Garbage In/Garbage Out

For several years I have been intrigued
by the number of otherwise smart,
thoughtful friends
who put CSI in their list of Fav things.

Tonight I accidentally was faced
with the opening scenes of this program.

The newscast ended...
I was busy ...
and neglected to change the channel.

There I am
winding down
from a lovely Sunday
and suddenly
thrust into my line of vision
is a woman
(of course, it is always the women
who are beaten, raped, chopped up)

who has been sawed in half.

Believe me
when I say
that this
is not
a vision
I want
imprinted
into
my brain
as I am preparing
for sleep.

As I hurriedly
pointed the remote
and powered off,
I breathed a frustrated sigh
for the state of our world.
No longer are crime shows
and murder mysteries
simply entertainment,
but too often
are copied
from recent headlines.

When I was in my twenties
I enjoyed mysteries
(they contained very little gore,
actually I didn't even know
who Al was at the time;
but I digress)
Then in my thirties
not too far from where I live
a high school student
was kidnapped
and murdered.

Soon after
the killer kidnapped
a little girl
and murdered her.
By this time
I had a little girl
of my own
and my built in maternal alarms
went off in a big way.

Now
twenty years later
kidnappings,
homicides,
gang shootings,
rapes
are almost common place.
During this same twenty years
violence
(again mostly towards women)
in movies and TV
has escalated
to an alarming terrifying level.

We all know
that there are unstable
persons
out there
who are living
on the edge
until something
pushes them over
into the abyss.

We now occasionally
hear of
unspeakable actions
that were copies of a scene
from a movie
or influenced by
some other media.

Shows like CSI
are using scripts
that were news events
so recently it is shocking
(to my sensitivities)
that the families have either
ok'd this or have it thrust upon them
just as I did.

Ok,
the point I am making is this.
How can intelligent people
not see
the relationship
of violence
breeding violence?
I realize
that some people
have stronger stomachs
than others me.
And, I am thankful
that doctors
and nurses
especially
can handle
blood and gore.

But,
what about
the rest of us?
What about
conditioning,
desensitising
and garbage in/ garbage out?

How many parents
are watching these programs
with a child nearby
who has refused
to go to sleep?
And how many
young women
are watching
with a new love interest,
they barely know?

I love a good mystery,
but in my opinion
this type show
isn't one.

And most of all,
I wonder
how the writers,
directors,
producers,
actors,
TV execs,
and local station managers
sleep at night.

"Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise."

Ephesians 5:15

Either way He is a comfort!

WHEN GOD MAKES PERFECT SENSE

A few years ago I discovered a Dobson book entitled When God Doesn't Make Sense. I was enduring trials brought on by misguided Christians in my church family. None of it made any sense to me at the time. I asked God why? I thought about Job a lot. I prayed a lot. Still, I was crushed in spirit. As I struggled through those dark days I found ways outside the church to use my gifts instead of dealing with the painful circumstances at church. In effect, I let others decide my response to their own weaknesses.

While Satan may have worked hard to sabotage my assignments from God, he could only have a temporary hold as my strength came from a mighty fortress. Standing firmly now, from the other side of pain, I clearly see that God did make sense all along.

"My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness"

2 Corinthians 12:9

Had I allowed Him, God would have given me the grace to stand firm in the face of my accusers. Instead for years afterward I would get unexpected barbs from certain persons because they had heard something and accepted it as truth. I ignored these, thinking I was not defending myself. However, I realized later that it was God I was not defending. It was His reputation I did not protect since I was serving in His name.

There is always a reason God allows us to suffer and in the end our actions and reactions should glorify Him. Keeping silent is not always the right thing to do. It is in surviving any ordeal that we are able to relate to others who are struggling. It is then that we are able to share that His promises are indeed true. And this is the likely reason for our trials!

I can not remember where I saw this. It isn't mine. But it is true.

Believe God ~ Follow His instructions ~ Receive His promise

Prayer Request:

The one who reminded me of this verse is enduring a trial of her own. It may appear that God is not making sense right now. Please pray that His plan will soon become clear.

I AM NOT ASHAMED!

Where did you take the name of Jesus today? Did you take Him to your job? Did you take Him with you to hang out after work? Was He sitting at your table? Did you mention His name?

Would you be embarrassed to show His name to the world? I wonder.

WHERE DID YOU TAKE HIS NAME TODAY?

Say I am not ashamed by sending your photos to jesusnamegallery@gmail.com

"I will praise you, O Lord, with all of my heart:... I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:1-2

And don't forget to pray for STELLAN!

Bummer!

That's my family today! Bummed on all sides. It isn't fair, but you know what they say about that...

A loved one lost his court case when he was the one in the right. It's a fact that whoever has the best lawyer or the most money wins. Doesn't matter that he was assaulted. The person who assaulted him now has won a monetary judgment simply because he was angry that he was arrested.

Doesn't matter that the assault was recorded and presented as evidence. Doesn't matter that you were simply doing your job when you were assaulted. Doesn't matter. There really isn't always justice in the justice system.

Now I'm double bummed!

An angry person assaults you.
You call the police.
The police arrest the assaulter.
The assaulter is angry and takes you to court.
Now You must pay your assaulter.
This doesn't make sense...

The criminal has free reign in the future because you can't afford to call the police again.

Sad.

Even sadder that you were simply doing your job and now this will be in court records forever.

Will somebody tell me what we have learned from this?

"With God we will gain the victory,

and he will trample down our enemies."

Psalm 60:12