ever feel

Feel so paper-thin

Like a house of cards

One blow from caving in

Do you ever feel

Already buried deep

Six feet under

Screams but no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that there's

Still a chance for you

'Cause there's a spark in you

You just gotta

Ignite the light

And let it shine

Just own the night

Like the Fourth of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework

Come on show them what you're worth

Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"

As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework

Come on let your colors burst

Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"

You're gonna leave them all in awe

You don't have to feel

Like a waste of space

You're original

Cannot be replaced

If you only knew

What the future holds

After a hurricane

Comes a rainbow

Maybe the reason why

All the doors are closed

So you could open one

That leads you to the perfect road

Like a lightning bolt

Your heart will glow

And when it's time you know

You just gotta

Ignite the light

And let it shine

Just own the night

Like the Fourth of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework

Come on show them what you're worth

Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"

As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework

Come on let your colors burst

Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"

You're gonna leave them all in awe

Boom, boom, boom

Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

It's always been inside of you, you, you

And now it's time to let it through

'Cause baby, you're a firework

Come on show them what you're worth

Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"

As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework

Come on let your colors burst

Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"

You're gonna leave them all in awe

Boom, boom, boom

Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

Boom, boom, boom

Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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Honest Words - Lose

Greetings Dear Reader,

Perhaps I should have dealt with this when I discussed failure.  I did not orchestrate that I would post this on Super bowl Sunday but here we are.  I hate that portions of our society have adopted a position that we do not lose.  A refusal to keep score at certain sporting events is a tremendous lie.  Tell me honestly that everyone watching does not keep score in his or her head anyway. 

There really are winners and losers.  How we lose is vital to our character development.  We never have to like it but it is an honest part of life.  Lose is an honest word.  The purpose of a sporting match is to determine a winner.  There must, therefore, be a loser.  Reports from leagues that have adopted a no score and no record policy are that every child and every parent knows the score and the win/loss record.

A collective lie that we do not keep score is not healthy for anyone.  It teaches us to deny the facts in hopes of promoting false good feelings.  Everyone loses sometimes.  Everyone fails at something.  When we teach people that they don’t lost we fail to prepare them for real life.

Another aspect of this is the disparity we create when we watch our favorite professional event; cheering for our favorite team or competitor.  The children we are setting examples for will see the hypocrisy in our reasoning and actions.

We lose.  We fail.  This is a simple binary decision that impacts the future.  Either we succeed or we do not.  To tell our children that they do not lose is to lie to them.  If we make the wrong binary choices in life then we lose.  If we deny this we are lose big.  Not going for the win in so many areas guarantees loss. 

I can be kind and lose.  I can be honest and good and still lose.  I give my very best and I still lose sometimes.  How we lose is often more important that how we win.  It makes winning sweeter.  It makes our character more refined.  It makes us hungry to do better.  Anything that makes us hungry to do better is a win. 

We will have great losses along the way.  We will lose things, opportunities, and people.  How we handle those losses impacts us whether we wish it or not.  We never had to like losing, but we will lose.  We will suffer loss.  Learning about loss is vital to our learning to win.  It is vital to our success in life. 

Fire and Rain – James Taylor

Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone

Susanne the plans they made put an end to you

I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song

I just cant remember who to send it to

I've seen fire and I`ve seen rain

I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end

I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend

But I always thought that Id see you again

Wont you look down upon me, Jesus?

You've got to help me make a stand

You've just got to see me through another day

My body’s aching and my time is at hand

And I wont make it any other way

Oh, I`ve seen fire and Ive seen rain

I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end

I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend

But I always thought that Id see you again

Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun

Lord knows when the cold wind blows itll turn your head around

Well, there’s hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things

To come

Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground

Oh, I`ve seen fire and I`ve seen rain

I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end

I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend

But I always thought that Id see you, baby, one more time again, now

Thought Id see you one more time again

There’s just a few things coming my way this time around, now

Thought Id see you, thought Id see you fire and rain, now

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)