Sunday, November 30, 2008

you have to read this!

A Baby Changes Everything
By: Faith Hill

Teenage girl, much too young
Unprepared for what's to come
A baby changes everything

Not a ring
On her hand
All her dreams and all her plans
A baby changes everything (x2)

The man she loves she's never touched
How will she Keep his trust
A baby changes everything (x2)

And she cries, oh she cries

She has to leave, go far away
Heaven knows she can't stay
A baby changes everything

She can feel it's coming soon
There's no place, there's no room
A baby changes everything (x2)

And she cries and she cries O she cries

Shepherds own they got their...
Star shines down...

Choir of Angels say
Glory to the newborn king
A baby changes everything (x2) everything, everything, every day
Hallelujah x4

My whole life is turned around
I was lost and now I'm found
A baby changes everything (x2)

Thursday, November 6, 2008

too long

I haven't had time to update my blog in a while. For those few of you that do read my blog, I apologize. (: It's been a crazy month. I've been super busy writing an article for my hs paper; it's about pornography. Wanna read it? Check it out.


In today’s world, the internet is a great tool that is used in a number of ways, most of which are beneficial; however, there are some things on the internet that should not be seen.
Twenty years ago, pornography was a bit more difficult to get a hold of. You actually had to go out and buy the magazine or rent the video. But now, thousands of pornographic sites are just a click away, free of charge.
According to familysafemedia.com, in the United States, the average American boy sees pornography before the age of 11. These are young children that we are putting into consideration here, not just 18-year-olds and up. That is not to say that adults viewing pornography is socially acceptable, however, these 11- year- olds are still children. Most of them have not even hit puberty yet.
According to safefamilies.org, in the United States, $13.3 billion was made in 2006 and $97 billion worldwide in total pornographic sales. But that was not just in 2006, that is how it is every year.
In an article in New York Times Magazine, “Naked Capitalists: There’s No Business like Porn Business”, author Frank Rich, says “Porn is no longer a sideshow to the mainstream, it is the mainstream.”
I think pornography is something that needs to be taken care of. It has become such a normal, accepted thing throughout our society, and although most don’t struggle with pornography addiction necessarily, it is definitely a problem with some Americans.
In a study done by familysafemedia.com in 2006, they found that over 4.2 million pornographic websites were in existence. It was reported that $4.9 billion is made in internet pornography sales each year.
While some watch pornography from time to time, some are addicted to it. Organizations have been created to help those who seek need, such as Integrity Online, XXXChurch and Covenant Eyes.
XXXChurch is an online based community of people that was created to help and encourage people to find resources and seek freedom of pornography addiction.
Some may even wonder why people even enjoy pornography in the first place.
“We all want gratification,” PJ Szabo, an intern for XXXChurch, said. “We all want it in a way that will be quick and painless. The problem is that anything that treats sex as a commodity results in pain. Porn through the internet is easy to access and easy to hide. So it's easy but not painless to look at porn. So why keep looking at it? All of which are fueled by a self gratification; whether that is through physical pleasure or of a desire to gain knowledge about sex before you encounter it.”
People don’t realize that viewing pornography really can cause emotional pain and possibly problems in future relationships.
Not only is the amount of people viewing pornography increasing in general, but so is the amount of teenagers viewing pornography. In a study done by healthymind.com in 2003, it was reported that 90% of 8 to 16-year-olds have viewed pornography.
“Teenagers are becoming more aware of sex as a way of pleasing yourself and meeting our own agendas”, Szabo said. “This isn't an accurate view of sex because sex is not currency, a class in school or a merit badge that you earn every time you "advance" in this world.”
With XXXChurch becoming more popular throughout both the Christian and secular communities, the organization wants people to know who they are and why they were created.
“XXXChurch is making a huge difference in the industry because it inserts the love of Jesus into people's lives just by being there,” Szabo said. “It's difficult to meet someone in the industry who hasn't at least questioned XXXChurch or thought about it. XXXChurch exists to get people to think about Christ in their lives, and if we can get into their lives at a porn show we can get Jesus into their lives even in the smallest way of a Bible on their coffee table.”
Keeping that in mind, a fact found on familysafemedia.com states that 47% of Christian men admit that pornography is a problem in their home.
Organizations such as XXXChurch were designed to help that number go down. Pornography is just going to get worse, and it is a problem. It is slowly becoming an addiction.
Pornography is affecting teenagers more and more each and every day. They think that it is appropriate to be watching it, when it’s not even something that some people consider to be morally right. I don’t think people realize how degrading it really is.
“I think porn will continue to grow and gain new fans every year”, Szabo said. “As it becomes easier to be disconnected physically from each other we will become more isolated and lose the connections in our life that hold us to the morality we profess and need to constantly be wrestling with.”