Fire Aquired

This weekend was simply incredible.

I know that some of the things the speaker said rubbed a few people the wrong way, but I think they may be being a little too nit-picky about it, because the whole point was to get people fired up about doing something about this rapid decay of moral value in our country.

I'm fired up.

Before I go on, I just want to say one thing. Sure, its not right for Christians to label people. In this case, Marylin Manson. But for a Christian to defend Marylin Mason... doesn't sit well with me. Marylin Manson has called himself the Anti-Christ, how could ANY Christian even respect this guy even a little? He's not a satanist, he doesn't believe in God OR Satan. But he still ridicules the Christian way of life and that is unacceptable. Don't defend Marylin Manson. Don't listen to his music. There is plenty of Christian music out there.

I have given up Metallica. I've loved Metallica since the 6th grade, their music pulled me through some really hard times, and its hard letting go and accepting the fact that they are no Christians and their music is not uplifting... but I have to do it. I've always stood by the belief that music doesn't change a person unless they let it, but oh, how I was wrong. I don't want to listen to music with swearing or anything that's not positive. I've found several VERY good Christian bands that don't sound Christian at all aside from the lyrics, such as "Day of Fire" featuring a former frontman of the band "Full Devil Jacket" who used to be a major drug addict, who gave up drugs one day and left the band to find Christ and start a band in HIS name and glorify all that the Lord has done for us.

I know ATF didn't affect some people the way it affected me, but I don't know what to do about it... I can't be around them if thats the case. I know that sounds VERY harsh but let me explain.

I'm not strong enough yet. I don't want to listen to seccular music, I don't want to talk about anything sexual or provocative in any manner... but some of my friends do. That's fine, I can't expect them to go through the same changes as me... but what do I do about it? I'd like to urge them to come closer to Christ, but they just get annoyed and call me self righteous and everything... I know the Bible says not to seclude ourselves from the world and that's not what I intend to do, but I need to do SOMETHING.

I've come this close too many times, right on the verge of a major change, but the crap in the world just keeps distracting me and eventually I fall all the way back to the bottom. I don't want to go through that anymore!!! I need Christ in my life as much as I can get! This walking on my own is just not working.

I love my friends but for MY sake I think I have to take a break from them, unless they can get serious about Christ... because when I'm around them, I want to be indulged in the Holy Spirit, I want to breathe Christ, feel Christ, live Christ, and a few other people seem to think that's only a church type of thing, that it doesn't belong outside of the walls...

I've already started slipping but I'm holding on tight this time.

I have to let go. I've tried to secure a few people into going along for the ride with me, but I get ridiculed and they get annoyed with me for "judging them".

I STRONGLY feel that Mason First Church of the Nazarene is not the place for me. Like I'm being called to be somewhere else... Or maybe not that, maybe I'm being called to make a BIG change in MFCN. Maybe that requires my friends being a little annoyed at the "church boy".

Either way, what I HAVE to do is stop letting peoples opinions get in the way of my walk with God. Because it DOES happen, when someone calls me a fun nazi because I suggest that they shouldn't be making sexual comments toward a person, I take it personal and get offended.

No more...