Gay Rights

I don't like being ignorant so I'm gonna say straight up that if this blog offends anyone then i apologise right here and now. The purpose is not to offend but rather explore something that i am unsure of where i stand. Well, vaguely unsure.

A question came up, one of those new question things and it asked if a person did or did not support gay rights. I don't hold anything against people that are homosexual. It doesn't phase me. What someone chooses to believe and engage in is their complete private business - totally their choice and that's ok with me because i appreciate people who respect what i believe and engage in. And having said that, i have quite a few homosexual friends and to me, there is nothing different or unusual about them.

However, I don't agree with homosexuality in itself because of what the Bible/Christianity teaches.

But when i came across this question, i was torn. I didn't know what to believe or where i stood with it.

I believe in justice and the equality of all people, and i once had a conversation with someone about gay rights. They explained to me that it isn't fair that they're not entitled to all the same rights that i, as a straight person, am entitled to and i thought that to be fair enough.

So my question is, can i disagree with homosexuality but still believe in gay rights???

Like i said at the beginning of this email, i genuinely love all people regardless of sex, age, race or in this case sexuality and i don't intend this to discriminate. This is merely me trying to learn a little bit more of who i am and what i believe. I'm not asking anyone to tell me what to believe or how to respond but I'm asking for advice so that i can make up my own mind. i encourage anyone on my friends list to reply to this but please keep your comments informative and don't hate on me because that is not the intention of this blog, i'm not here on this earth to judge anyone.

Thank you.

Come Over

Do you remember the days in school when Saturdays were the best days ever???? Where you'd invite your friends over and play board games, or you watch a video or even play a computer game or console game if you were lucky??? I remember them and today felt sad that they are lost in becoming an adult. I loved them. You didn't have to dress up for the occasion. It was good company and if you felt you'd been inside too long, a fun walk or bike ride to the local corner store to buy a big paper packet of lollies for just 50c was all that was necessary. Then if people were still there at lunch time, you made gourmet sandwiches or heated up some pies and a soft drink or flavoured milk. There was nothing illegal about it and you didn't have to worry if what you were doing was right. There was nothing you could do that would bring about costly consequences. Ahhh....i miss the atmosphere of those days and the great, strong bonds that were formed between friends.

Financial Blessings

I learnt a very valuable lesson last night. Sometimes, helping someone in need doesn't have to be as unobtainable as you might think. Sure, there are homeless people all over the joint and there are poor, starving people in parts of the world we've never heard of and sometimes one might think, 'the problem is so big, my $20 won't mean a thing' at least that's how i sometimes feel. I read a news report online today that a lot of Australians are living well beneath the poverty line. I was also in a financially sticky situation last night myself. It got me thinking. Sometimes, if we pay for someone who cannot afford to do something, that is just exactly the same thing as reaching out to someone in need. So the next time someone says 'i can't afford it' or 'i haven't got the money', consider them as a person in need. Take the opportunity to reach out to them as though they were Christ and offer them your own financial blessings! Feed them, clothe them, do whatever it is that is neccessary. Give them the same consideration you would for a homeless person. Don't get me wrong i still think it's important for us to reach out in many other ways for the poor and third world countries etc, but i'm just saying, the opportunities aren't as big or far away as you might think they are!!! Always remeber, God's blessings are endlessly abundant when we think of each other and not only ourselves.

Lasting Impressions

I think it's totes funny/peculiar/interesting how there are certain things that stick in your memory of things people have said to you or have done for you. There are also those memories that make you think of a loved one and make you crumble. Just this week, when i was picking up my car in fact, something the finance guy said to me about the trauma and death side of the insurance made me think of loved ones who have passed away and right there and then i nearly cracked it and broke down in tears, i held my composure but just those little RANDOM things that flick a switch and make you remember. Sometimes a memory that you have is stuck in your head for absolutely no reason whatsoever. I've been thinking of a few things recently and i wanted to share a few with you. 1. Shanon Hawkesworth, an American friend of mine, was sitting with me during a church service one Sunday in the Sacramento Salvo Citadel and during the offering she leaned in close to my ear and whispered to me, 'can you please stay here?'. It's a memory i'll always remember and cherish because it showed me just how much she valued our friendship. If there was EVER a reason to stay in The Salvation Army, this memory in this moment would've been it! Needless to say it broke my heart that I couldn't stay and that was the actual day I was flying back to Australia! 2. I think the year was 1996 or 1997 and I was staying overnight or for the weekend at Alyson (then) Lucas' house. I'm not sure what it was for, maybe it was for the 'Guys and Dolls' thing we did (what in the heck was that anyways?????) but the actual memory was the first time i'd ever been introduced to 'the internet'. She introduced me not only to the internet but also to ICQ, my very first experience with the internet and with Messenging programs. I was entralled, obsessed even, and now it is a fully blown addiction. Thank you Alyson. Not sure if that's sarcastic or sincere haha! 3. At camp, the dirtiest, smelliest, sweatiest place for a staff member to be and I remember someone brushing a single strand of hair off my face, looking deep into my eyes and then apologising without knowing why they'd done it. I don't know why i remember that, but it's a memory i will always treasure! It was kinda like an act of Jesus, you know, with the washing of the feet thing. I was sweaty and dirty and yet they still took a few moments out to tuck away my messy hair. hehe... I think the most prominent memories will always be something that someone has done for you. I always seem to remember something randomly nice that someone has done or said. I suppose the challenge for me, is to make that kind of impression on someone else.

Black Falcon - My Baby

To baby car Today i missed you so much. I know you're not well and the possibility of ever being together again is looking unlikely, but i want you to know you have left your mark on my heart. You have been so good to me, so reliable to myself and also to the many others you have willing been kind to. The absence of you over the last two weeks has taken it's toll on me and altho your replacement will satisfy my every need, i'm sure. But you will be sorely missed. i love you. Alisha xoxo

For What It's Worth by Zerah Hope Gallardo on catching trains

(Published in the free, daily MX Newspaper on 22nd Feb 2011) Those of us who are regular commuters on peak-hour trains have seen it all. We know the battleground the platform becomes, the strategic movements needed to survive and the primitive beasts that are released from within us all. After a long day at the office we know our greatest obstacle is still to come, because even the slightest chance of a seat on the train sparks social Darwinism. It is survival of the fittest and only the most elite, most tactical and most premeditated plan of attack will prevail. Sure, you can know the general area to stand where the train doors stop, but that eliminates only the most naive of competition. You need to plan much further ahead to survive combat of this calibre. Over the years, some of the more cunning methods I've witnessed have been from: 1. The oversized backpack wearer. The pack acts both as a weapon of mass sabotage and an improvised shield. You could be a peak-hour connoisseur, but if you're standing behind an oversized backpack wearer, forget it. It is Mario Kart triple banana peel damage to your game. 2. The sneaky pusher inner-er. To outlast the competition you need to monitor your position. Stand your ground, be vigilant about your surroundings and do not lose focus. If you become distracted, even for a second, you could fall prey to one of these bad boys.One moment you're standing in your usual spot, right where the doors open up, next thing you know you've got a sneaky pusher inner-er standing right in front of you, costing you your chance for a seat. 3. The seemingly fragile elderly woman. Have you ever seen poison ivy? It looks so delicate and unassuming. But it is a merciless plant. It will strike whoever crosses its path with no regard for anyone but itself.Seemingly elderly fragile women are not what they appear to be at all. They have roamed this land for much longer, know the ways of the frontline well. These are the opponents you need to be wary of. For when you are afraid of using your best attacks, they will completely assault your entire being in order to get ahead. The train charges in. Sweat dripping from your brow, you use your peripheral vision to eye your rivals. The train stops. Three. Two. One. The doors open. FIGHT! It is complete anarchy. Whistles blowing, arms flailing, computer generated voices announcing various destinations. The guy with the huge backpack is using his oh-so-clever side-to-side movement to ensure any hopes potential challengers behind him may have are shattered by his pack. You see crowds stampeding into the carriage and the few seats left are filling up fast. You panic. The elderly woman has already begun bewitching the crowds with her "weak" facade. You have to do it. You resort to your best defiance in the realm of the peak-hour train. You wail out loud and fake a broken ankle. It is the only way. Hobbling on to the train, you take your throne of triumph. And rightfully so.

Picturesque

I'm no artist but if i was, what i saw this afternoon would have been THE perfect painting!!!! I was angry about a lot of things today. But as i went around the corner onto the freeway, God warmed my heart and brought the smile back to my lips. There before me was the most beautiful sky. It was filled mostly with clouds, some blue patches here and there and then there was this giant cloud which took centre stage in the sky. In the middle of this massive cloud was almost like a key hole, a T-shaped hole in the middle of the cloud. Out of the middle shone rays of sunlight down to the ground and then around the OUTSIDE of the giant cloud, where also rays of sun down to the ground. It was almost as tho i was driving under the blanket of a huge God-sized teepee and it was absolutely remarkable. If i sat back in the drivers seat, i was hidden by a shadow, but when i leant forward, my face was soaked with sunlight....that cool, soft sun that i'd experienced earlier in the morning when i looked at the world less bitterly!!! Sometimes it's just little things like that when i notice Gods grace and his beauty in my life. It was in that moment that i fell i love with who he is again and was reminded of his forgiveness, his grace and his undying love for me, the angry one. (underneath this, it says, add a photo. i wish i could!)