Thoughts spilling into spoken word

Last week as a writing team we participated in a whole day of learning our Myers-Briggs personality types. To help clarify between letters, we engaged in fun writing activities. After writing a few of us shared what we wrote--reminded me of free writing in my AP English class in high school! :)

After observing an abstract painting for about 20 seconds, we were asked to describe what we saw for 3 minutes.

Two cherries sitting on the side of a green road winding down out of view. Branches blown by the wind litter the green grass. Was there a storm? A ribbon left over from a dress, or is it a head scarf from a little girl? Green and red remind me of Christmas and make me want to add gold flecks into the painting. The shade of green calms me, it's my favorite color...

We were again asked to define another abstract idea--time. We only had 3 minutes or so.

Continues on and on and on. Doesn't stop for funerals, tragedies...doesn't slow down while joy or happiness are felt. Doesn't speed up during horrible lectures! Ten minutes can feel like an eternity at the doctor's office, but can feel like a second when you're with someone you love. Time is a paradox, a mystery that...

Then during another writer's meeting, we each received a scenario to write about for 5 minutes to get our writer-brains started. My boss gave coworker Melissa this scenario: The world is now backwards, describe it. She wrote this amazing poem, seriously genius! :)

The World of D'Lrow ~ by assilem

I woke up this morning and started to yawn
And realized that night had dawned!
People waved "Goodbye, hello"
The sun was blue, the sky—yellow!
And no one ever claps their hands
They clap their feet—an applauding dance
Ice cream never stays on cones
And dogs unbury chewing bones
The ceilings have become the floor
And rain falls up here, evermore…

My boss gave me this scenario: Describe the misadventures of Eddie the Yellow Snowflake...unfortunately I ran out of time and didn't finish my story. But you can probably guess where I was going with it...

Eddie loved himself. Loved himself to the point of ridiculousness. "What a beautiful snowflake am I!" he would croon. "Look at me glitter, look at me shine!" Everyday Eddie would walk down Crystal Avenue looking at himself in all the mirrors gloating to his neighbors. "I'm the best that's ever been made! I'm the best that will ever be!" Eddie loved himself.

One day the Maker Of All That Is Snow, MOATIS for short, needed snowflakes for a project. Everyone crowded around excitedly waiting to be picked. Eddie, of course, was right in front glistening in the sun. Well, he was chosen. "I knew it!" he cried, "now is my chance to show the world my beauty!"

As he lazily dropped to the earth, he grew more and more proud of his beauty.

Yeah, eventually I would explain how he became yellow... (aka a dog peeing on him!) :) which would then humble him and cause him to realize his true worth did not come from his exterior, but inner character!

Purity rings banned?

'Purity' ring case in High Court

A 16-year-old girl has gone to the High Court to accuse her school of discriminating against Christians by banning the wearing of "purity rings".

Lydia Playfoot was told by Millais School in Horsham, West Sussex, to remove her ring, which symbolises chastity, or face expulsion. She says Sikh and Muslim pupils can wear bangles and headscarves in class.

The school denies breaching her human rights, insisting the ring is not an essential part of the Christian faith. BBC News religious affairs correspondent Robert Piggott said a group of girls at the school were wearing the rings as part of a movement called the "Silver Ring Thing" (SRT).

Human rights barrister Paul Diamond told the High Court the school's action was "forbidden" by law. "Secular authorities and institutions cannot be arbiters of religious faith," Mr Diamond said. He said a question the judge would have to answer was: "What are the religious rights of schoolchildren in the school context?"

'Sexually pure'

Originating in America, SRT promotes abstinence among young people. Mr Piggott said it was now spreading to the UK as part of a wider protest by traditionalist Christians against what they see as the secularisation of society.

The rings are inscribed with a reference to the biblical verse I Thessalonians 4:3-4, which translates as: "God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear of all sexual sin. Then each of you will control your body and live in holiness and honour."

Miss Playfoot's school said her ring broke uniform rules and ordered her to remove it. When she refused, she was taken out of lessons and made to study on her own. She told BBC Breakfast: "In the Bible it says you should remain sexually pure and I think this is a way I want to express my faith."

Miss Playfoot is seeking a judicial review under Article Nine of the Human Rights Act which guarantees freedom of religious expression. She says that should protect her right to wear the ring.

In a written statement to Deputy Judge Michael Supperstone QC, Miss Playfoot said young girls faced a "moral and ethical crisis" and that other teenage girls at her school had become pregnant.

She said other pupils regularly broke the uniform code with nose rings, tongue studs, badges and dyed hair. The only reason for banning the rings was because the school refused to "give respect to aspects of the Christian faith they are not familiar with", Miss Playfoot said.

"The real reason for the extreme hostility to the wearing of the SRT purity ring is the dislike of the message of sexual restraint which is counter cultural and contrary to societal and governmental policy," she added.

Uniform code

Lawyers for the school will insist that it is not operating a discriminatory policy because allowances made for Sikhs and Muslims only occur for items integral to their religious beliefs. It argues that a Christian pupil would be allowed to wear a crucifix. In freely choosing the school, lawyers will also say that Miss Playfoot and her parents voluntarily accepted to adhere to the uniform code.

Miss Playfoot's first application to the High Court was turned down last year, but judges agreed to hear it today after she appealed. Miss Playfoot completed her GCSEs last week and has now left the school.

But her father Phil, who is a pastor, said she still wanted to take the case because of its wider significance for all Christians. "I think there's something bigger at stake here," he said.

Messages of support

Mr Playfoot and his wife Heather are part of the volunteer team which runs the UK branch of the Silver Ring Thing from their church in Horsham. The organisers of the movement say as many as 25,000 young people have joined so far in the UK and that numbers are growing.

Miss Playfoot has received messages of support from politicians, including former Conservative party chairman Lord Tebbit and Tory MP Ann Widdecombe.

She also has the backing of the Lawyers Christian Fellowship (LCF) which represents 2,000 Christian lawyers across the UK. The case is being funded through individual donations gathered through the LCF's sister group Christian Concern for our Nation.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/6229098.stm

Published: 2007/06/22 12:37:12 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Peaceful religion?

Why choose to kill innocent school children and teachers just to make a political point? What happened to valuing human life? Will disrupting and destroying society really produce the kind of country you want to live in? It doesn't make any sense to create fear and animosity, stir up strife and thoughts of revenge...and then expect a thriving country to develop! Society runs on morals, strip those away and you're left with a world that's out for themselves...which inevitably self-destructs...

Schools torched in south Thailand

Thirteen schools have been set on fire in southern Thailand, where teachers have increasingly become the targets of a bloody conflict.

The Thai authorities have blamed Muslim insurgents for a series of recent attacks on schools, as part of their separatist campaign.

The violence in the region has killed more than 2,200 people since 2004.

More than 200 schools have been torched and 77 teachers killed, according to education officials.

Classrooms unsafe

This appears to have been a co-ordinated attack - 13 schools set on fire almost simultaneously on Wednesday evening.

Hours later a bomb exploded in front of another school.

No group has yet claimed responsibility.

On Monday, two female primary school teachers were shot dead in front of their students, and another teacher was killed in an ambush.

In response, hundreds of schools closed their doors this week, with staff demanding better security from the authorities.

Many teachers already carry guns and travel with armed escorts. More than 70 have been killed in the past three years.

Muslim separatists are accused of targeting schools and Buddhist monks because they are seen as symbols of the state.

The violence appears to have escalated in recent months, with almost daily attacks taking place in Thailand's three southernmost provinces.

In a separate incident, a man was reportedly gunned down late on Wednesday in a drive-by shooting in Yala province.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6751295.stm

My notes after learning about discernment from Boundless

Principled Discernment in the Gray Areas of Life:

1. Imitate God Ephesians 5:1
   1. When faced w/ a decision in a gray area, use God’s standard. Remember the goal of discernment is to make us more like the Father who saved us.
2. Realize my sinful heart can deceive me Jeremiah 17:9-10
   1. Focusing on issues instead of motives. (i.e. “There’s nothing wrong with___” instead of “What’s my motive in doing this?”)
   2. Justifying myself b/c of good intentions or perceived maturity. (“I’m mature enough, I can handle it.”)
   3. Questioning God’s standard. (“God will just forgive me.” “The Lord won’t mind.”)
   4. More comfortable with confusion than clarity. (“I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing even if I’m not sure if it’s right—it’s easier than stopping to think about it.”)
3. Think biblically 2 Timothy 3:16-17
   1. In these gray matters God wants to draw us into a relationship w/ Him. He wants to whisper the answer through His Word by revealing His character and plan. (“Will this help me represent the gospel?” “Will this help me be part of Jesus’ distinct community?”)
4. Involve others Proverbs 12:15
   1. I need God’s Word and other believers to help me see straight.
   2. Inform others of temptations/current struggles; get counsel when making a decision; ask specific questions instead of wanting general counsel (“what am I not seeing right now?”)
5. Decide to worship Romans 12:1-2
   1. We are to use everything about ourselves to worship God. What’s our motivation? Because Christ bought and saved us. Christianity has a cost. We’re sacrificing everything about us to God’s glory.
   2. Every moment of your day is a moment to worship the Living God.