Okay I hope to hear more people weigh in on this...
Here's what I think. I haven't read the series so I can only go off of the reviews that I read and the people that I've talked to who just LOVE the books. There's one perspective that says the books are okay because there is absolutely no sex, swearing (one word in the second book actually), or real violence. Kudos to the author for writing something clean and entertaining!!
The subtle themes of the book are what bother me. You've all heard me talk about the issues of teens in romantic relationships. This book totally capitalizes on how girls just LOVE the romantic stuff. Edward is just perfect - except for the fact he's a vampire! He's self controlled and sweet and caring...but he's also obsessed with Bella. I read a blog that described it well..."a ridiculously handsome guy worships the ground she walks on and devotes his every waking moment to romancing her". What girl wouldn't swoon at that?? We love to read that stuff. Now get ready for it...THIS IS NOT REALITY! I'm pretty sure your parents don't want your wonderful, caring boyfriend sneaking in at night to sleep beside you - clothes on or not. Girls, we have to be very careful about not blurring the lines of reality and romance. True love is a wonderful gift and romance is a part of that...but obsession is dangerous and unhealthy.
The other subtle problem is the issue of vampires. While this is totally fantasy, it concerns me because the world makes darkness look so alluring and exciting. There are people who seek darkness...vampires, witchcraft, ouija boards, etc. That is like opening your front door and inviting the devil to come for supper, and then thinking his presence isn't going to change the atmosphere at all. You don't want him to live there, but just hang out sometimes. At some point, his presence in your life will begin to change you. I'm not saying that reading Twilight will mean you're going to hell. It's a fantasy book that is, by the usual Christian standards, clean. But these subtle themes that are built into the story do concern me. And since God is more important to me than any kind of entertainment, I do stay away from those things. Better safe than sorry, ya know?
What it boils down to is...what can you afford?
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
What is Love?
Just as Jordan I have never blogged before but I thought it's an interesting concept so I'll give it a go. I'm still amazed that after 14 years of marriage that I can still learn something about love that I didn't quite grasp before. I certainly did not hear the points about love verses infatuation until I became a Christian 6 years ago and heard it during a sermon. I did not grow up in a household where I had the security of a loving father and this completely shaped how I tried to gain love from the opposite sex. I truly felt as if I were on my own trying to figure out how a dating relationship was supposed to look like. Yeah, my mom was around but I had no idea how to talk with her about boys and unfortunately she did not take the time to try to explain what "healthy" dating was all about.
One of the points that Pastor Annette (PR) pointed out Wednesday night on the difference between love and infatuation was the "time" factor. I completely believed as a teenage girl that I knew everything about my boyfriend in like a 3-5 day span and that I was going to spend the rest of my life with this boy. And then when he was a jerk to me two weeks later I was completey surprised that I hadn't seen this flaw in him before and hated myself for giving my heart away. Well I promised myself that the next guy would be different, and he was, but the problem was that I wasn't different. I kept believing that I could really know a person and trust him with my heart within just a week or two. So thus I begain a crazy cycle of short-term dating expecting long-term results. I felt so alone but I was just so sure that if I could get enough love from the right guy that everything would be wonderful and I wouldn't feel like such a LOSER.
I could go on and on about all the mistakes I made, but what really counts is that I survived all those past mistakes because I finally found the real "love" of my life. Yes, it's God, Eric is great too, but God healed my heart, no human person can do that for us. And all of this took time, even my relationship with Christ takes time. I need to spend time talking with Him and reading the letters He has left for me to remind me of His love (this would be the bible, just in case you were wondering). Any healthy and worthy relationship takes time, whether it be a friendship, a dating relationship, or a co-worker. I look forward to next Wednesday night when we can hear more about love and I want to encourage you to take full advantage of this time. Because if you were a confused teenager like I was or don't know who to talk to about this subject, you are in the position to hear the real truth about what love is and not what this world tries to convince us it's all about. Until then have a great week and I pray that God's love will be revealed to you more and more.
One of the points that Pastor Annette (PR) pointed out Wednesday night on the difference between love and infatuation was the "time" factor. I completely believed as a teenage girl that I knew everything about my boyfriend in like a 3-5 day span and that I was going to spend the rest of my life with this boy. And then when he was a jerk to me two weeks later I was completey surprised that I hadn't seen this flaw in him before and hated myself for giving my heart away. Well I promised myself that the next guy would be different, and he was, but the problem was that I wasn't different. I kept believing that I could really know a person and trust him with my heart within just a week or two. So thus I begain a crazy cycle of short-term dating expecting long-term results. I felt so alone but I was just so sure that if I could get enough love from the right guy that everything would be wonderful and I wouldn't feel like such a LOSER.
I could go on and on about all the mistakes I made, but what really counts is that I survived all those past mistakes because I finally found the real "love" of my life. Yes, it's God, Eric is great too, but God healed my heart, no human person can do that for us. And all of this took time, even my relationship with Christ takes time. I need to spend time talking with Him and reading the letters He has left for me to remind me of His love (this would be the bible, just in case you were wondering). Any healthy and worthy relationship takes time, whether it be a friendship, a dating relationship, or a co-worker. I look forward to next Wednesday night when we can hear more about love and I want to encourage you to take full advantage of this time. Because if you were a confused teenager like I was or don't know who to talk to about this subject, you are in the position to hear the real truth about what love is and not what this world tries to convince us it's all about. Until then have a great week and I pray that God's love will be revealed to you more and more.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
What is Love?
I'm going to lay some truth down on you guys right away here; this is the first time I have ever blogged and I really do not know what I am going to write, so I think I'm just going to ramble on about the message last night and hopefully that is sufficient. It was a great message last night if you did not get a chance to hear it. Pastor Annette talked about love and infatuation; all differences and confusing signs they like to throw at us.
From what I understand, love and infatuation are NOT the same thing. That is a very important thing to remember. If anything, that is what the message was of the message. DO NOT get these two confused or your love life is going to be very miserable and disappointing. PR gave us some great verses on the subject, 1st Corinthians 13:1-4. Did you know that 1st Corinthians 13 is known as the love chapter? Well, you would have if you were listening last night, because PR said it. Burn.
My experience in love is very minimal, outside my family. I have not been on a date since 8th grade and that is by choice. PR said that studies show that teens that grew up in a loving home tend to feel the need to date less in high school and that is very true for me. Also, I was pretty geekish and shy my first two years in high school and when I finally got comfortable enough with the other teens in my school to actually start dating we upped and moved to Yankton and I just clammed up for my last year in high school. But that is the thing about love. If we do not have it, we will spend all of our energy and go through self destrution to get it. I feel love everyday of my life with my family and the friends that I did not have the want to go and have a girlfriend in high school. Thats changed now....moving on
That is what i got out of the message last night. It isn't anything earth shattering or incredibly enlightening but it really helped me out with some feelings that I had been having. Hope you all got something from it but if you didn't...theres always next week. We are talking about love again!!! Aree you as excitied as I am for those wonderfully akward discussions...ahh *exhale*
From what I understand, love and infatuation are NOT the same thing. That is a very important thing to remember. If anything, that is what the message was of the message. DO NOT get these two confused or your love life is going to be very miserable and disappointing. PR gave us some great verses on the subject, 1st Corinthians 13:1-4. Did you know that 1st Corinthians 13 is known as the love chapter? Well, you would have if you were listening last night, because PR said it. Burn.
My experience in love is very minimal, outside my family. I have not been on a date since 8th grade and that is by choice. PR said that studies show that teens that grew up in a loving home tend to feel the need to date less in high school and that is very true for me. Also, I was pretty geekish and shy my first two years in high school and when I finally got comfortable enough with the other teens in my school to actually start dating we upped and moved to Yankton and I just clammed up for my last year in high school. But that is the thing about love. If we do not have it, we will spend all of our energy and go through self destrution to get it. I feel love everyday of my life with my family and the friends that I did not have the want to go and have a girlfriend in high school. Thats changed now....moving on
That is what i got out of the message last night. It isn't anything earth shattering or incredibly enlightening but it really helped me out with some feelings that I had been having. Hope you all got something from it but if you didn't...theres always next week. We are talking about love again!!! Aree you as excitied as I am for those wonderfully akward discussions...ahh *exhale*
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