So. Here's the Deal. I was on this women in ministry kick. ~Especially women as pastors. I chatted everyone's ear off that would allow it....and picked people's brains on their opinions. The conclusion? I love being passionate about what the Bible has to express to us! It's a wonderful feeling to be inspired! I always get this way when i start investigating the The Word of God and commentaries about a particular topic. The women in ministry is quite a personal one, being a women. At first, I hypothesized that they way a man felt about this issue may reflect how he treats women in general... a thought that I am now retracting. The issue is not the theological belief but rather the interpersonal reaction. Honoring one another in spite of these differences is the godly response. Are there not more important issues to be dwelt apon than who has authority over who... Christ is Our Lord. As we seek to be made perfect while we are aliens of this earth, we have a plethora of productive material/duties/responsibilities/joys/life to attend to. :D

Moderation Baby!

As I was scrolling up and down my blog, I was pretty much overwhelmed by all of the color which, surprised me. Maybe it's because I haven't had enough sleep lately. But actually I feel like it was too much. Break! from all the color. It's like this, simplicity is a necessity in life that need not be taken for grated but rather must be appreciated and cherished. Dull moments? They need to be valued as well. We can't expect excitment 24/7 or we'd be pretty worn-out burnt people. So i guess it all comes back to the moderation factor. Moderation in all things. Philippians 4:5 Amen.

The women as pastors issue is really buggin' me. I'm not entirely sure why it is causing such a reaction within me. Is it just because I want defend the position or because people who act like Pharosies about it really annoy me? I talked to a friend the other day, who is a woman pastor, who is the "head of the church" which is stretching it, because Christ is actually the head of the church, but you catch my drift. She said she just tries to stay away from this topic with those who disagree. Her arguments for why she believes it is acceptable are the typical ...but I think her best one is that she felt called to be a pastor. She is one of the most sincere women that i know, someone i truly truly admire, let's call her PC. PC said that if she ever felt like God was calling her out of mininstry, if God was like, "Nope PC, you sorta got it all wrong." then she wouldn't have a problem saying- "Yes, Lord." But at this point, she's called. That's everything. You can't be judging people's calling.
This argument can go in circles though.
~because of the various interpretations of scripture.
PC is also married to a very respectable man. He totally supports her in her calling. Together their marriage is very egalitarian although he is equipped in areas which she is not and vise-versa. He takes the lead in those areas and she takes the lead in others. These are my observations, so I'll get it straight from the horses mouth eventually to report on. ~Gotta take Dad to work.

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus," (Gal. 3:28).

So basically genetically engineered/modified foods are foods that have been bred with genes from different organisms. This process is called recombinant DNA technology. Farmers use this technology in order to create insecticide and herbicide resistant crops or to enhance other nutritional characteristics of the plant. There is much controversy surrounding the issue.
The benefits include improved taste and quality, reduced maturation time, stress tolerance, resistence to disease, pests and herbicides, conservation of soil, water and energy and even waste management. There is also an increased food security for growing populations.
The negative outcomes include allergens, transfer of antibiotic resistance markers, unintended transfer through cross-pollination, unkown effects, tampering with nature, no regulations on labeling, domination of world food production by a few companies, and the advances may be skewed to interests of rich nations.
hmmm...interesting huh. :P

Women in Pastoral Positions

Whoa. Rough topic for some people, huh. It's a rough topic for me when i feel i feel that my faith is being weighed regarding one aspect of my overall beliefs. Oh, so i need to search for truth! Now this is a good thing to tell anyone. I want truth. Truth is light. ~God is light. So according to scripture, the truth/light/God will set you free, right? Well let's also remember that God is love. Amen? ~Just be careful how you say these words. Tone is very important. When 2 parties are discussing a topic on which they disagree, i am a fan of open and nonjudgemental conversation.
Why do ya gotta judge?
As a freshman in college i was unsure about the whole issue. Women in ministry? The scripture seems pretty clear in I Timothy 2:11-12. "Women must learn in full submission and quietness." Well it is my belief now that we must read all scripture in light of the whole the Bible. The Bible is without a doubt God-breathed but there are times when Paul is merely giving his advice...he makes that clear a few different places in his writting.
Advice is guidance.
Usually tailored to individual circumstances.
So When we read scripture we must also study the the literary context, historical context and principle of the passage. We will then be capable of at least partial comprehension. The day of completion is still on its way.
This weekend i heard a sermon... the pastor said "you have the rest of you life to understand, study and meditate on scripture. You don't have to have it all figured out in one sitting."

...that's only the beginning of my thoughts on this... i have to write a paper on the ethical considerations of bioengineering. whoohoo!

I'm writing on how exactly an alcoholic parent affects their child's development and the various ways a child responds to their situation.

The line i just wrote...shows that i just want college to be over. This may be insensitive so i apologize in advance:

"Alcoholism rips a person’s heart out, squeezes the life out of it and puts it back in its cavity to die a slow and insidious death."

That's how i feel about school.

To get the full value of joy-
You must have someone to divide it with.
~ Mark Twain ~

Googly Eyes? No it was just the beautiful weather. Some guy looked at me today and said, "Can I help you Miss Candace?" Um, no. "Well you were giving me the googly eyes." Sorry bro, i was just enthralled by God's beautiful creation of this earth....and the sunshine. Googly eyes, pleeeease. My brother used to think a girl liked him if she smiled at him. Or was it the other way around? No, Bri said, "I can't even smile at a girl without her thinking it means I like her like that." Ha. That was a good 7 years ago that he made that remark. Bri wasn't Mr. Suave when it came to the love life...he is a testimony though, that it can happen for anyone. When it happens for me, I'll be the next testimony of bewilderment. :P Love ya Chaplain and definitely Corrie, the woman who chose to put up you. It's really about give and take, give and take. Do you connect to me, can i penetrate your walls? It's such interesting stuff. I could study marital and dating relationships for hundreds of years and not be bored! So what about when you just can't hold back the smile. It sneaks out when you don't mean for it to. Then all secrecy is lost! Might as well blog about it to the nations! Oh college life. Oh waiting for your soul mate. Oh listening to God's Calling. And about that. Being obedient to what you believe God has put in your heart is always the way to go. I understand that sometimes we humans are idiots and get mixed up about what God wants for us, only because we make the situation more complex than it needs to be. Oh jumbled thoughts! I'm working on balance in my life. This probably the one thing that would be the most difficult to deal with in a relationship. Oh.... the other is not stable? Ha. Yes, sounds like a problem. What I really mean is find structure. I love nonstructure so much that just the thought of structure sorta makes me cringe. But isn't it necessary for life? For normal functioning? Maybe I should make this a theme in the blog. Something about overcoming structurelessness. I need the opposite of that. I need structuremore, structuremoray...when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, structuremoray! >yawn. Good Night.

Sometimes I think to myself ~wow. Praise God for His Goodness. He is so faithful. I am overwhelmed with peace when by all earthly observations, I have no right to be. :]

My Birthday was April 13th! Everyone was amazing. Thank You friends and Fam for being so awesome and taking the time to stop during your day to think about lit'le ol me. :] Thanks to Kev and Laura for the Mountain Bike! And Dad and Ma for the iPod, and well, everything you guys do for me! Support, Love, Care. Brian and Corrie ~~Are you making me the God Parent of little Brego? I promise, I do love kids, i just went through a phase. You try baby-sitting the little Hellians I had to put up with!

It's going to be a good day, I can feel it, maybe somewhat tiring with lots to do for the week. I'm trying to stick to some good advice i heard the other day, "You seem like you need to RELAX." um. yes. need that. It's all good, just, you know, relax. Sweet goodness!

And not only do I have a marvelous fam, but i couldn't forget the GRents. Love 'em. Aunt Cindy called me too. She always cracks me UP, I crack her up too and we end up in pieces by the time the conversation is over! Love her. Aunt Carole and Matt ~ enjoyed the Happy Birthday Tune! :* hugs and kisses...fam appreciation!

I read this article the other day...
Loved it.
From www.parenting.aol.com

Raising Kids With Character
Humor I want my kids to appreciate the absurd. To see tigers in the trees. To make up knock-knock jokes. To know it's okay to yodel dumb songs (just not during dinner!). Kids learn to laugh by example. So in our family, we laugh off ordinary household disasters. We tell young visitors tall tales about the monkeys in the freezer. We include them in our long-running nonsense poll: "Are you a salty dog or a pepper cat?" Small children come by silliness naturally, and it's our priority to preserve that for as long as possible.

Just watched "Prosac Nation" while typing up Portfolio Notes.
Prosac Nation - Undentifiable emotion.
A combination of pain, sorrow, fear, and anger...
Isn't the nation's population 300 million? Well.
300 million of Prozac prescriptions are filled every year in the US.
That is, along with other anti-depressant meds.
I've seen many negative medication experiences.
From 15 years ago... to just a few weeks back.
Some people swear by their anti-depressant meds.
It nearly kills others.

So there are a bunch of things that i don't want to forget. #1 I'm raising my standards. #2 Family studies is something that i don't want to make a career out of...just volunteer gobs of time to~ business. #3 Seeing cute families with well-behaved children -they're the ones that make ya wanna have kids. It's the little terrors that are the ones that make you question whether or not you want to raise a family in this G~F world. (that's not true, God really has not forsaken this world. It's too bad not everyone takes advantage of that HUGE piece of truth, right?) #4 Wash and clean car before PopPop comes to visit. whoops! #5 Be careful cutting cuticles. Sorry Laura! #6 I love my Uncle Peter. I just never get to see him. #7 I love swing dancing but I think I'll just wait to do it with my forever-life partner. I dunno, it just seems to be right that way. #8 Polish people are actually normally short. Something happened to the Chez family. Except for Kev. Sorry Bro. #9 A biddy is a derogatory term for an old maid or used to call chickens back in the 17th century. huh. #10 It's 2 apples a day now.

i will sail my vessel
till the river runs dry
like a bird apon the wind
these waters are my sky
i'll never reach my destination
if i never try
i will said my vessel
till the river runs dry

there's bond to be rough waters
and i know i'll take some falls
but with the good Lord as my captain
i will make it through them ALL

I went to bed last night at 10 pm...it was the best decision of my life!

The Lord works in mysterious ways. Each day is an exciting piece of the puzzle. When you discover the next piece that fits~ it's as if the heavens rejoice and the earth resounds. As for me, my heart leaps upon each new enlightening revelation. Do-always follow your spirit if it's in line with what you know to be true and pure and righteous. Do not be anxious about anything but in all things in prayer and petition bring your requests to God. Amen.

Pretty Common Sense...
Pretty DEEP: Through The Layers

That’s what love is. Seeing through layers. We all have them, inevitable mechanisms of emotional defense. But when just one person takes the time and effort to understand us through what may seem like impossible fortifications, this is an amazing gift, an indication of love and appreciation. Where this kind of love exists, anything is possible.

SURRENDER

I pray that the eyes of our hearts may be richly enlightened that we may take courage to be children of God who boldy embody the character of Christ. I pray that our trust and faith would grow and abound, for you have provided all our needs. Strengthen our hands that they may do your work, enable our hearts, equip our minds. We surrender.

When all else fails. Don't be surprised. Pray.

LIKE YOU WERE DYING

I want to live like Tim MacGraw sings in his song, "like you were dyin." I want to go sky diving, rocky mountain climbing, impact the lives of those around me, love deeper, speak sweeter, and give forgiveness that i have been denying. Who knows how much more time is left...an hour, a day...at Messiah, we talk a lot about being a good a steward of... the environment, of your body, of talents given to you...it's true, we need to be INTENTIONAL (another word i heard every other hour at Messiah College as a freshman) ...we need to be intential with this hour to be a godly steward of each moment God gives us.

HOLY ABANDON
My Soul is softened. i love when that happens. Dear Lord, Bless Your people and Give them the Strength to carry out your Calling for their lives. OoooO me too! Thank You for giving us each other. I love that we can look into each other's eyes and see GOD. We don't need to die to see the Lord. We just need to LIVE, and to recklessly live in holy abandon.