From the King James Version

Luke 2

1. And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5. To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

There's this Christian metal band I've started listening to called War of Ages. There's an intro track on their Fire From the Tomb album, and there's a speaker at the very beginning who makes a very valid point.

"The greatest single cause of Atheism in the world today is Christians. Who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-9hetci8jc

Jesus may have died for our sins. But some Christians take that and basically use it as a get out of hell free card.

I mean, it's true that no one is perfect and we will mess up. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't strive to be better. All these Christians who just don't put forth any effort to be better, people look at them from the outside and all they see is hypocrite.

Okay first off I'LL ADMIT IT.

I have been infected with the pony virus. At first it was the memes that grew on me. And we don't get The Hub so I can't watch it on TV. But the memes led me to finding and downloading a MLP app for my iPhone. And that app had a tinyurl link which led to a google docs page that has HD rips of the episodes for download. So I downloaded the first episode out of curiosity to see what all the fuss was about. Then I found myself downloading the next one and the next one and the next one...

Anyways, here is the point I'm getting to.

So far I've seen maybe 10 episodes I think. And I was thinking about them today and it suddenly occurred to me that these shows actually teach good values. More specifically, the fruits of the spirit.

Remember that little song from Sunday School? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

For example.

Twilight Sparkle - Demonstrates modesty and self control.

Applejack - She is always very honest and true to her word

Fluttershy - A very gentle, kind soul.

Rainbow Dash - She can be a bit egotistical at times but is faithful to her friends.

Pinkie Pie - A very bright and joyful individual who can lighten the mood in almost any situation.

Rarity - The most generous of the bunch

I think it's really good that someone is making a childrens show that's actually constructive admist all the other drivel that Disney and Nickelodeon put out these days.

Now don't worry. I might have taken a liking to the shows and memes but I wouldn't consider myself 'brony'...maybe just a guilty pleasure. :P And I'm not gonna make sermons based on the show..it's just something I thought may be relevant.

So one of our other members last week suggested another up and coming Christian group named Poema. Kinda reminds me of the band Ally and AJ.

Poema - 2 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2I8iJ134i0

And there's also another group that I quite enjoy. They're a REALLY old school Christian hair metal band from the mid 80's. Really talented. They were actually featured on MTV a long time ago, back when MTV stood for MUSIC Television.

Stryper - To Hell With the Devil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KubgMDSMXfI&feature=related

Stryper - Soldiers Under Command

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-yD7TEXiZE&feature=related

And as for the prayer request, one of our fellow furries has passed away.

 aheria

I never knew her, but I always find it depressing to hear about the passing of another furry. She has a boyfriend too. I can't even begin to imagine the pain he must be feeling right now.

So lets put her family, friends, and her mate in our thoughts and prayers. May she rest in peace.

So I've decided to post weekly journals with different songs in the Christian music industry for us to comment on and discuss. Mostly just to keep the profile updated more often. :3 You'll notice that my main preference is metal and rock. However I realize this is not true for all of you so I'll post music from other genres as well that I happen to enjoy.

Red - Feed the Machine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj2uZO7xnus&ob=av2e

I don't care if you like nu-metal or not. You still need to watch this music video. Because it's...just...EPIC. The video is beautifully done. It's like a miniature high budget action movie set to some awesome music.

Press Play - NY2LA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkweU7URV2c

Even if you hate techno/dance music, this song is hard not to dance to.

Kutless - It Is Well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqTpl6Ge0B0

This is their modern take on an old classic hymn. I love the intro.

Was listening to Air1 about a week ago and I heard them play this song by a new band called 7eventh Time Down. They sound like Linkin Park. And I mean the old Linkin Park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWrQ-QwO3dg

:)

What's happening in Japan right now is...unbelievable to say the least.

I doubt there's anyone who hasn't heard, but just in case here's the main gist of it.

A few days ago there was a HUGE earthquake just off the coast of Japan. Not only did this cause structural damage to many homes and other buildings in Japan but the resulting tsunami made things much worse. Wiping out many who survived the earthquake as well as damaging the cooling systems on two nuclear power plants, causing them to overheat.

They were managing the damaged nuclear reactors until yet another quake hit today along with a volcano erupting nearby. Now the reactors are beginning to heat up out of control and the nuclear cores are beginning to melt. If this happens, everyone in Japan will slowly die of radiation poisoning. And the remaining radiation could even come as far as the west coast of the US.

We all need to pray for these people and do what we can to help if possible. I pray that God protects these people and if it's not in His will, then I pray that he will comfort the hearts of those who lost their loved ones.

I pray that we are not witnessing the extinction of the Japanese race.

Been a while since I've logged into this page. I should really keep it updated more often.

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2025636/

His wife is (or rather has) gone through brain surgery. I'm sure he still needs some type of financial help still yet. I'm broke at this particular moment, but I will keep him in my prayers and I ask everyone here to do the same.

I don't know about any of you guys, but I'm a HUGE fan of Rock Band, and Guitar Hero as well. I happen to own all the games released for the 360, as well as a mic, GH World Tour drum kit and guitar.

So you can only imagine how excited I was when I saw some of the recently released DLC for Rock Band 2.

RBN:

Demon Hunter - Collapsing
Jonathan Lee - Sound of the Redeemed
Andy Kirk - Love is the Only Thing

Regular DLC:

Skillet - Monster
Anberlin - Feel Good Drag
Thousand Foot Krutch -Fire It Up
Hawk Nelson - Live Life Loud
Superchick - Stand In The Rain
Switchfoot - Meant To Live

I'm glad to see that Harmonix has finally pulled their heads out of their buts long enough to see the marketing potential in these bands.

Well I'm sure you all know that Haiti was just recently hit by yet another earth quake. It's horrible, what's been going on down there the past month or so. Families have been ripped apart, children have been orphaned, many homes and loved ones have been lost. These people need all the help they can get.

A good friend of mine,  draco-silverflame, told me of a charity his church is sponsoring.

http://opendoorhaiti.com/

This charity is completely legit. Every single penny donated goes to the people who need it in Haiti. No politician will be lining their pockets with anything, no one is making any money off Haiti's hardship. If you can donate, please do so. If not, you may still help out by spreading the word any way you can.

Remember. WWJD

So how's everything going in everyones life right now? Anyone need prayer, someone to talk to, or maybe perhaps everything is perfect and you just want to praise God out in the open ^.=.^

For now, my life is OK. I'm starting to pick myself back up and get my debts paid up so I can try college again.

As for prayer requests, well I need prayer for once I start college again. Also, of course there is the situation in Haiti I'm sure everyone has heard about. The people down there need all the support and prayers they can get.

Well by now I'm sure most of you have gotten your trees and decorations up. We've gotten our tree out but it hasn't been put up yet.

But really, I hope you can break away from the holiday crowds to spend time with close friends and family, and also remember the REAL meaning of it all of course. :D May all your travels be safe and filled with blessing this holiday season.

*passes out Santa hats and cookies for all*

 anailaigh

Well I just found out from her personally that she is in deep financial troubles. Her bank account is way down in the negative, and currently there is nothing she can do about it.

I encourage everyone to donate to her, and if you can't then your thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Well, I just got back from church, and the youth minister had a pretty interesting sermon about how selfish people can be.

For most of us humans, it's hard to not put yourself before everyone else. It's human nature to be greedy, to say "Well who cares who gets hurt in the long run. I'm getting what I want now and that's all I care for." For example, his sermon reminded me of a preview for a movie I saw on tv.

I forgot the name, but the movie was about this guy who comes up to a lower middle class couple with a black box. And inside this box, there is a button. The guy tells them that if they press the button, they will receive one million dollars. However, someone whom they do not know will die.

I thought to myself what I would do if I were given this choice. My first thought was, "Well who cares? It's someone I don't know." But then when I thought about it, I began to realize that the person who would die was a bunch of peoples loved one. Sure, having a lot of money would be nice, but I would be causing an irreparable amount of pain to others.

I guess that we as christians, and as humans in general, need to think more about which is more important to us. Whether it's material things which will rot and loose value over time, or it's something of much more value like our very souls.

This is sort of a persona prayer request. For my mother. I found out today that she has the dreaded H1N1 ((Swine flu for those of you who don't know.)) We're sure it's the H1N1 since she has already had the regular flu and regular flu shots.

For now she seems to be doing ok. She's in bed with a bowl of soup watching tv, nothing TOO severe. She hasn't been to the doctor yet but she is taking oregano oil, which is supposed to work against H1N1 as well. If it doesn't then she will go to the doctor.

But still I worry that it may turn worse... I will keep her in my prayers and I ask that you will do the same

One of my little sisters friends has spinal meningitis. Last she heard, he only has 72 hours to live if they can help, and there's a good chance the doctors won't be able to do anything about it.

One thing that pissed me off is what I heard that went on at their middle schools foot ball game...

Not only did the opposing cheer team make fun of him, but their teachers were in on it as well.

But anyways, he is in doctors care right now at St Marys. All we can do is pray for him, hopefully Gods will will be in his favor.

I'm sure when most of you think of Christian music, you probably think of the stuff that older people like to sing at sunday morning church service. Well I'd like to introduce you to a few of my favorite bands...

Believe it or not there are christian rock bands that sound almost exactly like secular rock bands. For example, a classic christian rock band named Whitecross:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOyxUA0PtZA

These guys are comparable to bands like ACDC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXaZmY52gHM

The christian rock music spectrum spans from classic rock to the more darker guitar riffs of christian death metal and christian grindcore. For example, Mortal Treason:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyeO0j7Vi1U&feature=related

Underoath:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuMYuhvviVU

August Burns Red:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qtk9c6ZGcM

Demon Hunter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNCoih1G9_Q

These bands are comparable to bands like Lamb of God or Dethklok:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOWB6rmSd4I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1piT-w1xJkc

Ok before I start, let me say it's not what it sounds like. I had quite a different picture in mind as well when I first heard of this site.

http://www.hookersforjesus.net/

Hookers for Jesus is a christian outreach organization geared towards ministering to the hookers and prostitutes working the streets all across the world.

The founder, Annie, used to be a call girl herself in Las Vegas for about 11 years. If you want to read her testimony, follow this link:

http://www.hookersforjesus.net/anniestestimony.cfm