Theonia

On a distant planet, far far away from the smallest star you can see, lived the Theonians.  Theonians were small round creatures with big hairy antennae.  These antennae were really long, and fell over the theonian's  eyes, so they had to be taken care of.  The problem was none of the Theonians truly knew what their antennae were for, so they didn't know the right way to take care of them. 

Some Theonians thought their antennae helped them find their way back home, after long trips in the mountains of Theon.  So those Theonians wore their antennae in cloth, straight up high above their heads. 

Other Theonians thought that their antennae helped them grow food.  So those theonians bound their antennae with rope straight out to the sides, to help expose them to the soil. 

Other Theonians felt that their antennae were only  used to show another theonian that you love them.  So they kept their antennae hidden in big red caps, so their antennae would only be shown to the people they love. 

All of the theonians argued with each other about how to wear their antennae, and what their antennae were for.  Some theonian parents would not let their children play with other theonian children if they did not agree with the other's parents.  These parents did not want their children to wear their antennae the wrong way. 

Soon, none of the groups of theonians talked to each other. 

One day, a curious theonian got tired of all the fighting.  This theonian asked the leaders from all three groups why their way of wearing their antennae was better than the others.  They each gave similar responses, with only a few small differences. 

The curious theonian asked "Why do the theonians need their antennae anyway?!".

All of the leaders got angry at the curious theonian.
"Do not ask those questions" they all responded.  "Theonians just need their antennae." 

The leaders were no help so the curious theonian asked the regular people the same questions.  Many of the theonian people got angry at the curious theonian as well.  They didn't answer the curious theonian's question either.

So the curious theonian left all the groups, and went to think in the Theonian Mountains.

A few days later the curious theonian returned without it's antennae.  It did not need it's antennae to find home, or to find food or to love.  It wasn't the antennae after all.  It was the Theonians themselves who were finding their way home, and growing their food, and loving eachother.

When the other Theonians saw this they were shocked.  They did not know how to react.  The theonians realized that they had been fighting for no reason!

Soon all of the theonians were their antennae in their own way.  No one fought over the antennae anymore, because they all learned that it was not the antennae that mattered.  What really mattered was their relationship with one another. 

1 Peter 3:15-16

Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord, and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way.

We live in some wild times. We can't pray openly in public schools, the media is unabashedly anti-religious, and the President of the United States is a known practitioner of Islam. Under these conditions, it's perfectly natural to want to announce your faith to the world!

Whenever you feel the sin of pride boil up inside you--and having it about your devotion to God doesn't cancel out its naughtiness--just remember the writings of St. Peter. Jesus didn't want us to be flag-waving loudmouths. We lead peacefully. Our morals are firm, but private, and antagonizing those who don't agree with us just leads to confrontation and retaliation.

Don't tell people not to get abortions. Instead, have a baby yourself. This will lead the doctor to question you: "Why did you not choose to abort your child?" This is an excellent way to start a conversation about life, souls, the love of the Father, and the redeeming power of Christ.

Take a moment to think about your answer for when people question your faith. Why do you believe what you believe?

Ecclesiastes 7:9

"Don't be quick-tempered, for anger is the friend of fools." -Ecclesiastes 7:9 NLT


Lord,
Recently I have been watching videos on Youtube.  I was originally shown the site by a friend  who sent me a video of her singing.  She sang "Days of Elijah".  It was beautiful.  But then I found videos done by other christians, so, delighted I began watching those.

I came across on of your messengers by the name of Venomfangx.  He helped me to understand and solve many of the questions that have been bugging me in science class.  He even helped answer questions I hadn't even thought of!  But then, when I searched his name so many angry videos came up.  They were all done by Godless people, and they were all telling him how wrong he was.  They said you don't exist lord!

I was scared, but mostly angry! Why didn't they know you were there lord? Why couldn't they feel your presence.  I was going to reply to them, to tell them how much they had hurt you.  I was so mad I was about to use some really bad language! But then I remembered two verses from your book.  "Anger is the friend of fools" and "the fool hath said in his hear there is no God". 

Well no wonder they were angry!  They couldn't help it!

So instead I calmly replied that God had sent me, and that they needed to find Salvation in Jesus Christ.

I may have saved a soul today!
 

Psalms 21:23

To watch over one's mouth and tongue is to keep out of trouble.

Lately, Debbie has been undergoing a lot of changes in her body, and getting a lot of attention from boys. Most of them are really nice! In fact, one of them even invited her to a family dinner--where he cooked! He burnt the pot roast, but that was okay. Debbie had never tasted anything sweeter.

There's been a lot of pressure recently for Debbie to give in, and have sex. She's heard there are other ways to do it and keep her virginity--you can probably name a few-- but don't those sound like cheating? Are they really okay?

When Debbie prayed about it, she found her way to Psalms 21:23, To watch over one's mouth and tongue is to keep out of trouble. She knew then that in God's eyes, oral sex is still sex. After all, a burnt pot roast is still a pot roast, right?

Take a minute to pray about the times you've been tempted to sneak around God's wishes.