New Year's Eve

Well, I for one cannot believe it. It's a day until the beginning of a brand new year! This year flew by too fast. I was home alone being bored through most of it, so that's probably why. Tomorrow is also the one month anniversary of my Memaw's death. But enough depressing! Does anyone have a New Year's resolution? I don't yet. It will probably be to spend more time with my heavenly Father. So, if anyone reads this entry (which is very unlikely), then tell me! What's your resolution?

A Very Merry Christmas

Well, it's the day after Christmas and you are probably still picking up wrapping paper off the floor. I had a good one this year...my grandfather who had been an invalid for months has been getting around in a wheel chair all be himself and he came and watched us open presents! It was great. I think it's amazing how God works. There have been several, no, tons of times when we thought he wasn't going to make it through the night. We never thought at the beginning of his illness he would see Christmas...and we never thought it would be my grandmother, who had been taking care of him, who wouldn't. My grandfather is getting stronger by the day. It's really neat to watch him! Every time I see him he looks better. It's amazing. Another amazing thing is that my grandfather has said that he had accepted Christ for years, but his actions didn't show it. Then, on one of those times when he wasn't doing so well, he prayed to have Christ be his LORD. He has been a new man since. I'm thankful to God for all these trials I've had to go through, because it brought me closer to my grandparents, and it brought them closer to God.

Christmas Eve

Well, it's Christmas Eve and I am excited. First off, we saw National Treasure 2 recently and I loved it! My fave is Riley. He's too funny! Tonight we watched Ratatooie (I know, I can't spell) and The Santa Claus. Those are both cool. But tonight is not only about re-watching the classics on TV or awaiting Christmas presents tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is Christ's birthday! It's a celebration of HIS humble beginning on this earth. I suggest watching The Nativity tonight. Also, read the first couple chapters of Luke. It'll get you in the true spirit of things.

Link to Amazon Door Within Book

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/B000F6Z77A/ref=sib_dp_pt/104-0061196-7199953#reader-link

Points, points, points!

I am trying to get some last minute points in Wayne Thomas Batson's Treasure Hunt Contest. If anyone wants a link to his blog...

http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com/

His books, The Door Within Trilogy, are actually probably my favorite books of all time. (Not kidding, Wayne!) The first book is called The Door Within, the second is The Rise of the Wyrm Lord, and the third is The Final Storm. For any of you who care that is where I got my name ***Flinn-fan-of-the-Twins***, because my favorite characters are the twins Nock and Bolt in these books. He has also come out with a new book, The Isle of Swords.

The Door Within is a Christian fantasy series that is filled with dragons, battles, kings, and Glimpses...the people of a world called The Realm. A sort of alagory of end times, these books are a good way to get kids to read and push them closer to Christ. With interesting, creative characters such as (ahem) the twin brothers Nock and Bolt, the bold and brash Captain Valithor, Aidan, Antionette, and Robby, the humans of our world, and others, The Door Within is to me, a definite must read.

Nursing Home Minstrels

Today some of my friends and I went to the local nursing home and Christmas caroled (if that's a word, which I highly doubt). I told one girl with us that we probably looked like a group of traveling minstrels. We walked down each hall with one person on guitar, one on bongos, and the rest singing along. My friend then replied that it looked like a Hippie Christmas!!! It was fun to minister to those people...some of which have just been dumped there to live out the rest of their days alone. The smiles, the clapping, and the few that sang or simply mouthed the words made you feel you had made their day. I hope they had as much fun as I did, which sounds kinda funny about a nursing home. But it was an act of service, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Just a thought from,

A Sindarin Nock

Pirates Party & The Star

Well, yesterday was the big Pirates shebang. It was fun! More people than I had at first thought came and watched it. One kid talked the whole time, but oh well. Whitness, my friend, said that Will and Elizabeth need councilling! Hee Hee! All the junior high girls squeeled when Will was stabbed, and everyone got to see the after credits scene. I believe I shall start writing what might happen if they ever make another, and I can promise you...Will is going to be most definitely liberated. (in my story anyway). Last night I went to a presentation about the Star of Bethlehem. It was amazing! The man's website is Bethlehem Star.net if anyone's interested. It amazes me how God knew the exact moment to create Jupiter, (which is a major component of the star) and that it would do exact certain things at precise moments in Christ's life. It was awesome and I recommend that you check it out!

Just a thought from,

***Flinn-fan-of-the-Twins***

Dealing with Death

Hello good people of the Blogging World!

Well, my grandmother's funeral is tomorrow. I'm not as sad as I thought I'd be. Of course I'm sad, but since I believe she was a Christian, I know it is the first and only parting we will ever have. I'll see her again someday, and that is a comfort. I feel quite a bit like Aidan and Nock in the Door Within Trilogy. They and I were sad to see our loved ones go, but knowing where they were going and what they must be feeling helped to ease the passing. Many parts of my life are a lot like the lives of the characters in The Door Within Trilogy, and I highly recommend it (the author is Wayne Thomas Batson if you don't know).

Just a thought from,
***Flinn-fan-of-the-Twins***, the Sindarin Nock

Pirates of the Caribbean Sailing In

Well good people, I have the awesomest (if that's a word) news. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END is out today!!!! I will pick up mine around noon I believe. There is supposed to be a deleted scene that tells if Will is ever released from captaining the Flying Dutchman. I hope so. Anyways....today I read in Exodus about all the stuff a priest had to wear. Shoo! I would be very hot! It would have been neat to see what it looked like.

A thought (well, technically 2) from
***Flinn-fan-of-the-Twins***

Two Days

Two days until Pirates 3! Today I am going to watch The Curse of the Black Pearl and tomorrow I will watch Dead Man's Chest (just so that I will follow all the story when I watch #3)! And today is my other grandpa's 85th birthday, so Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Grandmother

At around 11:00 this morning my grandmother passed away. Tears were shed, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I believe she's with the Lord now. I had asked God to prepare our family for it and we were. If any of you prayed for me I am truly greatful. The funeral will be Wednesday. Well, I thank the Lord that she is no longer in pain. I love her always...

Just a thought,
***Flinn-fan-of-the-Twins***

Bloopers!

Well, for you fellow Pirates fans, tonight at around 6:30 p.m. central time Entertainment Tonight is playing the bloopers of At World's End. I'm so excited! I just can't hide it! :0) Please continue to pray for our family.
Just the Thoughts of a Sindarin Nock,
***Flinn-fan-of-the-Twins***

Prayer Request

Just a note: For anyone who reads this, please pray for my family. My grandmother has had cancer for years, and it looks like it's finally catching up to her. It could be anyday now, if you see what I mean. Pray that God will prepare us for the worst and comfort us when it comes. Thanks.

Pirates and Grace

Well, I'm excited! Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is coming out on December 4th! I am counting the days! I will be having some friends over to watch it so that we can cry together about the fate of Will and Norrington and laugh and gawk at Jack's cleverness. It'll be a hoot! Anywho....Today I read in Exodus about the laws God set down for the Isrealites against murder, theft, etc. A lot of people these days would be in huge trouble if we had the same laws! I thank my Lord for grace...that even when I do something wrong, I can come back to HIM and know that he will pick me up off the ground and set me straight. I know that doesn't mean that I can do whatever I want and then say, "Oh yeah, sorry God but you'll forgive me anyway," and continue my wrong. He wants us to be happy to serve HIM. Remember to thank HIM for HIS grace!

Just a thought from ***Flinn-fan-of-the-Twins***
(The Twins being Nock&Bolt of course!)

Lord of the Rings

Have you ever seen the film trilogy, the Lord of the Rings? A tale of friendship, trial, love, and sacrifice. A tale of Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, and Men all mingled in a battle against evil. Have you read the books? Better in many ways than the movies. How about The Silmiralion, The Children of Hurin, The Hobbit, and the entire Tolkien Bestiary? I have. Then, after you’ve finished the books, have you read the Index, Appendixes, and Time-lines? I have. I can’t count how many times I’ve watched the movies, been to the websites, or listened to the soundtracks. Lots of things appear in my mind when I here the name, Lord of the Rings, but one thing always stands out. The One Ring.
Let’s focus on the Ring for a moment. To the average unlearned eye it seems a small, plain golden ring of little consequence. Now let’s imagine that you are a certain Hobbit and have found this unimportant circlet. You put it on and find it to have magical properties and that it can turn you invisible while on your finger. You imagine how fun it could be for playing pranks on people or snooping about, all harmlessly of course. So you keep it in a little box or bag somewhere around your house. Soon after you take it out again to catch a snippet of conversation here or to sneak an apple or two from Farmer Maggot there. It becomes very useful, and it gets harder and harder for you to put it back in it’s box at the end of your frolicking. So, you decide to keep it handy in your pocket. The more you carry and wear it, the more you treasure it and get defensive when anyone asks you about it. You use it more and more until, no longer are you the master of this Ring, but the Ring is the master of you! Finally you become a slave not only to the Ring, but you become a tool of it’s maker, the Dark Lord Sauron himself! You are forever a slave to his will, and it is nigh impossible to break free from his hold ever again.
Well, I hate to say it, but that is how many of us Christian become. No, not a slave to Sauron, but a captive of the real Dark Lord. It starts out as a hobby, a guy or girl friend, the Internet, and it slowly takes hold of you. For me, it was the Lord of the Rings. I wasn’t aloud to see it when it first came out, but my best friend was a fanatic of it, so I heard a lot about it and was intrigued. A few years passed, and I resurrected the question: When can I see The Lord of the Rings? My parents re-watched The Fellowship and said that I could see it, but to turn it off if it got too scary or gross. I was instantly mesmerized by the world, the story, the characters, and the plight of a certain Frodo Baggins in his quest to destroy a Ring. I laughed at Pippin and Merry, cried for Gandalf and Boromir, jumped when the Cave Troll surprised poor Frodo, and became angry at the Uruk-hai horde that the broke up the Fellowship. I loved it and begged to see Two Towers. Eventually I saw all three movies and ate them all up. I watched them a thousand times, read the books and others about them, went to the web-site, got the music, wrote the lines, you name it. I can even speak a little Elvish! But as my fascination with Middle-earth grew, my focus on God diminished. It was like the Ring. The Lord of the Rings was awesome, and started as just a cool movie trilogy. As I spent more time with it, I took time away from my family, friends and most importantly God. Pretty soon I either had a book or movie of it with me everywhere I went. I got defensive when people like my parents tried to take my focus away from LOTR. It was a hobby no more. It was a complete obsession. I almost became like Gollum, sitting in my room with one of the books, or listening to the music over and over again. Verbally, I never said it, but my actions oozed with the words: My Precious. Satan was using this weakness as a tool to turn me away from God, and I was quickly being dragged under. This happened not only with the LOTR but with other films as well. Then one day I realized (through the Holy Spirit I am sure) what an absolute waste I was becoming. I had spent months huddled into this world and away from everything else, and all that time was gone. Time can never be retrieved. I slowly came back, with my tail between my legs, to God. I started getting into His Word and praying. Eventually, and with much struggling, I felt renewed in my love of Christ.
Exodus 20:4 says–"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters below. (5)You shall not bow down and worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,(6) but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments." In the verse before that it says "You shall have no other gods before me." The Bible is full of verses that tell the consequences of idol worship, and an idol doesn’t have to be a golden fat gut on a pedestal. Mine was the love of something else over God. Anything put before God is an idol, be it the cute boy next door, or the time spent on cyberspace.
Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m not saying that watching movies or emailing a friend or two is wrong. You can like these things and do them...in moderation. That is the key word here. MODERATION!!!!
It’s not easy. I struggle with restraint regularly. But if you can learn to sense when enough is enough, you will lead a much happier, productive, and God pleasing life.