So Relevant Magazine posted this for a laugh

And I was ready to be tickled off my feet! (That's not a saying Bek. You can't make up sayings)

Ok, well, whatever.

So Relevant Magazine (who i have a love/questionable relationship with) posted this:
Thoughts Everyone Has Secretly Had While Bored at Church
 You can find the link to it here.

I thought maybe I had these thoughts and was like 'oh yeah this should be funny.'
But though I agreed with some, all I saw were massive questions.
Why?

Let's go through the list shall we.

(intro is pretty funny. 5 stars for that)

Here are thoughts everyone has had while bored at church:

I hope my phone battery doesn’t die. Did I charge it last night?

I have to admit, I've haven't really had this thought. That's because I use a good ol' hardback. But I can see why many would have these thoughts.

Is the bass player’s amp even turned on? Seriously, I don’t hear him at all.


Um why do you need to hear him? I don't remember anybody in the Bible saying we need to hear the bass play, or any instrument play? Maybe just sing?

I’d feel pretty claustrophobic if I was stuck in that giant glass drum shield. I wonder how well she can breath in there? At least there’s that little fan

I don't even get this one? What is a giant glass drum shield? Why is someone playing the drums? Why is someone wasting time playing an instrument when they could be singing like God asked?
(Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19; James 5:13; 1Corinthians 14:15; Mark 14:26; Hebrews 13:15; Hebrews 2:10-12)

This fog machine is giving me a headache. Oh no, what if I’m allergic to fake fog?

Why is there a fog machine? Do you not think there is better places to spend the churches money. Fog machines are literally so redundant man.

Did I set my fantasy line up yet?

I think this is an American thing, Not sure at all.

If I turn the brightness down on my phone, no one can tell I’m on Facebook not YouVersion.

I usually don't touch my phone during worship but I get the feels during bible classes when I leave my bible downstairs.

Various thoughts about lunch.
Amen.

Crud, Chick-fil-A is closed today
I ain't American enough for this

Maybe I'll go to Taco Bell. I just don't like that spiced-beef aftertaste I'll have to deal with all afternoon.

I ain't American enough for this too
Whatever happened to Quiznos?


I ain't American enough for this either

Is the guy next to me pretending to text during the “greet people around you” transitional time? Messed up, man.

Does he mean the gap inbetween service and classes? What a fancy name.

Are narwhals mythical? They can’t be real, right?

I think nothing here.

I’m pretty sure that PowerPoint slide has a typo. I should tell someone about that before the second service.

Yeah this one would bug me too man!

Never mind, that is how you spell "neighbor." Whoever came up with "i-before-e accept after c" rule has no idea what they're talking about.

So true!

Various thoughts about lunch.
Amen again

Hypothetically, if I folded the bulletin into an airplane, I think I could land it in the baptismal.

Ok yeah this is totally a thought.

Remember those foldable fortune-teller things? I wonder if I still remember how to make one

Not even joking, I think this at church.

From the looks of this mission’s display, there are a lot of variations of world flags.

Hmmm maybe we should invest in this.

Wow, Nepal has a cool flag. I didn’t even know that they were allowed to be non-rectangular. I wonder if there’s a law about that?

Yeah they have a mean as flag aye

Various thoughts about lunch.
Amen again also

Is he wrapping? One more point usually means he's launching like a whole new acronym.

This is deffo a tempting thought

I’m going to covertly look around during “every head bowed, every eye closed” time. No one will notice … Uh, oh, the pastor just looked right at me. We made eye contact.This is awkward. I think he thinks I was asking for prayer or something.

Is this the prayer? Are they praying? What is this?

I have no choice. I have to go forward.

I really wish I had been paying attention.

Oh boy, people are clapping while I walk toward the stage.

What is happening here????

Did I just volunteer to lead a missions trip?

Welp, looks like I’m going to Honduras.

I'm still hella confuzzled right now. But Honduras sounds cool.

Various thoughts about lunch.
I feel ya man.


Ok so, somethings were funny but somethings were extremely questionable. We need to go back to the bible in terms of our worship man.

Finally, a civilised conversation about abortion-I think?

So I, a wee while ago, had a discussion with someone on Tumblr (what a great forum to have intellectual discussions am i right....) about abortion.
I have seen nasty conversations with hurls tossed to and fro between both parties and it is disgusting. So it was really nice to finally have a civilised one (well I think) with someone.

This person was really lovely and I do think (hopefully) I got my point across. So, I wanted to share with you something I see rarely happen (again, hopefully you agree that this is civilised).

Before I show you the conversation, I just want to let you know that I did get permission from the person I was talking to for me to post this on my blog (even though it was already public material on Tumblr) as her thoughts are her intellectual property and I didn't want to disrespect this, especially as she seemed so lovely. She kindly said yes and commented on how nice it was that I even asked for permission (and I was a bit surprised with myself because I ain't that nice of a person. Must've been reading my bible more ;D )

So here is the conversation (which started with this image I reblogged and commented on).
Me in red
The person I talked to in blue

Additionally, this is straight up unedited. I do have the link to the original conversation but I told the person that I would be posting this without her name attached to it. She didn't seem too fussed about this though and was willing to promote it on her Tumblr, so I feel it might be ok to show you the original in private. Just flick me a message.


(if the image ain't there, click this:
http://68.media.tumblr.com/c5f491b801c7b2868dc91206b7797271/tumblr_nsfbr329Jo1ss7o3co1_1280.jpg )

Well no because you’ve now just involved not one but two others (maybe more if you’re expecting twins etc) into the situation, whereas the other stories only involved your own life at risk.

It’s more like ‘drove drunk, got in an accident and need an organ transplant but you also hit an innocent bystander with your car? And now they need an organ transplant too but there is only one organ on offer? But you’re like ‘no. I have dreams and stuff and if I don’t have this transplant I’ll never be the singer I dreamt of becoming so give me the organ so I can survive and that person can just live without a lung for the rest of their life or better yet just die.’

But you hit that person so you should deal with the consequences right, not them? They didn’t do anything to deserve the treatment you’re giving them but you’re giving it to them anyway? How is that fair?

That is a completely different situation. It honestly does not relate to abortion in any way. If a person with a vagina gets pregnant, and they are not ready to have the baby, then it is in their rights to get an abortion. The “baby” inside them isn’t living yet. You’re supposed to get an abortion within the first three months, I think, when it’s still early and no life has been given to the cells forming in your body.
Also, don’t you think that after someone gets an abortion, they feel the same way you just described? After an abortion, many people feel selfish, or broken, and most definitely guilty. But they did it not because “oh I want to be a singer”, but because they weren’t ready, they couldn’t go through with the pregnancy. Put yourself in someone else’s situation before you judge them.

I don’t think my response to this worked when I reblogged it which is unfortunate. I can try again.
I don’t quite see how it’s different when it was just compared to other medical procedures. But that’s ok, I’ll go on. 

Yeah it is totally in their right to have an abortion, I never disagreed with that, but that person needs to take into account how it affects others, specifically the child who will never get the opportunity to see a single sunrise or eat delicious food or travel the world or be the next world leader or possibly even cure cancer.
Well you’re not ‘supposed’ to but you can ‘choose’ too. But you can really choose to whenever you please, even after the baby is born- how you go about it is totally up to you. But here’s something super amazing about a baby or a fetus (which is what we used to be once upon a time! How crazy!) their heart chamber is developing at 25 days old! That’s less than a month old and a lot of people don’t even know they’re pregnant that early. So before they may even know it, a little beating heart is trying to make it in this big bad (or great good) world too. So though it may be ‘cells’, those cells in the first stages of pregnancy, where it is appropriate for some to have an abortion, are growing extremely fast. Definitely faster than your body is growing right now. In fact if it continued to grow that fast till the pregnancy term was over, the baby would weigh 1.5 tonnes! I can’t even comprehend that! All I can say is that’s faster than your hair grows and even though your hair is just a lump of cells that will never ever turn into a living organism that makes an impact in society, many would still value their hair over a fetus. The whole pregnancy process is just so fascinating. What a superpower we women have to be able to create life (what can we create that could be better than that? Like for realll??) and many others wish to have this experience. I know my sister would be the first to put her hand up and volunteer for this experience after more than 5 years of unsuccessfully being able to have a baby and probably never ever being able to. But if you want to know more about what’s happening with a fetus, this is a pretty cool video: http://www.ted.com/talks/alexander_tsiaras_conception_to_birth_visualized?language=en but ofcourse there are a lot more. (if it doesn’t work, it’s on youtue).
And I totally agree with you, people do feel heartbroken after having an abortion and that is so unfortunate. No one should ever have to feel that way. And this is what I’m sick of. Sometimes life brings us the unexpected, we aren’t ready to do a lot of things, we aren’t comfortable trying new things or we are fearful of great big adventures but that is not to say we aren’t capable of being/doing something and doing it well if we aren’t ready. I’m sick of society telling women they are too young or too poor to overcome that experience. I believe all women are brave enough to overcome any challenge that comes their way even if that includes having a child. I still remember my friends grandmother forcing her to have an abortion and just thinking ‘how cruel.’ Her grandmother didn’t believe in her. She didn’t think she was strong enough to have a child and love and care for it because of this adult looking down on her and making her feel less than she actually is. I was so saddened by this because no one should ever feel this way because they are not stereotypical mother material. Mothers (and fathers) can come in all different shapes and forms and it’s annoying that that is not encouraged in society. I can’t wait for a day when people stop underestimating women and their ability to work hard and raise children in the right way while achieving goals that they thought a child would hinder. I truly believe you are able to do anything if you have the right mindset and even if it doesn’t go your way, it’s the journey that counts.
I apologise for the sassy response about being a singer. I assumed the person being discussed was a jerk since they were driving drunk so I didn’t give them a chance for a truly dignified. I apologise if this has offended you but I am someone who sees the beauty, strength and power from this and I wish we’d just let women know they are worthy of being a mother. I didn’t mean to judge if that’s how you saw it but I just can’t stand the lack of dignity that comes with falling pregnant in the current society. I thought we had progressed from that but I guess not. Sorry this is so longwinded too!

I have to say, your opinion is great and I love it. Sorry for the sassy response as well, I assumed you were another mean pro-lifer. I’m sorry about that.
Yes, we should tell women that they are strong and they can overcome anything. But what about the 15 year old girl who is raped and doesn’t know what’s happening to her body? Or the 60 year old woman who didn’t think she could get pregnant again?
I love the idea of telling poor women and the like that they shouldn’t be afraid to have a kid, that bringing life to the world is amazing. But the reality is that not all situations can be overcome. What you said about how when you get an abortion, you’re stopping the child from doing great things, well then, what about a 45 year old woman who can’t afford a house? Is it better that she bring a life into this world not knowing if she can help that life live and thrive, or is it better if she gets an abortion or maybe puts the kid up for adoption? These are some things to think about.

No that’s absolutely fine, I didn’t think you were sassy at all! I understand those are very very traumatic and difficult potential circumstances. It’s hard to confidently choose to keep your child in a case like that. But in my eyes the child is a victim too who in this case gets no say over the matter. It did not choose to be conceived nor did it choose to be conceived in such complicated conditions yet often it receives far worse treatment than say the rapist (not that I believe in ‘punishment’ as I have no right to judge but that’s something else). I am unsure of how it works in your part of the world but where i live, there is a designated school where pregnant girls can get an education and discuss such pressing issues with the support of fellow expecting teens and guidance counsellors. It really helped my best friend when she was pregnant at 16, but she also had the support of her church congregation which really pulled her through at the time (which I understand many don’t have so she was very fortunate). I only wish that there is this support system everywhere where women who are going through all kinds of pregnancy difficulty can find love and acceptance. I would love to make it my mission in life to encourage this because everyone deserves it.
I have to be honest and say I don’t know enough about if a 60 yr old was pregnant and what consequences that can bring. I am aware that as a female’s eggs age, the chances of down syndrome becoming present in their child is very high. To me, that is not an issue at all as a child that has down syndrome is no different to any other child.
I am an optimistic person but that’s mainly because I don’t believe everything is impossible. People defy the odds everyday and who’s to say you or someone with a difficult pregnancy aren’t/isn’t one of those people. The truth also is that I am 100% for adoption. I do know that many do prefer abortion over adoption but there is such beauty in adoption that a lot of those that can not have kids especially will truly cherish. I live in a country where adoption is discouraged and abortion is encouraged. This means that infertile parents have to wait at least nine years before being able to even try for adoption with social workers with a very minimal success rate and the possibility of adopting from overseas is basically forbidden. Adoption can bring such joy to struggling parents but it also allows the opportunity for a biological mother to be able to revisit her child and re-establish her relationship with them when she’s ready which can decrease regret or other negative emotions that abortion can often not reverse. Children may be understanding of circumstances when it comes to adoption as they realise their parents did it to offer them a better life. Even if the child isn’t as forgiving, the mother should still be able to applaud herself for making such a courageous and selfless decision. Thankfully there are often a lot of laws and regulations to ensure that those that are adopted out receive the best opportunities and support possible and the latter does not occur. Additionally, adoptive parents may provide the support a mother needs when unprepared and pregnant that she has struggled to find. But I do understand that this is a difficult and emotional process and not a route many wish to take though I encourage and support it.
We do often ignore foster care though as a valid option as well which again is emotional but allows parents to return and start a life with their child once they are more grounded and stable. I feel there should be no shame in taking this option and saying ‘hey, I need help.’ 

I see your point. And yes you are very optimistic, and that isn’t bad. In the U.S., we don’t have what you’re talking about. I’d love to have something like that. We do have Planned Parenthood which can aide pregnant people in the decision-making process, but we don’t have “group-therapy” type situations.
See, I am very realistic which is why I support abortion. Sometimes it is the best option. It depends on the person, and the situation. Adoption is a wonderful thing, and I’m sorry that your country has limitations like that. It’s sad that there are so many children in the world waiting for adoption. The thing is, not everyone wants to go through the process of carrying a child for nine months and then giving that child away. Some people cannot emotionally handle it. Going back to the picture I originally posted, it’s saying that abortion is one of the only medical procedures that puts blame on the person getting it. If someone is pregnant and decides to have an abortion, they are yelled at and called selfish. But is it really so selfish to put your mental health first? Again, abortion is a terrible thing for people that go through it. And adoption can be, too.
I just think that people need to put themselves in others shoes and see what’s really going on before they judge and hate on people. But I really do see your point, and I agree to an extent. I’m just saying that abortion is an option, and people have a right to choose that option and not be ridiculed for it.

And that is so true. So I believe that instead of putting money and time into abortion services, we should be putting that money and time into support groups/systems. I know it’s easier said than done, but we don’t dismiss the idea of ending poverty because it’s not easy, so we shouldn’t dismiss this idea. Again, a woman is brave enough to overcome challenges she is not ready for and someone needs to tell her that face to face. If someone does need help in the U.S, I’d be more than happy to find someone to hold their hand and look after them if that’s what the need. The world is such an interconnected place and I will personally try my best. I know that’s a big call for me to make, but they deserve the help so someone (even if me) needs to get it for them!

If I were to take the realistic approach though, there are many consequences to abortion that can show it sometimes isn’t the best option. What if it was a botched abortion (which professional clinics are capable of doing and have done) and a woman cannot have children in the future because of it? What if the abortion wasn’t carried out correctly and a mother is left with the child, mentally and/or physically scarred from the procedure, leaving the child with cerebal palsy for example, which they may have never had if the pregnancy was left uninfluenced (e.g the very brave Gianna Jessen). Or what if the abortion was carried out correctly and as you mentioned before, the mother is left in regret, hurt and self-loathing. Abortion is not always easy breezy (and neither is pregnancy of course) and is not always the best option. And in truth people are encouraged to have abortions even when they weren’t going to see it as an option especially if they are in less fortunate situations (e.g. Jack Nicholson’s mother in his biography) from their peers, family e.t.c-how is this fair, loving or supportive? This doesn’t seem like a good system to me?
I totally see where you’re coming from but I think you’ve just answered that question yourself: ‘But is it really so selfish to put your mental health first.’ We do put negative connotations around the word ‘selfish’ and I don’t want you to think I’m calling women who have abortions selfish in an attacking way. I don’t believe women should be yelled at for this at all but I do believe pregnancy is very selfless. You’re basically living in respect for another for those 9 months. (Sometimes I wonder why women were given the gift of life and not men. Is it because we’re naturally more selfless?) You see, we’re against victim blaming in society-but this child is blamed all the time. Again, it did not choose to be there or have an effect on the mother’s mental life-so why are we blaming the child for it and choosing to eliminate it as a result. And if it is taking a told on your mental life, trust me, you are not alone. There are many post-partum depression (for instance) places that you can turn to too. My friend just started one in East Texas called Wings4moms and they are many more around the. U.S. which she has the contact details to and has posted on their Facebook Page.
Oh no, I don’t think they should be ridiculed at all- I think they need to be loved. And being loved means believing in them and their strength when no one else does. If adoption and abortion are both terrible things, why don’t we support the one that will result in both parties (the mother and the child) potentially becoming better rather than only one side-hopefully that makes sense.

I see where you’re coming from. This is the “pro-life” argument that should be used more instead of attacking the pregnant people. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your opinion. You bring up a lot of valid points that make sense. I agree, some things need to be changed. Thank you for your opinion and sharing it with me. I have a new perspective on this matter. :)

I apologise on behalf of the aggressive pro-lifers. It’s hard for them to separate the emotion from their discussion when they’re trying to express it, but I totally get you. I’m so happy we could discuss this in such a empathetic way. And I can’t stand swearing so I’m so happy you haven’t sworn at me like others have done when I’ve tried to share my opinion!  Thank you for your opinion too and I too have been enlightened from it. I truly appreciate you taking your time to discuss this with me and giving me a chance to share my opinions <3

(P.S sorry for all the typos. I’ve been trying to respond to you as fast as I can in between uni, work and teaching and haven’t proof read properly it all the time as I’m one of those people who struggle with technology and typing!)

That’s quite okay. And yes I agree. If only more Tumblr discussions were like this. It was nice chatting with you!

You too!! xx

I have a solution to the Summer Olympic and Summer Paralympic games

Don’t get me wrong, this ain’t no anti-Olympic games post. I love it to little bits. I stay up every night watching it and hope it will never die. 

But we cannot keep destroying property every four years and driving people out of homes.

Solution: The games are in Athens every year at the already existent Olympic stadium and sites. Instead, a country is put in charge every year (like a theme with a host country) to do the opening ceremonies, closing ceremonies, decoration, medals etc. 

Reasons why it’s rad:

• Athens of course has a lot of history to it. So perf city for a permanent location.
• People are not driven out of homes
• Money is saved (The Olympics really should’ve been started by Asians who could budget for it) because facilities are already available. Money is just spent on maintenance in this case.
• Global culture will still be seen as the focus is mainly on the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. 
• The host countries will save money. Money will still be spent on things such as Opening and Closing ceremonies but not having to build stadiums and sites and villages will save moolah.
• Countries that would never ever be able to host an Olympics may finally be given an opportunity i.e .countries that are too small or just do not have the resources to go the full 100%
• It may get Greece out of their financial crisis (it can be turned into a tourist spot when the olympics ain’t on i.e. the village can be a hotel)
• Probs saves the environment too due to less waste and no stadiums left abandoned (it’s a thing. look it up)
• Every medallist gets thee cool laurel wreath too! (As well as whatever the host nations give)

It may not be as magical as what it is now due to this idea we have created around the Olympics. But it would result in only positives (as far as I can think of) for the IOC. Once we get over the stigma of the Olympics needing to be in different countries every year, we’ll appreciate this and forget that we’re in Athens every year (because the host countries will hopefully do such a great job of transporting us through the exhibition of their culture). 

And yes it may not be as magical for the athletes, and that will probably be a challenge to overcome. But at least there will be consistency right? They know what environment they will be competing in….kinda

P.S any arguments around home country athletes are redundant. GB did better in this Olympics than the London ones and good athletes seem to be smashing it anywhere really. 

Solution? No?