Mimu's Message.com

from Oct 26, 2003:

Among my many great loves is TRAVEL. My family really knows how to travel. We go on tons of great trips and I really can’t thank my parents enough for showing me so much of the world. I just love seeing new places and trying new things. Plus, I frequently learn some great new stuff on vacations, like how to kayak or what the Dada art movement was all about (I learned this stuff in Glen Arbor, Michigan and Toronto, Canada, respectively). Being in a brand new place that I’ve never seen before is such a thrill. I love travel.

You know what’s weird? Our lives here on earth are kind of like a vacation. Perhaps life isn’t the most fun and relaxing vacation all the time, but it really is just a short stay somewhere away from home. Home for us is heaven. I mean, we will spend a whole lot longer there than we do here. So really, we don’t belong here permanently. In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter writes: “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul.” Again, this verse implies that our stay here may not always be so pleasant… I mean, war? Sounds kinda painful. But we aren’t stuck here forever. We have to keep our eyes on the fact that someday, maybe soon, we will be going back home, to a perfect place where we will live forever with God. This is an encouragement, because it means we don’t have to put up with an imperfect world forever, but it also challenges us to keep our focus on God, who is waiting for us back home, and try to carry out our “vacation” in a way that glorifies him, by not indulging in sin while we’re here. It’s kind of a “don’t drink the water” thing. But it’s “don’t do the sin” while we are here, or we’ll be sorry, just like the poor tourist who spends his vacation in Mexico in pretty bad shape (no offense, Martin!).

So hey, try and enjoy your vacation, but don’t drink the water. And never forget about the home you’re going back to. Oh—and take lots of pictures!

Lauren D. // 6:54 PM

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only available here, online.

okay, if you know me at all, you know i am a music freak. ive written many a mimu's message on something that has to do with music, plus i am talking about or listening to or singing music all the time. in fact, I'm listening to music right now. anyway, the other day i was listening to some music. it was Fleetwood Mac. And on this cd, The Dance, which is the live album that the band released shortly after Rumors, there's this song called "Bleed to Love Her" and, no surprise, the chorus goes like this:

ooooh, I would bleed to love her
ooooh, I would bleed to love her

and i was like, wow, that intense. I wish someone loved me like that... and then i TOTALLY smacked myself in the head and i was like, DUH!

Jesus DID bleed to love me!!!

and he bled to love you too. isnt that cool?

anyway, i'm off to... i dunno... maybe listen to some music. see ya.
Lauren D. // 6:27 PM

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from Oct 19, 2003:

Benjamin Franklin was an interesting (cough) guy. I had to read his autobiography for my English class this week. I won’t lie: it was a snooze. The most interesting part was probably when Franklin talked about his grand plan for moral self-improvement. Franklin was a rationalist, so his plan was to come up with a list of thirteen “virtues” which he tried to perfect in himself. They are as follows:

1. Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. Silence. Speak not but which may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. Order. Let all things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself - i.e., waste nothing.
6. Industry. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary action.
7. Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting benefits that are your duty.
9. Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
11. Tranquility. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health and offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury or another's peace or reputation.
13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

These are pretty good character traits to develop. In fact, I am currently trying to practice them because our teacher is making us do it as an assignment. But while these character traits are great for being a highly effective human being or preparing yourself to fly kites in order to discover electricity, they aren’t made to fit Christianity. But don’t fear! There is a Bible passage to help us out. 2 Peter 5-7 says:

“…Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and you or goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance; godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”

So there’s a guide for Christian self-improvement. Try it out. And remember, a penny saved, even if it IS a penny earned, isn’t gonna do much towards those $130 Eagles tickets I want.

Lauren D. // 12:47 PM

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from Oct 12, 2003:

Alright, this one’s for the ladies. The girls. Guys, feel free to read this, but I’m talking to my sisters in Christ today.

Alright girls, I’m going to try to write about modesty without mentioning Britney Spears. We’ll instead take a look at modesty through the eyes of Jane, a Christian teen.

Every morning when Jane picks out her clothes, she deals with modesty either directly or indirectly. If she is thinking about it, she deals with it directly. But even if she doesn’t give it a second’s thought, the clothes that go on her body have everything in the world to do with modesty. Because people see her. And guys see her. Which is pretty cool, because she likes guys. And she wants them to like her. So she flashes a little midriff, or picks the shirt that cuts down just a little bit lower. Because if guys can see how pretty her body is, they might just want to give her a little extra attention because she is beautiful.

Things just aren’t like that. When a guy sees some skin, he doesn’t think, “Wow, that girl sure knows the way to make herself look beautiful. That’s so classy.” The thought is usually one that is better expressed not by words, but by the simple action of drooling. That skin excites the guy’s appetite. He not only can’t tear his eyes away, he starts thinking about seeing more skin, and well… you know what I mean. So now Jane’s just a sex object. Guys have a lot of trouble seeing past that. The guy doesn’t like her for who she is. And if that’s the case, does Jane really want this guy to like her at all?

With a non-Christian guy, Jane just has a guy who wants her for sex. However, it can even be worse with a Christian guy. Because if a guy is trying to keep his thoughts pure and respect Jane and her fellow females, he has to absolutely block Jane out if she is tempting. Then he’s lost for good. And if he fails to catch himself, he can compromise his faith. And while Jane is not responsible for anyone’s actions but her own, it is kind of her job as a Christian girl to help out her brothers in Christ because, lets face it, in our society it is really hard to not see sexual images. So if not for her own sake, Jane should keep her body under wraps to help guys keep their minds pure. And if she shows respect for a guy, there’s a chance that he will think, “Wow, Jane really makes an effort to be modest. That’s so refreshing… and classy.” And that’s the kind of opinion that makes a good start to a relationship.

“I want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety…(and) with good deeds, appropriate for women to profess to worship God.” -1 Tim. 2:9

Lauren D. // 7:43 PM

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from Oct 5, 2003:

All I am saying is give peace a chance. Although I wish this were an original thought, the phrase was coined by John Lennon in the song “Give Peace a Chance.” The song has some questionable lyrics, but I find no fault in that singular line and its simple plea. Really, perhaps we ought to try to give peace a chance. Now, I’m no politician or protester. This isn’t about putting daisies in rifles and having sit-ins. This has NOTHING to do with world events. However, I think there is a lack of peace in the smaller spheres of our lives: our homes, our schools, our circles of friends… sometimes even our youth group. For whatever reason, I am becoming more and more acutely aware of the arguments going on all around me, and even through me: just now, getting on the computer to type this, I got in a fight with my brother. And too many times have I heard my friends complaining about one another and claiming that their friendship is “over” because of some minor disagreement. All I am saying is give peace a chance! And that’s all Paul is saying, too, in 2 Timothy 2:24: “And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone…” I think “quarrel” is a good word, because while some arguments have meaning and sometimes need to happen, “quarrel,” especially in this context, basically implies a disagreement over something that doesn’t really matter. Quarrels can, and should, be let go. Let go of yours. As the verse says, being a servant means letting go of quarrels, even if it means you “lose” them. A real peace-nik—or a real servant—can stand a shot to her pride. Give peace a chance. It would allow us to live in love as God’s children, and to work together for good instead of battling each other needlessly.

Well, I’m off to make some macramé vests and burn some incense. Once more: All I am saying is GIVE PEACE A CHANCE!

Peace out
~Mimu

Lauren D. // 6:26 PM

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from Sept 28, 2003:

You know what’s just FREAKY? Those “world’s strongest man” contests. You know, where they see who can pull a semi truck full of lead weights the farthest or fastest… I’m not too sure because I’m always too freaked out to watch long enough to find out. (I apologize if you love those or want to be in one some day. But personally, being able to count each sinew of muscle on someone’s body just grosses me out.) Those guys are strong. Those guys are stronger than I could ever even dream of being in my whole life. I have trouble dragging my hamper downstairs sometimes, much less a small freight train or whatever they’re pulling these days. And that’s okay with me. I don’t want to be able to lift a barbell that equals my weight, honestly. God doesn’t ask that of me. But God does want me to be strong. 2 Timothy 1 says, “You then, my son (or daughter!), be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” What this means for you and me is this: we need to be strong in our faith in Christ, but not through our own power. The “in the grace” part means that we rely utterly on Jesus and his power, not on our own. So, in terms of the “world’s strongest man” competition, instead of trying to pull the jet liner on our own, we should let our tractor (that’s a metaphor for Jesus’s power) do the pulling for us. Unlike in the school-bus-full-of-sandbags-pulling contest, in life it can be hard to relinquish that control that we sacrifice by choosing to trust Jesus. However, it’s the only way we can win. Because, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say this—nobody in this room can pull a flatbed stacked with hundred-pound weights.
Lauren D. // 6:33 PM

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from Sept 21, 2003:

Everything you wanted to know about zombies but were afraid to ask:

Other names: the living dead, the undead, living corpses
Favorite food: BRAINS!
Appearance: Zombies have no blood, therefore their flesh is a dead, grayish color. Their eyes are usually a good deal paler than they were in life. They wear the clothes in which they died/were buried. The clothes are usually decaying, as is the flesh it covers. The zombie may or may not have his/her internal organs hanging out. A zombie is typically very emaciated, especially in the face.
Behavior: Zombies are often characterized by the way they stare emptily and don’t blink. They roam at night because sunlight is sometimes fatal. They can sometimes be found eating brains or just wandering, their arms extended straight in front of them. Zombies are not very eloquent and usually express themselves in moans or caveman-like simple sentences.

I’m not going to lie. I made that up. But I have a point. In fact, I have a Bible reference!

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live…” (Galatians 2:20a)

See, Christians are like zombies! Because we are obviously still alive, but we “no longer live” so we are like the undead! Okay, maybe not. The rest of the verse goes: “… but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” So basically… this verse isn’t about being a zombie. It’s about living not for yourself but for the sole sake of Christ.

Darn. I was SO feeling hungry for brains.

Lauren D. // 6:32 PM

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