The Angels Premiere

Well, I guess it's been a while since my last post. What's new? Here's a short story I wrote speculating the angels anticipation of announcing Jesus' birth. Please enjoy and let me know what you think... 

The secret has been kept for ages. Quite literally. Their mouths are ready to burst with the news. But they know their part and they know they must wait a little longer. The time is almost here. 

"Places!" There is a bustle of activity. Angels lining up, shoulder to shoulder. The air is ripe with excitement. Expectation. Ecstasy. 

"Places" the stage manager shouts again. Curtain call is almost upon them. The Director steps to the front. The cast is instantly quiet, waiting on their Master's word. 

"The time is just now arriving," the joy can almost be felt in His voice, "You have all rehearsed excellently. You are ready. This is going to be perfect. Gabriel, introduce the audience to the main event." In a flash, Gabriel blasts past the curtain of time. Into the sky of earth. God smiles.

"My Son is born. The Savior of the World." 

Gabriel lights up the Middle Eastern night, the shepherds cower in shock, falling down in awe of this being before them. Gabriel quiets their hearts with his message "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you:you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." The angels bounce a little on their feet. About to perform their one time show. 

"Now!" God rips open the curtain that separates supernatural from natural and in a flash the angels are at earth's doorstep. The sonic boom echoes across the valley. Only for a second. The angels sing a heavenly chorus in seven part harmony, the likes of which humanity has never heard before... "Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among those with whom He is well-pleased." There is no need for an explanation. The message is clear. God has come to earth to save the ones who will kill Him. This is the story of Christmas. This is the beginning of the greatest story of all. 

Songs

The Reflection of Christ... Through Thor?

Okay, if you know me, you know that I absolutely love Thor, the movie, that is. 

I am so impressed... No. I am astounded with the way Anthony Hopkins portrayed the emotion in this

scene. 

The brokeness that Odin feels for his son's arrogant rebellion and shameless disobedience. The admittinge that he made a mistake in thinking Thor was ready. In a way (now I want to be careful in how I say this! as to not be sacrilegious or blasphemous), Odin is a type, a shadow if you will, of our own Heavenly Father. The Bible says that the Lord disciplines him whom He loves, as father, the son in whom He delights. Freya tells Loki that Odin has a purpose for everything. He chose to chastise Thor... To bring about change. He broke his son. In order to rebuild him. Because he loved him. It's so beautiful. 

And then, in this scene, Thor himself reflects Christ. Sacrificing his love to save his enemies. The frost giants. 

I find it beautiful that such a well-done movie reflects such strong Christian morals. Loving your enemies. Honoring your parents. Forgiving your betrayers. 

I keep finding more reasons to like this. I'll find more later.

What Does Your Relationship Look Like?

Do you follow Jesus as a celebrity or do you spend time with Him as a friend? Yes, He is Master... But He is also Saviour and friend. 

Forgiven

****

Another birthday? Wow. I'm shocked and blessed that I've been allowed to live this long. Of course, God's grace covers a multitude of sins, but wow, I've screwed up terribly this year. Offending wrongly has always been one of my uglier qualities, but I've crossed several lines that should never have been crossed and am still trying to patch those rifts up. I know that I can do better and, by God's grace, and with Jesus' help, I will change. Two decades is too long of a time to have some of the, umm, defects? Bad habits? Whatever. I think you know what I'm getting at. Well, l've got a year 'til 21, so here's to change. Change by Jesus. 

Be Excited. Jesus Loves You.

So, today, I was talking with some friends about how when you are alone in liking a certain TV show or movie or whatever, it's difficult to share your joy alone. It is. It just is. Then, in church, Pastor Mark Toone spoke about Psalm 122, where the Psalmist is saying "I was GLAD when they said too me, let us go to the house of The Lord!" I was GLAD. You hear that. He went on to say that so many Christians, too many Christian are more excited about the Seahawks than they ever are about church. How it's saddening that so many seats are empty on Sunday. How people are at church because it's the "right thing to do" not because they WANT to. His point in all this was, "Why aren't we sharing our joy? When you're late to church consistently, and don't care, it really shows where your priorities are. You dine and dash. You don't give, you just come and take." I paraphrase, but still, how true is that? Get excited about Jesus. Get excited that He loves you. Come to church, GO to church, be amazed and fall in love, or back in love with Your Saviour...

My Family in History

Really cool tidbit of information, my family (both sides) are in history... Simon Cameron (Simeon by some accounts) was the Secretary of War under President Lincoln at the beginning of the Civil War http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Cameron. His son, James Donald Cameron, served as Secretary of War under U. S. Grant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Donald_Cameron(okay, I don't know how closely related we are, per se). But, something cool about THAT is that my Grandpa Cameron's name is Donald and my Dad's name is James.... Woah.


On my Grandma Nancy's side of the family, we have Christopher Gist.... Wait for it... a close friend of George Washington... WUT?! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Gist . Somewhere in there is a guy named States Rights Gist. I kid you not. His name was freaking STATES RIGHTS! Of course, he was a Confederate in the Civil War...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_Rights_Gist

Ummmm...

At times in my life... More now than ever I just step back and go "Ummmm... What the heck am I doing ?! Where'd God go?" I mean, obviously He is ever-present in my life, but what I guess I'm getting at is "Where did I put God? Did I set Him aside, on the back burner? Or, worse yet, off the stove? When did I become so focused on myself and what I want that I just disregarded His plan in/for my life. 

     Ok. Let's be real, it's not like I know what He wants for me, but there are times when I'm like, "Yeah, no. Simeon. Stop. This is definitely NOT what He wants. 

      God, what have I become? Change this hellish mess of a life to do something that matters, PLEASE! Help me live life to the fullest... For You. Not me. 

Tom and Jerry... How The Story Ends

Bend

There are those moments in life where my pride says “Be stubborn, ‘cuz we all know you’re right” but my conscience says, “Yeah, um. No. No, you’re wrong. And you know it. You need to submit. Suck it up. Do the right thing.” It’s like the angel/demon on the shoulder war. And you want so bad for the demon to be right, but you know deep down that the angel’s spot on. You know you’re gonna have to humble yourself before you’re humbled, but it’s so hard. And you know it’s gonna be worth it. That you’ll look back on this and think, “Why was I such a blockhead?” But in the heat of it all, in the thick of it, your pride, the flesh, it just holds on so tight. Yeah. This is what we call life. Maturing. Growing up. Sometimes life sucks. But we have to get over it. Stop feeling sorry for ourselves and change. The right thing is the right thing. No matter how we feel about it. Deal with it.

Dracula: A Book Review

        Having been around for a little over a century, Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” has been praised and commended or damned and shunned. Not much in between. I’m not going to state this as a fact, but a good portion of Christians seem to be almost “afraid” of it. As if the name “Dracula” is a black word. On the other hand, the story is so popular in the secular world, that every form of entertainment (stage, film, audio drama) has at least two versions of this story… My question is: “What gives it the repulsion?” And “What gives it the draw?” I’m not quite sure. Maybe it’s the vampire aspect. Maybe it’s the mild horror element. Perhaps it’s the dark supernatural villain. For me, I wasn’t really “repulsed” so to speak, and not drawn either, I’ve heard conflicting reviews. So I was curious. This is what I found: It was better than the negative reviews made it out be, but not as “fulfilling” as the people who liked it said it was. 

                 So. Let’s start with the cons. Superstition plays a big part in the story. A LOT of superstition. Towards the beginning, a frantic woman tries to give the main character a rosary, which he takes only out of respect “I did not know what to do, for, as an English Churchman, I have been taught to regard such things as in some measure idolatrous, and yet it seemed so ungracious to refuse an old lady meaning so well and in such a state of mind.“* Yet, when he comes into contact with Dracula, it is the rosary that saves him. Although, the significance of Jesus and His sacrifice is emphasized, it is downplayed. Evil has too much power, which is consistent with most horrors. 

                However, unlike most horrors, there is power: in prayer and in seeking God’s guidance and help. Although too much faith is placed in items, there is still the understanding that, without God’s aid, you can’t fight evil and win. Another pro, which is kind of spoiler, so stop reading if you must, Good wins! Also, I have read that “Dracula” was written with Protestant undertones for the express purpose of combatting Darwin’s “Origin Of Species” which may or may not be true. 
So, was it worth it? Yeah, I think so. 
Conclusion: Dracula is a story about a group of people who must combat a very real spiritual as well as physical evil using the weapons that the Church and, however minor, Scripture gives us to fight demonic force. Strong moral Christian worldview with a hint at universalism. I don’t “recommend it” per se, but if you read it, do so with caution.



*Dracula, Chapter 1 p.9

The Sad Truth

The message of American Christianity has become complacency. Health and wealth. It has become "ho-hum" so to speak. The true biblical worldview has become inverted. God is no longer holy. The trivialization,  the watering down of the gospel has made it less effective. The "health-and-wealth" gospel has successfully distorted the beautiful suffering and horrible privilege that Christians are promised by Jesus. He is no longer the Savior of the world but merely a good teacher and an exemplary human. Now, more than ever, to be a Christian has less to do with what you believe, Who you believe in, and more to do with what you have and who you hang out with. There are more Christians-in-name-only because of the fact that the Bible has not been faithfully preached. If it cost something to be a Christian, the line between black and white would no longer be a muddled gray but a solid separation between those who are and those who aren't. The fence of indifference would be empty. Oh for the day when that is the case. A dangerous thing to say, I know, but I would rather be persecuted than accepted if it meant that Jesus would be glorified. And that is exactly what would happen. 

He Is Risen... And This Means?

Today is Easter. Resurrection Sunday. Pretty much everyone knows that this is the day that Christians celebrate Jesus rising from the dead. Conquering sin. Redeeming the world. All that stuff that so many people consider the stuff of myth and legend. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Anyways, you may ask, "You think Jesus is alive, wow... and this means what exactly?" I just want to explain what I think it means... I could be wrong. But whatever. This is what I believe.
A lot of men have claimed to be God, but I worship a God who was willing to be a man.

Ok, for a moment, I'll assume that Jesus wasn't God. For a brief instant, I'll entertain the thought that he was just a carpenter. That he was "just a good man."
He claimed to be God. In fact, they killed Him because He would not stop saying that He was God. If He wasn't God, then He wouldn't be a good man. He would be one of the worst men in the history of the world. On top of conning thousands of people while He was here on earth, He would also be a sick liar. Would you do that? Would you claim that you were something you weren't if it meant you would be killed for saying so?

This is why I believe Jesus is who He said He was: because of what it cost Him. Plain and simple. He didn't die to bring glory to Himself. He died to bring glory to His Father, and yes, they are the same, three in one, yes. But Jesus was human. Separated from His Father for a time, yet still connected. He claimed He died for humanity. So that humanity could live forever in peace and happiness. That is why I worship Jesus. He died for me. He paid a debt that I have absolutely NO chance of paying, let alone even putting a dent into it. And the only thing He asks is that I live for the glory of God? It may seem like quite a bit, but in reality, it's nothing when compared to the astounding work He accomplished on the cross.

Yeah, there are a ton of Christians who shove there rules and "holier-than-thouism" on others. But it's those people who are forgetting that Jesus died for their sins just as much as He died for the people that they're judging. Don't let these bad examples distract and repel you from accepting the saving grace of Jesus.

Please, accept Him today. He has always, always, ALWAYS accepted and forgiven you.

The Answer to Why I Think the Way I Do About Homosexuality...

Lately, there has been an undeclared, but very harsh, war between those who believe that homosexuality is fine and those who don’t. Carefully, very carefully, I want to say what I think about this, but not just this issue, rather, sexual immorality as a whole. 
The gay-supporting side of this verbal (rarely physical) war labels those who oppose their lifestyle (or views) “homophobic” or “gay haters”. 
Although I know there are some people (a LOT of them actually) who fit the bill, I guarantee that most of the people who oppose “equal rights for gays” (which aren’t equal rights, by the way, but that is a totally different, though related, conversation/post/comment) are similar to me, and hopefully, by the end of this, you will understand my point of view. 
I am a Christian. Plain and simple. I know that probably takes me down to the gutter in some people’s minds, but I don’t care. I believe that sexual promiscuity of any sort is a sin, so I’m not “against” just gays. Now, many times I have heard the following said (in some way, shape or form) “A man and a woman who find great joy in being married to each other should want that same happiness for everyone. Not just heterosexuals.” At first, those who say “No” to this seem like wicked people, but think about it. I believe that anyone who practices sexual immorality will GO TO HELL if they continue living how they are living and do not repent and turn to Jesus for forgiveness. If I were to help people do what I believe is sin, I would pretty much be saying, “Go to hell, (insert insult)!” But I love people and I don’t want them to go to hell, so I don’t. 
The way I see it, saying “I want the same happiness that I have in my heterosexual marriage for those two guys in their homosexual marriage” is like saying, “That guy experiences the same happiness drinking cyanide, that I get from eating ice cream, and who am I to withhold that happiness from him. We should let him drink it. As long as he’s happy.” That wouldn’t be very loving at all. That’s basically it. I don’t want sexual immorality on any level to become lawfully okay simply because people say it should be. Just like I wouldn't like homicide to be legal just because people say it's okay. How is that hating someone?! I love people. I have worked with several gay men and, although I don't agree with them, I don't hate. I want them to spend forever being happy, and sometimes, doing what you want will kill you and doing what you don’t want will save you. Like it or not, Jesus is the only One that can save you. Remember, He didn't WANT to die on the cross. But, because He loves us (and because His Father wanted it), He did it. Accepting that you need a Savior is the most humbling thing you can do. Or ever will do. Please, friend, please, understand that I don’t hate sinners. Otherwise, I would have to hate myself.

The Beauty that is Les Miserables

So, if you haven't heard, I have the fantastic privilege of playing Marius in Les Miserables and... Yeah. Okay, fantastic is an understatement and I am thrilled to be a part of this. You may wonder why... Well, besides the fact that the music is totally boss and the people I get to work with are fabulous, it's the story that really gets me. The story is about the grace of God's second covenant overcoming the law of His first covenant. It's about forgiveness and the love of Jesus, shown through His people, changing the world. And the musical is one of the most popular musicals... EVER! So I get to be part of sharing the gospel of Jesus... Without being preachy. That is awesome. The story is heartbreaking, wonderful and absolutely powerful.

Simeon.

If you haven't seen the movie, do so. If you live in or near Gig Harbor, come see it. It will run the 17th, 18th, and 19th of May. 

Stand in the Rain

In life, I have found that the worst times
Tend to be the best... as long as we go through them with friends.
Not because we enjoy suffering, but because we see how much we've grown
In spite of said suffering. If we didn't experience the pain, we wouldn't have experienced the maturity. It's been said that life isn't about avoiding the storms, but learning to dance in the rain. I believe, of some, merely standing in the rain is a triumph. Jesus said that we will never be tested beyond what we can handle. Even still, He, and only He, is the power that helps us to stand, dance, or rejoice in the rain of these storms. Life is a struggle. A beautiful struggle. If you are in Christ, there are only three times of life, and they cycle until death. 1) You are in a storm, 2) you are coming out of one, and 3) you are about to go into one. Some may say that God is cruel for allowing us to go through such pain, but I have learned that without the fire, silver would be flawed; without the heat, clay vessels would be unusable; and without storms, Christians would be back in the ways of death. Our faith and conviction is so precious to our Father, that He will increase the pressure to increase our faith. He only wants what's best for us. He will see us through.

Flight of Time

So, time flies fast. Like really, really fast. It seems like yesterday was my last post, but it's been about a month. What's happened in between? Well, I took a trip to Nevada with my father (strictly for work) and while driving back up, we hit black ice and rolled his work rig. Yeah, that's about the closest to death that I've come. But we are fine, no injuries. Like, at all. God has been very good to us. We celebrated a wonderful Christmas as well as ringing in the New Year. The most recent news, however,  is that I will be auditioning for an acting agent on Saturday. This Saturday. Needless to say, I am very excited. Very, very, VERY excited.

Happy New Year, everyone!
Remember in all things, no matter how far we fall,
Jesus never, ever, ever gives up on us.
Be true to Him because, most assuredly, He is always true to us.
In fact, He is truth.

Simeon.