Why I rather hangout with young followers of Christ over old

*This is about the circles I am in, whether at my school or on a day-to-day basis. I'm referring to how long they've been followers of Christ, "young" in the sense that they're rather new to the faith, this isn't an age thing*

Among the followers of Christ I interact with, my preference is to hang out with newer believers than older. Yes older followers of Christ have wisdom with years and experience, but from what I have found in the groups I interact with, the older ones speak of the valleys, but seem to gloss over them or forget them.
The valleys as in the darkened places we all tread every now and then, it is the lowpoints of our lives that are bleak and hopeless but far from Godless. God is present on the peaks as well as the valleys, but as I happen to be in the winter of my discontent, I need a brother or sister of Christ who can relate to the valleys because either they're entering one or on their way out. My good bro in Christ is someone who is in the valley with God and myself, life is dark, life is hard, and yet we struggle and toil and question many of the same things. It is far more rewarding for me to relate to this brother in Christ than someone who speaks to me of it but without actually being in the valley.

I rather walk this path with someone who is on the same part of it as me, if one is further along than I, that's fine, but don't talk about the part I'm on if you have forgotten what the terrain and surface is like.

[n][v]

Chick Flicks don't do it for me

Pondered about in my mind from last night, but I'm writing it out today...

I am sitting here at my laptop drinking a pint of Guinness after recently finishing watching my favorite chick flick (wait, what?)

My favorite chick flick of all time...

Anne of Green Gables series

Yet the movie does me a disservice as it does for you girls who enjoy them. Sure they're funny, hysterical, makes you laugh and they make you cry, but they also create unrealistic expectations for you. It works both ways, both unrealistic expectations for guys but also for girls, and so I will say my 2 cents about both.

Guy Perspective:


Us guys cannot be the ideal guy in these movies, but in the same way we cannot get the ideal girl in chick flicks. The girl who might avoid us in the now, but given time and different changes we eventually get the girl we always wanted and it's hunky-dory and we live happily after... Not true! I would like to wait for a particular girl, but if it's not working out now I can't hang on to the moments that were awesome and hope they'll sustain me. I have to move on, as painful as it is, I can't drag my feet. It is Hollywood telling us that there is an ideal girl for every guy, and if we buy into this lie it will cost us in time and emotions.

I don't intend to be rude to the particular girl I am talking about, but you already know some of this stuff from the note I gave you last Friday. I'd like to stay, but I cannot, it hurts too much.

Girl Perspective:


For those of you who know the series, the guy who fancies Anne (even when she doesn't fancy him back) is a young guy named Gilbert. Gilbert constantly annoys Anne, but it is his way of flirting with her. Anne sees no flirting, but just childish immature behaviour. Yet all the while Gilbert waits for Anne, pines for her and before you know it the tables have turned and she's the one trying to get his attention.
Yes, Gilbert is the ideal guy for Anne and she's the ideal girl for him. But once again it is Hollywood saying A GUY SHOULD BE LIKE THIS. There are no real Gilbert's out there, sure you might be blessed to find a guy with a few of his qualities, but you won't find a carbon copy of this guy.

In conclusion, I am hesitant about chick flicks and the ideal guys and girls they churn out (well, it's not my only issue, but the only one I'm covering here); there will be never be the ideal guy or girl. I hope that all of us find someone we can relate to and share interests with and someone we can truly love for who they are -- all flaws included.

[n][v]

My perspective on being Pro Life

I stir the pot, I create controversy, I make waves, I didn't get dressed up for nothing...

When it comes to being Pro Life (which I am), I think about what that means for me. Yes, I am supportive of the mother of the unborn child and the unborn child, but it doesn't stop there, for I am pro life for all. By this I mean that I am Pro Life for those who are on death row (life without parole is a much better option) and also for those who we deem America's enemies. The soldiers who do defend our freedoms and liberties, I support what them but not the war itself, there is a time and place for war...this, this isn't the time or the place.
I am also supportive of the ones who fight against us as well, they are fighting for what they deem as right themselves, they are human beings made in the image of God and they deserve lie as much as the next person.

When it comes to murderers and other prisoners who are condemned to die, I support their right to life as well; granted it might be life without parole behind bars and not in society as you and I know it, but it is life nonetheless. Who are we to play God and state who should live and shouldn't.

My peers (not all, but some) have a mindset that limits them to define being pro life as to only being the unborn child[ren] and the mom...that's all. It irks me a little bit when they they limit themselves to these set terms, a life is a life, whether you're unborn or you're in jail for killing someone else.

Now some people have given me extreme examples, recently someone mentioned those who were warlords during World War 2, the ones who mistreated and murdered Jews. I am partially Jewish and yet my response hasn't changed, we should have gave them life with parole in jail, give them the lesser evil instead of killing them. I'm sure I pissed off the person I was talking to about my stance on being pro life, she even mentioned to me that they "deserved it". My heart cried at this, they deserved it? I wondered in my head, are we then no more the monsters then they were? Are we no more guilty then they were?
We are all made in God's likeness, it is not for us to decide who lives and who does not.

[n][v]

Tug of War

I am caught in the middle of a tug of war,
between you my mind and heart,
I feel (mind) that I should leave and go far
and yet (heart) I'm looking to restart

***
You fight and bicker constantly
reminding me of how my parents used to be
and now between them it's a cold war
and all I feel is cold.

I deserve better so I am told,
but you once separated all my dross from the gold,
I was shining brightly, or was I blind
was it just fools gold that I did find?

This war of my heart,
this war of my mind,
this war of a rare jewel that God did find,
but you hocked our love and broke my heart
I'm broken and I need a restart
but I want to make all the dreams we had come true,
I pledged my life and my love to you
and now I sit here feeling blue,
sorting out what I should do.

[n][v]

Do you remember...

Do you remember when we shared common dreams?
Do you remember when I held you as you screamed?
Do you remember watching the stars late at night?
Do you remember me caring for your sons when they were in fright?
Do you remember when I was wished a happy father's day,
by a complete stranger and I felt proud to say
that I once was a daddy, that I once had sons
that I was finally fixing all the damage done
to me and to all the generations behind me
that finally I found what I've been trying to be
but dashed to the rocks like a boat
and now I'm facedown trying to stay afloat
and hopefully in time I will drift to the sea
and start over at whom I'm meant to be.

[n][v]

Titles

Being in a library doesn't make you a book
being in a kitchen doesn't make you a cook
Being in a school doesn't mean you can teach
Being in front of a pulpit doesn't mean you can preach
Loving flowers doesn't make you a bee
Doing what you want doesn't make you free
Being able to keep a beat mean you can dance
Being in love or lust doesn't equal romance
Being superior doesn't means you're above
Being attracted doesn't mean love
Being humble and kind doesn't mean you're weak
Being quiet mean you're unable to speak
Being angry doesn't always mean you're mad
Being the other half doesn't make you a Dad

[n][v]

The 411 about Shutter Speed[s]

Now I know you're a smart bunch of people, but still I want to share some of what I know about photography with all of you. So I will start off NV's Photo Tips and Etc. 101 with discussing shutter speed[s] with some examples from my camera, tips about shutter speed, etc...okay? Okay!

Shutter speed is the amount of time between clicking to taking a photo and the shutter opening and closing, the faster the shutter the speed the less amount of light coming in to develop the photo and in the same way, the slower the shutter speed the more light comes into the photo, see examples below:

This was taken at 1/3200 of a second

This was taken at 1/4 of a second

As you can see with the first photo there's a rough quality to it, the water's flowing but it is dark and choppy. Yet with the second photo the water looks smooth, but it is lighter.

Now these were extremes of what shutter speed is all about, I recommend that if you do want to have longer shutter speeds, do it when it is darker out and with a tripod. For photos during the day time I would say find a setting between 1/100 and 1/400 of a second, again shorter shutter speeds will produce darker photos and sometimes there will be no photo at all as a result. Yet while I say this, have fun and experiment, you never know if you never try.

Shutter speed is important; whether is to get a clear photo with a fast shutter speed or to have a nice night time exposure with a slow shutter speed.

I will be covering different software you can use for editing your photos next.

[n][v]

But wait there's more!

Here are some additional photos (and if you wanna see the rest they're on my flickr account), these were faster shutter speed photos, there was plenty of light for taking them without fear of them being full of light, enjoy!