Manchester United played today and beat Man. City 1-0. Thanks to Wayne Rooney. Cristiano Ronaldo took a soft red (after two yellows) and was sent off, leaving the Reds down a man. The Steelers play later today, and I'm really hoping that they can beat the Patriots because the Patriots are my least favorite team in the NFL. And it is rainy and gray, which is not my favorite weather. I can't win anymore at Tetris.

So today is only the second day of Thanksgiving break, but it feels like a lot longer then that since I haven't been in school since a week ago. And once we get back, there are only a few weeeks until Christmas. I can't wait! There are a few things that will happen between now and then, and I do have some things that need to get done, but it should still come really fast. This year has gone by pretty quickly so far. I hope it keeps moving this fast. I have a bunch of applications and stuff to fill out this weekend. And I should probably do it soon because otherwise I will go to hang out with people and it won't ever get done. And that wouldn't be good. Because my mom wouldn't be too thrilled. And that wouldn't be very good.

Tetris is addicting. For sure. I just set a record and somebody broke it. Not okay with me. Now I need to beat their new record. And I probably will play until I do break their record. Okay, I just beat her record. Yay. It only took one try too. I guess I'm just that good at Tetris. Haha, just kidding. I ate Thanksgiving lunch a couple hours ago and it still feels like I can't move. I ate a lot. And then some.

This thing just told me that there were conflicting editing attempts or something. So it deleted everything I had written. But anyway... I just got back from Delaware, and the water was cold, but it was fun, and I'm tired, and I'm going to sleep a lot tonight. I like Thanksgiving.

I am going to be in Lewes, Delaware until Wednesday. It should be a good time, as long as it warms up a little bit. If it doesn't I'm going to be really really cold. And it might not be quite as much fun. Then once I get back it's Thanksgiving vacation which should be fun. Until Tuesday rolls around and I need to go back to school. I'm pretty tired and I probably won't get any less tired over the next few nights so I think I might go to bed soon, even though it is early. Tetris is a fun game.

It's snowing! And it is actuallly staying on the ground!

Social Responsibility: Government or Church?
Politics today are blamed for much of what goes wrong in our country and our world. Democrats blame Republicans and vice versa. Both parties feel a different way about how the government’s resources should be used. Many church members take a strong stand on one side or the other. As a member of the universal church, I am involved. It is easy for us to say that the government should be taking care of the poor, or the government should enforce moral values. But is that really the job of government, or is that the job of the church? While we may want to sit back and say that politicians should take care of this issue and that issue, in reality many of these issues should be taken in by the church.
The Republican Party tends to take the stance that the government should be involved with traditional moral values such as gay marriage or abortion. The Democratic Party leans toward government activism and social change. The Democrats put more money toward programs for the poor while the Republicans put their attention on allowing you to live a gay lifestyle or have an abortion. But are either of these the responsibility of government? As defined in Political Science with Mr. Wentling a “state” (or country) is a body of people organized politically who are living in a defined territory that is sovereign. Garet Garrett said, “Formerly government was the responsibility of people; now people were the responsibility of government.”
Regardless of party affiliation everyone would agree that the government has responsibilities, but the church is responsible for many of the things we blame politicians for doing poorly in. Maybe the reason politicians fall short of our ideals is that it was never their job to handle these issues.
Democrats are pushing for more money to be given to the poor of our country. It seems like a good idea, because the people of our country who are not well off need support. However, according to Jesus, the church should be taking care of the poor. Multiple times in the Bible there are references to the churches responsibility to help the poor. In Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to the rich young ruler, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." But this issue is not limited to the poor people living on our streets and in our slums. After Hurricane Katrina took ravished New Orleans, the government sent in workers to help in various ways. A few years later the area is still feeling the effects of the hurricane, but the media has moved on to other news and few people give a second thought to the people who are still trying to get their lives back to normal. There are still a few church organizations working on the area, but the area has a long way to go. Some people fault the government for not responding and giving enough support. But I think the church could have done a much better job. The Bible is clear that it is the church’s responsibility to help those in need, not the responsibility of the government.
Many people classify Republicans as the Christians, which is partially because many of the Republican planks stem from Christian morals. Republicans are pushing for laws restricting gay marriage and abortion. The government does not have the Constitutional power to enforce a law that would restrict someone’s rights. And yet many conservative evangelicals are trying to get the laws put in place. But maybe the law should not be there anyway. If the church would set a moral standard for the world, the government would not need laws enforcing morals. If Christians would rise up and provide the care and support that is necessary, many abortions would be prevented. Forcing morals on someone is the similar to forcing beliefs on someone. It is not an effective way of resolving the issue, because many times we try to correct the surface level problem when the real issue is the root level problem. If the church were to set a better example for the world and provide the necessary support, the root problem would be eliminated and therefore surface issues would also disappear. Some people would say that those who are not Christians might not know that what they are doing is wrong, so we should enforce the surface issues. But if we provide care and information, people would at least know what they were doing.
If the church would do a good job of caring for the poor and establishing a system of moral values, there would be absolutely no reason for the government of the United States or any other government to be involved in such issues. We, the church, need to stand up and take on the responsibilities that have been handed to us. We have a great responsibility that requires attention. The church has fallen behind, and the government should not be faulted for trying to take on a job that is not its own. The church should not get involved in areas that relate to the purpose of government, but at the same time we need to show that we can live the greatest commandment (love) in our daily life. This way, church and state can function together instead of coming into conflict with each other. It’s time for the church to step up it’s game.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
This is a quote that I really agree with. It is easy to be a good person when things are going well. In addition, I think I grow the most during times of challenge and controversy. Maybe it is simply that these are the times that I notice it the most, but it seems like the most substantial growth occurs during the hardest points in life.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
As a pacifist, this is a really cool quote. Hating those who hate me isn't going to help anything. It will only end up in more hate. But if I make the decision to bring in some love, the darkness can be extinguished. In my experience this is harder than it sounds. But it is a phenomenal idea that is definitely worth every effort to do.

I think I'm going to go see the new James Bond movie at some point over the next week or two. it looks decent. I don't think he is my favorite Bond, but he is better than most of them. I don't know when I'm going to find time to see it, but I have someone to see it with. So I'll just have to figure out a time that works.
Looking for the best possible outcome is usually good, right? Or is that just asking for failure? If the standards are set too high, will self-esteem go down as a result of the failed attempt at a high goal? Maybe it's better just to leave the standards low, so that it comes as a nice surprise when success comes. But if high goals aren't being sought after, is it possible for us to reach that level of success at all? I don't know. I personally fall on one side in some areas and on the other side in other areas.

I don't know why I just can't let go. It would be so much easier just to forget for a little while. Instead I sit here. Miserable. Waiting for something to happen, but realizing there's a good chance nothing will. For some strange reason, something is holding me in place. I don't know who or how or why. I just know that for some reason I can't take it that far. Someday maybe I'll understand why things are like this right now, but until then it is driving me crazy. I don't think I've ever lied to more people in my life. I lied to everyone today. Of course, now they can see it anyway, but that's okay because it is probably only the people who actually care who would randomly look on here. Everyone asked what was wrong. I said nothing. I'm just tired from the weekend. It couldn't be further from the truth. It has just been one of those days. And I don't know when things will get better. But I will put on a happy face, cause that's what the world wants to see. That's what people expect of me. Maybe not everyone, but alot of people think I've got it all together. Well, my newsflash for the day is that I don't have it all together.

The Steelers won yesterday.

I just got back from my roadtrip/college visit to Wilmore, Kentucky and Asbury College. During a three night stay I got a grand total of 12-14 hours. Needless to say, tomorrow should be interesting. We watched a couple movies, including the Prestige, Elf, and the Patriot. We played games until the middle of the night, and had a good time doing other stuff. Now I'm tired, and not really looking forward to the prospect of returning to real life. Although there will be some nice things I guess. Actually I can't think of too many right now, but I'm sure there is something. I am tired.

I'm going to Asbury for the weekend. Actually I'm leaving tomorrow morning, and I won't get back until Sunday night. I hope Mr. Miller is okay with less posts for this week, because I'm probably not going to get the chance to post until Sunday or Monday. I already got accepted there. I think that I want to take some serious theology/ philosophy classes in college. Because I like things where there are different possible answers. I didn't really like the last English paper where we had to review something. But I do think I will like this next one. It is an argument, which I think is probably when I write better. My fantasy football team won last weekend by three points. That's pretty cool I guess. I can't wait to see a couple of my friends who go to Asbury. It is going to be amazing.

I just saw a YouTube video about Oprah and her religious views. Oprah was quoted saying something to the effect of 'One of the biggest mistakes humans make is to think they know the only way.' She commented that there were people in the far reaches of the world who may never have heard of Jesus, so for them there is another way to get to God. It's a very post-modern viewpoint, and it seems really wrong according to Christian beliefs. In the quote she was saying that whatever way works for you is the right thing for you to believe. She raises a good question for those people who do not have the opportunity to hear the Gospel. She went on to take the question a step too far, potentially. So at this point I can see the possible concern, but I can also see a bit of Oprah's point. But the video goes on to make it political. It brought it Obama, and made it look like he also was post-modern to the extreme. And that really bugged me because not all Republicans are Christians and not all Democrats are non-Christians. That is far from the truth, and it is a stereotype that bugs me to no end. Okay, I say to myself, this is just some conservative Republican trying to bash Obama by taking down anyone who agrees with him (this was posted before the election). But the video isn't over yet. It goes on to compare both Obama and Oprah to the KoolAid Cult of Jim Jones. I couldn't believe it. I would put it down to politics again, but are you serious? Have things gone that far? Even John McCain and George Bush would be offended by this. It's okay, even good, to disagree with one another. That's what makes this country so great. But for real, putting Obama and Oprah down as cult leaders might be a bit far. While I may not agree with Oprah's apparent religious beliefs, she is concerned with the wellbeing of people, unlike Jim Jones who was only concerned with his own power. I am really tired or I would go on about this for a while longer. If you want to discuss it with me, let me know. I would be more then glad to have a discussion about it.

I only got six hours of sleep every night except one over the four day weekend. That is ridiculous. On Saturday I helped reshingle a roof. I'm not sure if that is a word, but that's what it was. First we ripped off the old roof layer, and then we removed a few rotten pieces of wood. Then we put new wood down and began to put the new stuff on. It was fun working with Dave S. and Dave M., but I got a blister. I mean, it never even formed into that little pocket of fluid, it just ripped a bunch of my skin right off. Yeah it hurts a lot. Because every time I move my knuckle it rubs and gets stretched. So hopefully that heals quickly.

Yay the election is over! Our play is this week. I bought my suit for it last night. I only paid one dollar. It was a pretty good deal. Actually the suit isn't in very good shape, but it works for a costume. The Steelers won on Monday night! They remain on top of their division, which is very good. It would be pretty cool for us to win the division again. This is our last day of school this week. That's pretty cool. Next week I am going on a college visit so I am only in school three days. Now I am going to go sleep a couple periods because I only got four weeks of sleep. Actually I meant only four hours. Thats how tired I am.

The election is going on right now. I can't wait for it to be over. I think the candidates are really quite ridiculous. We spend so much money on bashing the opposing side that we forget that we are all Americans. I don't like how some people don't even know the policies of the candidate they vote for, they just vote based on what party the person is in. I think that there are times when the best person for president is Republican and there are times when the best person is Democrat. There are also times when the best person is neither. Because of our two party system, we never give those other candidates a second thought for our vote, unless we want to make a statement. I don't know what the better solution is, unless we go back to the theocracy of David and Solomon's time. And it doesn't look as if that is in the near future, so I guess we're stuck with what we have now.

The National Honor Society induction was tonight. I had to give a speech and stuff. Not really the best night of my life, but now I get to watch the Steelers game. They better win. They've lost to every NFC East team that they have played. And they haven't lost to anyone else. How ridiculous is that. Calvin and Hobbes is officially the best comic strip in the world, and they are my role models. Whenever I wonder what to do in a situation, I just think to myself, 'self, what would calvin or hobbes do?' And I find the answers to all of life's questions.