Read and repsond

So, I saw what is very rare for me...one of those survey things that I actually decided to fill out. I don't usually do them, because most of them are incredibly cheesy, and while yes, I do in fact get bored easily, I don't normally get THAT bored! Anyway, here is one that I found interesting enough to fill out, and I REALLY want to hear other people's opinions on the questions as well. So, when you have a few minutes, take a look, and respond back please! At the very least it should make for some good discussions! Looking forward to hearing from all of you!

Oh, and let me apologize for its length, I may have gone a bit long on some of my answers!


Would you do meth if it was legalized?
Hmm....um...NO! What do I look stupid? Oh, and don't give me that stupid excuse of, "well if we legalize it, it will be safer and regulated." Bull! The only reason the government ever legalizes something that they made illegal is if they think they can make a buck off of it! Have you ever seen a meth addict? To make a buck off of that is just SICK!

Abortion: for or against?
So much against I don't think I could ever fully express it. Let me be blunt, keep your pants on if you don't want a kid. If not, then you take the chances, knowing what is possible. And if you get pregnant, be man enough, or woman enough, to go through with it. No one should be murdered (face it, abortion is murder, figure out a way to get over it if you think its not!) just because you can't keep your pants on and your hormones in check, not too mention can't figure out how to use protection at the very least (for those of you who are married)!

That being said, I do have sympathy for women who end up pregnant as a result of a rape. But while I think its horrible that that happens, I still don't think a child should be murdered as a result. Isn't there already enough pain? I understand you probably don't want the child because it would just be a reminder of what happened, but there are lots of people out there that would LOVE to adopt that baby...there's NO NEED TO KILL IT! And hey, if the government stopped supporting abortion, then they could take the funds they are currently using for it and pay for the medical bills incurred by the pregnancies caused by rape (and pay for the castration of the convicted rapist)

Oh, and I agree with Ryan on this one...."I'M TELLIN YOU, ABSTINENCE WORKS WONDERS."




A 2 month old child and a 65 year old man who has the cure for
cancer but hasn't had a chance to announce it yet, one of them has
to die...who should survive?
Wow...that's a tough question for me since I'd hate to see anyone die needlessly. But here goes, if the man came up with the cure for cancer, then I'm sure he has it written down somewhere, and it can be carried on by someone else. Who knows who/what the baby will grow up to be? Should give them the chance...they may change the world in ways we can't even imagine!

But you know what? Thankfully, I'm not in charge of this department!!! So I'll leave that up to God, He seems to know much better about these things than I ever could, lol!





Would our country fall with a woman president?
hmm...there's a good question.

I heard Robin Williams' take on what we think our fear is with a woman as president, and that being that every 28 days she's going to say, "Tell the Israeli's/Iranians/Russians/whoever, to go away, I can't negotiate today, I'm just going to sit here and look over the budget and watch my "stories" (soap operas)" I thought that was pretty funny....especially when Robin Williams does it.

But in all seriousness. I think there are alot of women out there who make great leaders. Now, would we fall as a country with one of them as our leader? I don't necessarily think so. You know, the Bible says that no one has authority or leadership except that God gave it to them. So if He gave leadership of this country to a woman, than so be it.

That being said...Hillary?! HECK NO!!! That crazy, liberal, socialist, appeaser would run this great country into the ground and watch it get taken over! I'm not saying God agrees, but hey, she's not in the race anymore, right? lol




Do you believe in the death penalty?
Individually I don't think we have the right to kill anyone. But I think there is precedent for the government having the authority to do so. So, my official stance is yes, if there is no shadow of a doubt that the person is guilty, then fry em! None of this stuff about 20-30 years on death row. Admittedly, there are men and women on death row who are innocent, but I'm not talking about the ones who have a legitimate case that they didn't do it. I'm talking about the ones who it is obvious they did it. Why do they get to sit around milking the tax payers dry and clogging up space for several more decades?




Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already?
Ok, if you know much about me at all, then you would understand why I so strongly think that the answer to this question is a resounding NO!! For my arguments about the so called benefits of legalization, see the above comments referring to meth

As for medically...I think that if it truly is valid as a pain reliever, then our medical experts can figure out a way to put that one particular ingredient into a pill or something.



Do you think same sex marriage should be legalized?
NO. My two theories about gays (lesbians, etc), such as my "LEGO" theory, explain why I think it is wrong.

Not to mention, marriage is a centuries old practice, and is derived from Biblical teachings. Now, I don't find anything in the Bible allowing for same sex marriage...not even something that could be construed and misinterpreted to allow it. Also, I don't know of any civilization that has allowed same sex marriage before (other countries within the last few decades not included). On that subject as well. If you look back at the "great" civilizations of the past, there was a common thread in all of them towards the end of their reign, the start of their decline. They all started to accept homosexuality as socially acceptable, even encouraged, behavior. Shortly thereafter the civilization fell, without exception. Now, I'm not saying that it was the cause of the fall, but hey, its a pretty convincing coincidence, wouldn't you say?

Now, let me say something here before I get the wrong reaction to my response. While I strongly oppose homosexuality, I don't think that that gives us the right to attack them. I feel that the Bible opposes the practice of homosexuality, but I don't think it gives me the authority to attack the person! Sin is sin in God's eyes, no matter what your sin of choice is. We are called to oppose and hate sin, but to love the SINNER! Just like God did for us! So I think the Church has taken the wrong approach to this issue, and the Kingdom has lost ground because of it. Wake up Church!




Do you think its wrong that so many Hispanics are moving to the USA?
This country was made by immigrants, so I think for us to say immigration is wrong now would be incredibly hypocritical of us. HOWEVER! All this illegal immigration nonsense has got to go! Illegals hurt our economy by taking work away from citizens (because they will work for less), and by sucking from our social programs, which by the way, amazes me that they are able to, but that's a whole different story!

If you come into this country, LEGALLY, and are trying to make a better life for you and your family, then I say more power to you! Live that American Dream!

But if you sneak in under the fence (or across the water or whatever), then you should show yourself the door before we do. If you're a business man, than man up and stop ruining our economy just to make a few extra bucks by hiring illegals. If you can't run your business using legal citizens, then I'm sorry, you probably shouldn't have a business. I know, I know, some are going to say I'm being too harsh....GET OVER IT!




A 12 year old girl has a baby..should she keep it?
Ok, what the heck is a 12 year old doing having a baby!? If this is the result of a rape, please see my above comments about abortion. OH, and definitely cut it off of the sicko who rapes a 12 year old!

If this is the result of two consenting 12 year olds, then where in the world are their parents?! I mean, holy crap! Things have sure changed because I wasn't even thinking about sex when I was 12! I know, I know, times have changed, but still....what sane parent lets their 12 year olds have sex?! Get the kid some medical help for the pregnancy, and get the parents some serious parenting help, because they SUCK AT IT!





Should the alcohol age be lowered to 18?
No. That's just dumb. Ok, I'm not against drinking as a whole. But only for people who can be responsible with it. And I am strongly against being Drunk. And lets face it, most people who drink, get drunk. And especially in the category of younger people drinking...they do it at parties, etc, and the point that they do it for is to get drunk. Come on, lets be serious, most 18 year olds who are going to drink are NOT going to be responsible about it. Please don't give me some garbage excuse about how we could then teach them more about alcohol and how to be responsible with it, etc. or any of the other liberal arguments that make no sense. QUITE BEING NIEVE!!!

Yeah, I know, teens are already drinking. So what some people are saying is basically that we should reward their illegal behavior by allowing them to drink earlier because they were already doing it anyway? Does that "logic" (term used VERY loosely!) make any freakin sense to anyone else? Its just stupid!



Should the war in Iraq be called off?
Ok, lets save ourselves a whole world of arguments, and save me alot of typing...lets just assume that we all agreed with the war at its start (lets be honest, a great majority of this country did at the time...we all wanted to see someone get bombed because of what happened on 9/11...it made us feel better). Ok, that assumption being made, now lets look at the war. Everyone's upset because of the death toll. People....it's a WAR! Guess what...people die in war. I have friends that have died in this war doing what they swore to do, and that is to fight for the safety and way of life the rest of us enjoy (many of us very unappreciatively I might add). I'm not happy they had to make that sacrifice for our sake, but they did it. Now, are you really nieve enough to think that taking our ball and going home now is going to do anything effective? Heck no! It will only enbolden the terrorists! I don't agree with the way the war has been handled, but I don't think we pull up stakes and go home. We redouble our efforts and win the battle. We do it because we love freedom. We do it because we want others to enjoy that freedom as well. And we do it because we should finish what we start and not leave a country in shambles. And this is coming from a former military guy, who was on the edge of going over himself, so don't give me that, "you don't get it" crap. I think we could all benefit from a little less consumption of our liberal democrat media reports. Do some research on your own...don't be sheep!



Do you believe in spanking your children?
Ha! Heck yeah! Sometimes I believe in spanking other people's children too, especially if they're not going to do it! What's this "time out" BS? That's not effective!

Disclaimer: DO NOT BEAT OR ABUSE YOUR CHILD! Any child abuser should be given over to the custody of the largest scariest guy you can find (in my mind people like Michael Clark Duncan [the big black guy from the movie, "The Green Mile"], or Andre the Giant (RIP) come to mind) and let them get beat to within an inch of death, so they understand what it feels like to be beat up by someone bigger than you and not able to defend yourself.

If you beat or abuse your child, you are a worthless excuse for a parent, and I hope that someone gives you a dose of what you're giving out. BUT...a spanking is an effective behavior modification incentive.

Anyone else tired of these people saying that no one should ever spank their kid? Anyone else notice that most of those people don't have any kids?! haha




A mother is declared innocent after murdering her 5 children in a temporary insanity case...opinion?
Ok, what messed up jury declared her innocent would be my first question! Last I checked, most insanity is not a temporary condition.

Note to defense attorneys: Quit being little snakes and trying to get these people off with murder using stupid quack job excuses! Try making an honest buck! I mean, I understand our legal system being an adversarial system and all, and the need for everyone to have zealous, competent representation, but seriously? Does that mean you have to stoop to such levels?!




It's between you and a person who is being kept alive by life support
machines..one has to die, who?
Why does one have to die?
Ok, that's out of my system, now....if I'm only being kept alive by tubes and machines, I've always kind of thought that would be my cue that time here is up. Let me go HOME (Heaven)! But I can't make that decision for someone else. So, it would all depend on why one of us has to die. I'm willing to give up my life for someone else's...I know where I'm going.



Are you afraid others will judge you from reading some of your answers?
Nah, not really. I'm sure I may have offended one or two people. But it wasn't intentional, and I hope that those who disagree with me would talk to me about it rather than sulk or be angry. We'll see.

Ichthus

Ichthus 2008 has come and gone. This was my second Ichthus experience, and it was alot of fun. I have to admit, last year's seems to hold a bigger place in my heart, but I'm not sure if that is because it was my first year or because I liked the line up better. But this year was still alot of fun. 3 of the guys from the church here in Shirley joined me, and we volunteered to work so that the festival was free. Working security for the festival wasn't a bad thing, it just wasn't the most exciting way to spend 9 hours. This year's festival went a little "old school," according to some, because there were several rainstorms that came through the area. On Friday they had to cancel the evening speaker (Justin Lookado), as well as 3 concerts; Stellar Kart, Kutless, and tobyMac. The rain also forced us to seek different shelter because our tent wouldn't hold up to the winds without being staked down better, which we couldn't do because the ground was too hard. But the wonderful people from North Madison Christian Church welcomed us into their tents for the rest of Friday and Saturday as well. It was a great few days, but very tiring. I'm hoping that Chris, Paul, and Greg all had as much fun as I did.

Finally made it to Shirley

Well I finally made it here to Shirley, Indiana. For anyone who didn't already know, this is where I am doing an internship for the summer. I am the Youth Minister for the summer at the Shirley Christian Church. In the short time I've had experiences with the people here so far, they have been amazing to me. It was a frustrating situation trying to get up here because of my car situation, but that's a whole different blog, and the result in the end is that God provided and I made it here.
I was able to meet some of the adults and most of the students yesterday (between Sunday School, worship service, the pitch-in congregational lunch, and Sunday night youth group). I'm really looking forward to working with and sharing life with them over the next few months.

If you need to send me anything over the summer, mail it to:
Billy Knieriem
C/O Shirley Christian Church
PO Box 10
Shirley, Indiana 47384

My email address will still be the same, and my cell will be on, although the service in this area isn't the best. I am looking forward to a great summer here in Shirley, and excited about what God has planned!
Keep an eye on the picture albums as I'll be adding pictures as the summer goes along (I know, I know, me adding pictures is such a rare thing, but I thought I'd give it a shot! haha).
I hope everyone has a great summer!

Dry Run

So this past weekend, myself, a great friend from here on campus (Nathan), and three of my favorite Madisonian adults (Tim, Tom, and Wayne) braved the miles of hiking, the pounds of packing, and the possibility of rain to trek into the mountains of the Great Smokies for the weekend. We had been plannning this trip for months (since November) and the anticipation was boiling over. Nathan and myself joked that our lives at JBC were on the line since we had borrowed a canoe from the head of financial aid and a handheld GPS from one of our professors, but thankfully that canoe didn't sink, and the GPS didn't go in the water.
It didn't take very long for our excitement to start to wane as we came face to face with the fullness of what we were trying to do. As we started to head across Fontana Dam in the late afternoon (not quite the early morning start we had hoped for!), packs heavy on our backs, and miles ahead of us before the first night's camp, we began to really understand how difficult our trail was going to be. But with all the physical difficulties, all the doubts of completion, the long hours of wandering through the dark hoping we were still on the trail and praying the campsite was just around the next corner; even with the realization of having somehow missed being arrested, God showed us how amazing He is.
More times than we can count along the way, God kept showing us how much we needed Him, and, as Tim later put it, how much we also need each other. Had any of us thought it through a little bit more, we would have realized that each of us had at least a few items that we knew someone else also had, and yet we felt the need to have our own in our packs...only adding to our already heavy loads. Through all the unexpected challenges along the way, the weekend was incredible! We had the opportunity to spend time in the middle of God's creation, with only the "essentials" that we could fit into our packs, and the opportunity to spend time with each other as we were amazed by the things God's hands made. The trip didn't go completely as expected, and some rearranging will have to be made for the planned next trip, but God used this weekend to show us how much we need Him, and, at least for me, to remind me how small we are in comparison to what He has created, but how much He loves us.
If you haven't been to the area around Shuckstack Mountain, NC, you should make it a point to get there. If you haven't spent real time with brothers and/or sisters in the faith you trust and love, you should do that too. But most importantly, if you haven't had the time to spend some quiet, intentional time with God, He's waiting for you to call.

Summer Plans

So yet another semester here at Johnson is quickly coming to an end, which is always bitter-sweet. I almost always look forward to the break from classes, papers, and homework, but at the same time, I do love it here at JBC, and will miss my friends while the summer months glide by. So, I have been wrestling the last few weeks with what to do this summer. After an amazing internship last year at North Madison, Christian Church, it was pretty easy to know that I wanted to do another internship, the question was just where that would be. So I sent out some emails, and talked to a few people about possibilities; and then sent out my resume to a few different churches. After several weeks of emails, phone interviews, and traveling to meet with church leaders, God has opened the door for me to be the Youth Minister/Intern at the Shirley Christian Church, in Shirley, Indiana. Shirley is about 40 min or so from Indianapolis. It is a small town of about 800-1,000 people, and the church is a small church of about 60-70, with about 15 teens. There is not currently a Youth minister on staff, and so I will be trying to jumpstart something for the teens. I am still nervous about this opportunity, but at the same time, very excited about it! Please pray for me as I get ready for this new adventure.

Tip Evangelism

Have you ever wondered about the tip you leave your server when you leave a restaurant? Have you ever thought about the impact that little extra something has on the person who just spent the last hour or so taking care of your needs? I would imagine that for most people the answer to that is no. We simply leave our 15% and get on about what we were doing without a second thought. But what effect is that having on those people who's livlihood is to serve?
I've been a server for the better part of 3 years of my life. In those three years I've learned some valuable lessons about the people who work in this industry. If you look at your typical waiter or waitress, they are typically either students (high school or college) or single mothers. Now, of course there are some who don't fit this category, but for the most part this is who you find waiting tables. In either case they are people who could use the money, and could use the encouragement that they are hoping to get from the customers that come to their restaurant.
I've noticed a disturbing trend in the years that I've spent serving. There is a particular group of people that servers traditionally do not look forward to serving. That group of people isn't the bad tippers, or the rude customers, or even the demanding ones...but rather that group encompasses all three of those things. The group is: Christians! How sad is this! I've had many a conversation with non-believing co-workers about their faith and/or lack of it, and in almost every case the major contributing factor to why they don't find any value in Chritianity comes from the experiences they've had in serving Christian customers! Their experience has been that, usually, they are demanding, rude, and poor tippers. And it is not as though the servers can't tell who the Christians are! Typically they come out after church on Sunday morning or Wednesday night, and are in suits or nice clothes. It kinda gives them away!.
Among the leading issue alot of servers have with Christian customers is the "tracts" that are left on the table. After having served the table for an hour or so, running around getting countless refills of tea, etc. the server comes to the table only to be greeted by a dollar or two and a small pamphlet telling them how much of a sinner they are! Now, don't get me wrong, I think that as Christians it is our duty to spread the Gospel to others and to call sin sin, but is this the way to do it? I don't think so. For one, unless you've had an extensive conversation with your server, you have no idea whether or not they are already a Christian (so at best you've wasted your money on printing the tract), and in my experience, the tracts are the cheesiest things I've read! Where's the quality?
Now I realize that alot of people see this as fulfilling some "requirement" for evangelism, but really, what've you done? You made no effort. You probably didn't even have much of a talk with the server on the subject, and meanwhile you've ran the server in circles around the restaurant to get you drinks, more bread, etc, and you accompany your "evangelism obligation" with one or two dollar bills on a $30 or more check! Not only have you made yourself look cheap, but you've also done that to Jesus. If you feel the need to use these tracts, please, at least try to determine if the server has a faith or not first, AND, accompany the tract with a $20. I promise, if you put a $20 bill on the table with your tract, you will not only ensure that the server will read it (if only out of curiousity), but also that if they in fact are not a member of a church, and a situation comes up where they feel the need to go to church, they will remember yours because of your generosity.
Now, most people will say that all we are required to leave is 15% and be happy with that, but I would disagree in some cases. Let me explain. If you and your friend, wife, spouse, etc split an entree, you are still causing your server to serve two people, but you now intend to tip them as if they're only serving one. That's not very fair. Also, if you are someone who is very needy, and most of us are, you should probably leave a little something extra on the table.
Ok, I feel like I'm kind of rambling, so let me get back to my point. In one of the easiest ministry fields we come in contact with on a regular basis, we are dropping the ball! Stop thinking about what the least amount of a tip you can get away with is and start looking at it in a whole new way! We have an opportunity to bless the life of someone else, and show them the generosity of our Savior. Here is a truth about the restaurant business...the servers know who the good tippers are and who the bad tippers are, and they FIGHT over the good ones! So, look at it this way, lets say you go to a particular restaurant pretty regularly. Chances are the servers know whether you are a good tipper or not. Now, lets say that most of the servers their are not believers. If you start tipping good, they will see you differently and fight over who gets to serve you. Now, if you get to where you have a "regular" server each week, you have now opened a huge window into their life. You know get a one hour or so "audience" with them each week. As you get to know them more, and they get to know you, they will open up more and be more comfortable talking to you about whatever topic you bring up. Now that you have gained their trust, and they like serving you, you can approach the topic of faith with them, and they will be alot more receptive than if you had simply left a cheesy pamphlet and a dollar on the table.
Some people after hearing this idea, have told me that that's like "buying" their attention. Ok, I'll give you that...in a way it sort of is. But these are people who are making $2.13 an hour from the restaurant and so they depend on the tips they get, so giving them something a little extra is of course going to get their attention. I don't think there is anything wrong with it. You have blessed their lives with what God has blessed you with, and you have opened the door to have the opportunity to share with them the greatest blessing of all!
Look, I'm not writing this to make everyone feel bad about their tips. But the truth of the matter is that Christians have been labeled as among the worst tippers in the country (I think we're right behind foreigners, but it's close!), and that shouldn't be the case! Consider what the possibilities are with something as little as a tip! You could literally change a person's whole day! And eventually their eternity!
You want to see something fun? Next time you go out to your favorite restaurant, leave an extraordinarily large tip...then stick around somewhere inconspicuous where you can watch the look on your servers face when they see how much you left them!! And then watch the difference in the service you get from them the next time!
So the next time you go out to eat, think about how you treat your waiter or waitress. And think about how the way you treat them is reflecting Jesus. Then, when it comes time to leave a tip....think about how you'd like to impact their lives. Don't just try to figure out what 15% is and run out the door, but try to think about how you can make a difference with what you tip them. Sharing the Gospel with them could be as easy as simply being different from what they EXPECT a Christian to be!!

P.S. for my younger friends who are going to say, "but we don't have that much money!" I know this! But you can still go against their expectations by being polite, and not rude! Be courteous and not demanding! And when it comes to leaving a tip, leave the best you can afford to leave. Consider how much money you have BEFORE you order...make sure you have something left for a tip (i.e. if mom and dad gave you a $20 to go out to eat, you probably shouldn't order the $18 meal!).

We need to stop!

So, the semester is FINALLY over! All the projects are done (although often late, lol), and I've taken all of my finals, so it is finally time to have a chance to relax. I will be leaving for Florida in the next few days and spending a few weeks at "home." I'll probably blog some more from there since I'll have more time, lol. But as I was sitting around relaxing tonight, I came across the story of the recent shootings in Colorado. Now, all the details aren't out yet, and I'm sure alot of things will come to the surface as the days go by, but there were some interesting and disturbing things brought to light in the last couple days. I think the saddest part of this whole thing.....the most disturbing part, is that it seems like the cause of this was at least in part due to the abusive and hypocritical things he's seen and/or experienced from the church. This is a charge that has been too often leveled against the church in recent years. As Christians we are called to be different from the world....above the world....but too often we fall short of that call. I'm including myself in this too. We need to stop making hypocrites of ourselves, stop abusing others. Take a few minutes to consider your own lives and actions. Is the way you live add up to the faith you claim? Or would people consider you to be a hypocrite too? Here's the link to one of the stories about this shooting and some of the things that have come to light about the shooter: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071213/ap_on_re_us/church_shooting_profile;_ylt=AhgtLTTYyBF6sDq3xNVrOAdH2ocA

If you want to see what God thought about hypocrisy, take a look at Isaiah 1:10-17. God's not looking for His people to know when and where to bring the right offerings to atone for their sins, He wants His people to be different from those around them, and to be obedient to Him! Just a few thoughts that were on my mind.