Happy Birthday, Jesus!

In all the hustle bustle of gift buying, gift receiving, family, friends, and youself, everyone - including me at times - forgets who is the real reason for the season: Jesus! How blessed we are that He came to this Earth as a babe and saved mankind from our sins. He is a cause to celebrate for!
I hope all of you are having a wonderful Christmas, and you're staying safe if you're traveling anywhere.
This year, so far all I've gotten for Christmas is jewelry and clothes. But hey, I'm not complaining! In fact, I'm thrilled! I don't ask for anything, because I don't need anything. I'm blessed and thankful for what I have. And as a girl, clothes and jewelry are what I want! :)
I gave my step-mom a piano CD (Jim Brickman is amazing!), my sister this cute stuffed cat (Persian cats are beautiful!), my step-brother a book (The Fire Within is a good book for his level!), my brother a book (The Chase by Clive Cusler looked interesting!), my dad a card saying him and I need to go to starbucks and spend some time together (and I'd be paying for the coffee and treats!), my half-sister a soft, stuffed dog (she now sleeps with her new puppy!), my mom a top-50 Christian Tunes CD, and my grandma some money to go buy books with! Later today I'm going over to my mom's to celebrate Christmas with her - so far I've been at my dad's all week and we Celebrated Christmas over here on Wednesday night). :)
Anyways, I'm excited because I just finished this really good book! I know I'm only a teenage girl, but I've learned a lot from the book Love And Respect by Emerson Edderich. Here are the notes I took throughout the book:

• Unconditional love for her is just as powerful as unconditional respect is for him.
• Love alone isn't enough. Love is vital, especially for her, but you also need the man's need for respect.
• You can be right but wrong at the top of your voice and with your tone of voice.
• Ephesians 5:33 - "Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

         The greek word Paul uses here for love is "agape". This verse means:
       1. A husband is to obey the command to love even if his wife doesn't obey this command to respect, and a wife is to obey the command to respect even if the husband doesn't obey the command to love.
       2. A husband is even called to love a disrespectful wife, and a wife is called to respect an unloving husband. There is no justification for a husband to say, "I will love my wife after she respects me" not for a wife to say," I will respect my husband after he loves me."

• Without love, she reacts without respect. Without respect, he reacts without love.
• Craziness happens when we keep doing the same things over and over again with the same ill effect.
• Those of us in the church, who believe we have the Truth, are not using the whole Truth.
• Communication - one of 1st steps is to hear what God's Word clearly says.
• Just because you feel unloved or disrespected doesn't mean that that's the message being sent.
• The Lord has created a woman to love. Her whole approach to nurture, her sensitivity, love, and compassion are all part of her very nature. God created a woman to love - He's not going to command her to agape her husband when he created her to do that in the first place.
• A young wife is created to agape her husband and children, and will never stop unconditionally loving them. But with everything in daily life, she may become so discouraged that she may lack phileo.
• PMS - Pre-Murder Syndrome
• If a husband is commanded to agape-love his wife, then she truly needs love.
• When men hear negative criticism, it doesn't take long for them to start interpreting it as contempt for who they are as men.
• "Unconditional respect" is not an oxymoron. It should be given even if not "deserved."
• Women are much more apt to show how they feel.
• How to love a man = respect.
• Respect does something to the soul of a man. God made him that way.
• Of course women also need respect and men also need love, but the primary drive in sex is for women-love and men-respect.
• Men want to fight and die for honor. They are willing to serve.
• Men are to value women as equals.
• Men are the princes and women the princesses. This means 1. He has a need to be respected as the head, the one called upon to die (Ephesians 5:33). 2. The prince goes into battle for the princess, not vice versa. 3. The princess doesn't seek to be respected as the "head". Instead, she longs to be honored, valued, and prized as a precious equal. 4. The prince is to be considered "first among equals." He is her equal, but he is called upon to be the first to provide, to protect - and to even die if necessary.
• It's not an accident that in every culture, and generally as a rule, that men are bigger and stronger than women. This is God's visual aid concerning His purpose for men.
• Something within her thirsts to be valued as "first in importance". Nothing energizes her more! She's not self-centered. God placed this in her by nature.
• As women fear being unloved, men fear being disrespected (held in contempt).
• Men and women have different needs, but they are equal to each other.
• We easily see what is done to us before we see what we're doing to others.
• The mature one has to make the first move in repairing a relationship.
• She will not be a doormat, but a woman with power.
• A woman has a natural instinct to "mother", but she shouldn't "mother" him.
• Don't bring negativity into your relationship.
• Speak the other's love language so that they respond with and speak yours.
• If you step out in faith, claiming God's Word as the basis for your actions, then you are trusting God to bring to pass what He said He would do.
• We are only called to be obedient, and God will handle it from there.
• Sometimes, because men want respect, they try to motivate her to be respectful by being unloving (sort of like trying to urge her to be more watchful by poking her in the eye with a stick). And the same is true vice versa.
• "Be angry, and yet do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger." (Ephesians 4:26).
• Take the hit.
• Love regardless of respect. Respect regardless of love.
• Forgive without limit (Matthew 18:22).
• Forgiveness comes when we see our own unrighteousness. How can we refuse to forgive an offense when we, too, have offended?
• Hear each other's cries and respond.
• If you miss - rebound.
• His love motivates her respect. Her respect motivates his love.
• For husbands to follow:

C - Closeness
O - Openness
U - Understanding
P - Peacemaking
L - Loyalty
E - Esteem

• For wives to follow:

C - Conquest
H - Hierarchy
A - Authority
I - Insight
R - Relationship
S - Sexuality

• She wants him to be close. For her, face-to-face time is heart-to-heart time.
• Connectivity is what a woman looks for in any relationship.
• You can't motivate another to give you what you need by withholding their needs.
• You can either motivate or demoralize each other.
• The woman is an integrated personality. Her mind, body, and soul are connected, and her entire system reacts to her emotions and feelings.
• When her spirit is crushed, her body is unavailable.
• Women are more expressive; men are more poker-faced.
• The man is the Christ figure, the woman is the Church figure. And as a church places its burden on Christ, a woman wants to place her burdens on her man. Even if she can't articulate it in these words, she thinks of the man as the burden bearer - as having those big shoulders. When she goes to him for understanding, it's a compliment.
• Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up for her.
• Men should listen without trying to fix.
• Many times when a woman goes to her man with a problem, she's not wanting it solved, but she's just wanting to share.
• A woman talks to process her feelings.
• "Since she is a woman" (1 Peter 3:7), God made the woman with different needs and vulnerabilities from the man's, so he shouldn't pass judgment on her.
• Man and woman = TEAM!
• As you go head-to-head to solve problems, you'll go heart-to-heart.
• 1 Corinthians 7:3-4 : The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does, and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.
• The man and woman shouldn't act independent from each other. THEY SHOULD AND CAN ACT TOGETHER.
• Tensions and conflicts exist to deepen relationships.
• You will not lose respect by saying you're sorry.
• A man's loving attitude triggers something within her heart as a woman. God made her this way.
• Women are wired for "equality"
• Words are very powerful to her.
• Lots of time, she doesn't need information, but reassurance.
• Song of Solomon 2:10 KJV - A woman always likes to hear her man exclaim, "You alone are 'my love'".
• She MUST have reassurance.
• She knows she's a one-man woman but when there's beautiful females everywhere else, she wonders about him at times. She needs reassurance there.
• She needs to show him respect regardless of his response to her.
• When she honors him, he will serve her.
• Men were made to work - Adam was even given the first job! In Genesis 2:15 it says, "Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it."
• From the very beginning, man was called upon to "work in the field" and provide for his family.
• The good-willed woman marries for love, not money, but nonetheless she is very aware of the need to make a "nest."
• Most men reflect Adam and most women feel like Eve. She alone can have a baby, and if she has one she wants her Adam to work in the field on her behalf so she can stay home and be with their child.
• Despite feminism's cries, a wife best qualifies as the one who "tenderly cares for her own children." (1 Thessalonians 2:7).
• Women can be called to positions of important leadership (see Judges 4:4) but she has incomparable worth as a mothr. A father with an infant still doesn't compare to a mother with an infant.
• He wants a woman who believes in him. There's a parallel here between Christ and the Church. Christ wants us to believe in Him, and we do that to the glory of God. But in the human sense, in a relationship, men do what they do for the admiration of one woman.
• Ephesians 5:22-24 = "Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is also the head of the Church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. Bus as the Church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything."
• The man is called to understand his duty to protect his woman. At the same time, the woman is called upon to place herself under that protection.
• The problem many women have today is that they want to be treated like princesses, but they don't treat their men like kings.
• Men are more vulnerable to criticism when it comes to "headship" issues.
• Having friendship in your love is important.
• Song of Solomon, where the main theme is passionate, ache-all-over-love, says in Chapter 5 to the couple, "Eat, friends; drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers" (v. 1). Then later, in the same chapter, as the wife recounts how fine and dazzling her husband is ("outstanding among ten thousand" v. 10), she completes her litant of praise by saying, "This is my beloved and this is my friend" (v. 16; italics mine).
• Just as men make the effort to be face to face, women must make the effort to be shoulder to shoulder.
• She has emotional needs - he has physical needs.
• His unconditional love mirrors Christ's love for the church and her unconditional respect is like the church's reverence for Christ.
• Don't interpret delay as defeat.
• When blue & pink come together as God intended them to, it makes His purple. Purple is the color of royalty.
• Do everything in and for Christ.

Alright everyone, that's it! I hope you enjoyed those notes and learned some good things! This goes for married OR single OR dating men and women. However, the sexual intimacy parts is intended for the married couple. However, the whole theme of love and respect goes for both.
I need to go now. My siblings and I are playing our new Wii. Have a Merry Christmas!

In Respect,
Elle Camino

Stairs and Treadmills Are My Enemies

Okay, so I'm going to tell you some of the bad things that have happened to me. Starting last year at the beginning of 8th grade, up until now.

On my 14th birthday, at 10pm, my body-length mirror fell and shattered on me when I was in my bedroom. I stayed calm the whole time, instantly went to the tile bathroom so that blood wouldn't get into the carpet too much, and patiently called and waited for help. My mom came and saw me, and then a few minutes later, we were on our way to the emergency room. I ended up getting 4 stitches on the left side of my face, and 6 stitches on the pinkie finger of my left hand. I still have scars from these, and my fingernail hasn't begun healing yet (it has what I call a "canyon" running down the middle from where the mirror scraped it).
In the spring of 2009, in March, I fell down the stairs and badly sprained my right ankle. Being me, I braved it without crutches and hobbled my way through life. My ankle took months to heal, and I got through the summer without incident, but right before school started, I fell again and re-sprained the same ankle. Being in Marching Band, this was tough, but I participated anyways and hobbled to the field every morning. :)
My ankle healed, and by September it was getting better. However, in early September, I was diagnosed with tendinitis in my left forearm. It's also hitting a nerve in my hand, so for a month I didn't have mobility at all. I finally regained it back, but it still hurts. I've had it for four months now, and the doctor said to expect to have it for a while, and since mine is chronic, it's going to come back.
Tendinitis is hard to have, especially when you're a trumpet player like me. I've had to learn how to play with one hand, which is ridiculously difficult, but I've managed so far. Marching was torture, and after all this I better have some good arm muscles!
Being uber talented is no easy task. Hence, I fell down the stairs sometime in October and sprained BOTH of my ankles! I was in our school musical (Bye Bye Birdie) and band, but I continued to do those activities anyways because I'm stubborn and I wanted to. I marched Festival Show with the band despite everyone telling me not to, and I had to have people help carry me because my ankles started swelling and hurting so bad. I also continued to dance as best as I could in the musical, but I rolled in the hallways whenever I could and also got around on my knees. The only fun part was getting elevator passes and out of PE. But my hips and knees bruised really badly and started swelling as well, so I had help sometimes with people carrying me, and at the musical I used the wheelchair a couple of times. I had crutches for a while, and I absolutely hated them! I also marched in the Veteran's Day Parade with the band, and now many know me as the "hobbling trumpet player". I have become quite famous as the "klutz", "cripple", and "girl who always manages to injure herself." I can only hope that I become more graceful in the future...
However, last night, I wanted to run a mile (I used to run at least a mile every week before I sprained my ankles), so I was running down the stairs (bad idea, especially because that's how I sprained my ankles all 3 times), and fell. I didn't injure myself too badly, but even though I was hurt, I was determined to run my mile anyway. I texted my boyfriend and told him how I had fallen down the stairs, and then I turned on the treadmill and had ran half of my mile in 2 minutes, when he called me. My phone ran and startled me so bad that I tripped on the treadmill and went careening back into some boxes. My ankle turned inward again, but I caught and steadied myself on some boxes. I turned off the treadmill and picked up my phone. My boyfriend had called to ask me about the story on how I fell down the stairs. So I told him, then informed him of me falling off the treadmill, and after he found out that I was alright, he laughed.
Then, I stood up and fell sideways off the treadmill and wedged myself in between some boxes. I was stuck. My boyfriend stayed on the phone with me, and I eventually got unstuck.
Story of my life.

Your crippled writer,
Elle Camino

FINALS suck as life does sometimes

So, last Saturday, at 4:11 pm, my baby brother, Landon, was born! He weighed in at 7 lbs 10 oz, and he is such a sweet, quiet baby! I've gotten to hold him, rock him, and sing/hum him to sleep! I'm thrilled that I have another little sibling!

So, today and tomorrow, we're having our FINALS. I hate them. So much. I stayed up till 3:30 in the morning cramming for biology! I'm still cramming. Wish me luck!

I'll write more to my lovely readers later, but I need to go study!

Highschooler with FINALS,

Elle Camino

I love Starbucks and iTunes and all things good in life

So on my facebook, I joined the iTunes group, and it sends codes out to members to redeem on iTunes and we get free music! My most recent download was 20 free songs from a Starbucks pick. They're so neat!
The list includes:
Cloud Nine by Ben Howard
A Few Honest Words by Ben Sollee
I Am Not a Farmer by Bill Frisell
Pale Horses by Moby
Neverends by Vijay Kishore
Easy by Deer Tick
Sooner or Later by Zaza
Soul Cake by Sting
Happiest Times by Little Big Adventure
Demon Host by Timber Timbre
Don't Vote by Cass McCombs
Janaina by Otto
Un Canto a Mi Tierra by Quantic and his Combo Barbaro
Love Comes and Goes by Lee Fields & The Expressions
Acorn Factory by The Dodos
Belated Promise Ring by Iron & Wine
Leap by The Cave Singers
Melody by Kate Earl (I already had this one though)
Gimme Simpathy Metric
Resbalosas by Susana Baca

Okay, so last night my family and I watched UP, and I cried - twice! Gosh, Disney movies get me every time! Especially The Lion King when Mufasa dies, haha!
But we had snow days this week on Tuesday and Wednesday, but school again on Thursday and Friday. I studied for an hour and a half for my biology vocab finals on Thursday, and I got an A+!!! Also, on Thursday, after school, my best friend Patrick, and my boyfriend Greg got to come over after school for a Bible study! It was fun, we looked at 1 Corinthians and thought about some deep stuff. :) :) We're gonna have to do it again, sometime!
Since I was at my mom's house Wednesday night and there was no way for my dad to write me a note, I had to forge one. I used my step-mom's handwriting because hers and I's look alike, and in my note, I added her sense of humor. My note said something like this:

Dear poor Bus Driver of these crazy high school kids,
I give Kristen Camino permission to have Patrick (I don't have his permission to give his last name so I won't) and Greg (I don't have his permission either) come over after school on Thursday, December 10th, 2009. You also have my permission to run them over with the bus if they're too loud. :)

Sorry, I'm not giving their last names. But just know that Patrick and Greg are awesome. :)

Anyways, today, my step-mom is getting induced! Yes, I'm going to have a baby brother! His name is Landon, and I'm so excited for him to enter this world! It's been 9 months exactly, and we're ready for him to be born, and he's ready to be born! This morning, before she left for the hospital, I hugged her bulging belly and I said, "Landon, I love you!" And no kidding, he kicked in response! I do love him already! <3

I'll update you later on him. Let's just pray that he will be born healthy, and the delivery will go well for him and my step-mom. :) :)

Already-big-sister-of-four-and-soon-to-be-five,
Elle Camino

When my Chihuahua bites my toes, it feels strangely good, hurts, and tickles... all at the same time.

So, two Tuesdays ago, we got a new Chihuahua puppy! Her name is Bella, and no, she was not named after anybody in Twilight. She is white with black spots and a brown head. She is absolutely adorable, if I say so myself! She is now 8 weeks old, and has already cozily settled into our little home, and our hearts. We just have to watch where we step, because we don't want to step on her! Luckily, that has no happened yet, and hopefully never will.
You know what is absolutely amazing? Today we were supposed to have our biology finals - but it was a snow day? And what is even more amazing is - it's a snow day tomorrow, too! :D So I am one happy camper!
Also, I am very thrilled to inform you that after a year of deprivation, I now officially have texting back, as of last Saturday! I've sent hundreds and hundreds of texts already! How did I ever survive without it? I have no idea!
Anyways, I need to go to bed now, even though tomorrow is a snow day. Goodnight, I love you all.

The texter and snow-day lover and finals-hater,
Elle Camino

(Why I Believe) Being Gay is Not the Way

Here is one of my notes I posted on facebook that has generated a LOT of feedback, both positive AND negative. I stand firmly behind my beliefs and this note, and I'm sharing it with you all here. :) Please comment respectfully!

Blessed are those who have not seen, yet believed. John 20:29,
Elle Camino

This note is copyrighted by Kristen Camino. Just so you know: As soon as you write and publish your article as a visible written work, it is actually copyrighted immediately. This means that nobody can legally reproduce it without your consent. Any articles you wrote after 1977 are covered by automatic copyright protection that lasts for 70 years after you die.

As a Christian, I use the Bible for my morals, opinions, views, and beliefs. I follow the Bible to the best of my ability. I'm not trying to single out any sin, but I am writing about a sin I see becoming more popular and accepted in our society today. This is what I and many other Christians believe and follow. I'm not trying to be rude, mean, or offensive. But if I come off that way, then that's not my intention and there's nothing I can do to change how you've taken my words.

If you think that I am writing this note to get people mad at me and to not talk to me, then you are sadly mistaken. I am writing this note because I have been called to do so by God. You may close your eyes, ears, and heart, to the truth. But believe it or not, I am planting a seed in you that may one day be watered and eventually blossom. You have been exposed to the truth. You can choose to believe it or not, follow it or not, but one day, when you are at the gates of heaven, you will have no excuse for not listening. You have been told and warned, and now it is your decision whether you listen or not.
I know that you are mad at me. I know that some of you may never talk to me again. I may lose friends over this. I have lost some. However, I've also gained some. If 1 person out of 10 people who read this note is affected, even if the other 9 hate me, I still consider it a great success. But these are my personal opinions. Am I condemning any of you? No. Am I pointing fingers and making accusations? No. I am being polite and courteous, and I have written this note out of pure love. I am doing my duty, sharing God's word and living my role as a Christian. As a Christian, I have been called to tell you about Jesus and his ways. I have been called to extend love, grace, and acceptance. I will not be pushed over. I will not stop just because I am persecuted and put down. I will not be affected greatly if you decide you hate me. It's okay. I fully expect that. I understand. I realize that I may make you mad or offend you, but the truth is that I am not trying to. But am I going to stop? No, never. I am doing my duty, and I will serve my God faithfully until the end of my days. I am exposing you to the raw, dangerous, powerful Truth. Be prepared.


The Bible speaks out against homosexuality. You absolutely can not pick and choose what to take out of the bible. Either you believe all of it, or you honestly can't call yourself a Christian. Christians follow God's word and strive to be Christ-like. Christians stand up for their faith and are not afraid to stand out. To put it quite simple, the Bible condemns homosexuality as a sin. Let's take a look at what it says.


1. (1 Corinthians 6:9) Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

This is very clear. It defines homosexuality as a sin, and it is deemed as "wicked". You won't inherit the kingdom of God (heaven) if you do not repent from your sins. It does not mean that you can't sin, because that is impossible. But you are called to recognize and change your sinful ways. You are to strive to be Christ-like, and to follow Jesus, giving up all your earthly wants and passions.

2. (Genesis 19:4-5, 11-13, 24) Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom — both young and old — surrounded the house. [5] They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have SEX WITH THEM.” ... [11] Then [the messengers from God] struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door. [12] The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here — sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, [13] because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that HE has sent us to DESTROY it.” ... [24] Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah — from the LORD out of the heavens.

This is what it says:

1.The people of Sodom were said to be “SINNING GREATLY” because of their MEN having SEX with MEN.
2.Other sins of Sodom are listed in the Bible, but this is the sin that the Bible features as their greatest -the one that incurred God's anger against their city.
3. Bible-following Christians cannot just close their eyes and say that homosexuality is simply a “personal choice.”

3. (Romans 1:18, 24-28, 32) The WRATH OF GOD is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.... [24] Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the DEGRADING of their bodies with one another. [25] They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen. [26] Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for UNNATURAL ones. [27] In the same way the MEN ALSO ABANDONED NATURAL RELATIONS WITH WOMEN AND WERE INFLAMED WITH LUST FOR ONE ANOTHER. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their PERVERSION. [28] Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.... [32] Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

This says that God's Word defines husband-wife relations as “NATURAL relations” and homosexual relations as “UNNATURAL ones.”

4. (Matthew 19:4-5) “Haven’t you read,” [Jesus] replied, “that at the beginning the CREATOR ‘made them MALE AND FEMALE,’ [5] and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?

The intent is for a MAN AND A WOMAN to be together. No other way. Jesus says it quite bluntly here.

The Bible, as God's word, reveals God's moral character and shapes the morality, views, beliefs, and opinions of the Christian. There have been those who have used the Bible to support homosexuality, wrongly taken verses out of context and read into them interpretations that are not there. Quite simply, the Bible condemns homosexuality as a sin. Let's look at what it says.

Lev. 18:22: "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination."
Lev. 20:13: "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltness is upon them."

With such direct statements against homosexuality, it is difficult to see how people can say that the Bible supports it, or that God does not mind it. The truth is that God created man and woman, not man and man, or woman and woman. The Bible considers homosexuality to be a sin, as we have seen from the verses above. Unlike other sins, this sexual sin has a judgment administered by God Himself: He gives them over to their passions (Rom. 1:26-28). This means that their hearts are allowed to be hardened by their sin. As a result, they can no longer see the wrongness of what they are doing, and are not open to the truth that others are trying to tell them. Without an awareness of their sinfulness, there will be no repentance. Without repentance, there will be no forgiveness. Without forgiveness, there is no salvation. That means hell.
Harsh? Hardly. If you honestly thought someone was going to go to hell, would you stay silent?

Just because someone is a homosexual does not mean that we cannot love them or pray for them. Homosexuality is a sin and like any other sin, it needs to be dealt with like other sins. It needs to be recognized and changed immediately. Christians should pray for the salvation of the homosexual the same they would any other person that is sinful. You have to realize that Christians are not perfect either. We sin too. But we should treat homosexuals with the same respect and tolerance as we would anyone else because, like or not, they are God's children, such as we are. However, this does not mean that Christians should approve of their sin, or simple let it pass without speaking up against it.

Finally, with their hardened hearts, they seek to promote their lifestyle in society. Homosexuals are upset at us for disagreeing, yet they are the ones shoving it in our faces. In our world today, arguing against homosexuality is becoming more and more unpopular, and those that are fighting against it are being persecuted and cut down. Should a woman be allowed to marry another woman? Should a man be allowed to marry another man? Should they be given legal protection and special rights to practice their homosexuality? No, of course not. I am not saying that they do not deserve rights, because they are just like you and me, and deserve basic human rights. But no one should ever get the "right" to sin or go against the Bible.


I keep these two verses in minds when I am dealing with homosexuals:
1. "Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person," (Col. 4:5-6).
2. "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith," (1 Tim. 1:5).


One thing everyone needs to realize is: Man has not been given the authority and power to define the nature of crime and sin. That authority belongs only to God. The reason God is the rightful One to define the nature of crime is because He is the Creator of everything. Therefore it is God who can best define what is evil. It is the Almighty God, the One to whom all mankind is responsible (Romans 3:19), who has defined homosexuality as a crime (Leviticus 18:22).
Homosexuals will always be regarded by God as "dogs" (Deuteronomy 23:18) who cannot enter His holy Kingdom while they are yet homosexuals (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). This is just like any other sin. We are separated from God because of our sin, but we are saved by Jesus, and that means we must repent and follow Him and Him only, trying our best to not give into sinful temptations.
It is a sin for us to turn their heads and comply with homosexuality, and it is also a crime to practice the act of being homosexual.

Some people use the excuse of "being born that way" to try to wrongly justify the actions and lifestyle of homosexuality. No one is "born" homosexual. You are either raised with those morals and beliefs, or you consciously choose that lifestyle yourself.

Should a woman be allowed to marry another woman? Should a man be allowed to marry another man? Should they be given legal protection and special rights to practice their homosexuality? No, they should not. This doesn't mean that they shouldn't have basic human rights, because they are just like you and me. They deserve to be treated as equals. We love them, just not their lifestyle, and as I have said before, "No one should get the 'right' to sin."

The Bible, of course, condemns homosexuality. It takes no leap of logic to discern that homosexual marriage is also condemned. But our society does not rely on the Bible for its moral truth. Instead, it sadly relies on a humanistic and relativistic moral base upon which it builds its ethical structure.

You have been told the TRUTH. Are you going to listen?

P.S. However, God is a forgiving God. There is nothing we can do that can separate us from His unfailing love. No matter how lost, bad, or broken we are, He rescues and redeems us through His son, Jesus. He forgives if we ask him truly with our hearts, and He just wants whats best for us. He loves us no matter what. :)

I feel heaven reaching out inside my soul....

Hello again!
I won't write daily, but seeing as I just started yesterday, I think that writing on my blog today will be just fine. :)
Just to give you a taste of my writing style, I'm going to post my poem and it's meaning. Enjoy!

SIR ARTHUR

Nimbly undoing the clasps,
the treasure beams forth.
I carefully lift out the baby,
my precious lullaby.

Jerking him upright,
the angel is silent.
I dress him with ease,
my perfect harmony.

Touching my lips to him,
the star he resembles bursts forth.
I set him down,
my stunning melody.

As I jail him yet again,
the thief strikes once more.
I restrain his brilliance,
my beautiful trumpet.



--------------------------

Meanings of lines:
"Nimbly undoing the clasps,
the treasure beams forth."
This is where I am opening my trumpet case and when I see my trumpet.

...

"Jerking him upright,
the angel is silent."
I have to jerk my trumpet around a lot, especially during marching season. Of course, during this time I am not playing it, so it is silent.

"I dress him with ease,
my perfect harmony."
It's easy to put together my trumpet - it only has two different pieces, the body and the mouthpiece.

"Touching my lips to him,
the star he resembles bursts forth."
This is when I put my lips to the mouthpiece and play music on it. "The star he resembles bursts forth" is talking about how when I play it, you can see and hear it's beauty.

"As I jail him yet again,
the thief strikes once more.
I restrain his brilliance..."
This is when, sadly, I have to put him back in his case. As I close the case and 'jail' him, he strikes again! What does this thief steal from me? My heart. Yes, my trumpet has indeed stolen my heart! I love him so!

Now, notice how I word things in my poem.

The first lines in all the stanzas:
"Nimbly undoing the clasps"
"Jerking him upright"
"Touching my lips to him"
"As I jail him yet again"
... I am doing something. I used verbs here to explain the action I was doing.

The second lines:
"the treasure beams forth"
"the angel is silent"
"the star he resembles bursts forth"
"the thief strikes once more"
... not only is my trumpet also doing an action (beaming forth, being silent, bursting forth, and striking once more), but I use metaphors to describe him (I call him a treasure, an angel, a star, and a thief).

The third lines:
"I carefully lift out the baby"
"I dress him with ease"
"I set him down"
"I restrain his brilliance"
... once again I am doing something. I used verbs here, and purposefully made them confusing. You don't figure out I'm talking about my trumpet until the last line in my poem. muhahaha.

The last lines:
"my precious lullaby"
"my perfect harmony"
"my stunning melody"
"my beautiful trumpet"
... I use musical terms here. I call him my lullaby, harmony, and melody, before I finally reveal that he is my trumpet.

ta-da! the end.


I write many different kinds of poems, and each poem of mine was spurred on by events in my life, emotions I'm feeling, or thoughts I'm having. I think deeply when I write. Okay, enough of my geeky-ness though. Movin' on...

So, I was in Starbucks the other day, and I was wondering: Where does caffeine come from? Like, there's caffeinated coffee, and decaf... does the decaf have caffeine taken out of it, or does the caffeinated coffee have caffeine added to it? That's just some food (haha... "food"...) for thought!

Well, I'll leave off with that. Just know - you're awesome. Jesus loves you.

Yours in Christ,
Elle Camino

what the heck am I doing?

Well, let's just jump right in!
I'm Kristen, and I have a large blended family. My parents divorced when I was in 2nd grade, and my dad remarried that same year, so I'm close with everyone!
I have a billion friends! I love them all dearly, and a few may be mentioned every once in a while.
I LOVE reading and writing. Give me some books and I'll be satisfied until they're devoured (which will not take that long - trust me!), and if you put me in a library, you'll have to DRAG me and my hundred books out! Along with that, I've always dreamed of being a writer. Not to brag, but I've won a couple of awards, and I have some poems published already!
I play one of the most beautiful instruments in the world - the trumpet. I've had him since 5th grade. Of course, he has a gender, and a name. I do not know how his gender was discovered, but his name (voted on by my awesome friends and I), is Sir Arthur. I know what you're thinking, and yes, my friends and I were just geeky enough to have a vote in 7th grade on all of our instruments' names. I'm a band geek, and proud!
I'm also a Christian, and I stand up and speak out for my beliefs. My name, Kristen, means "Christian", and as a Christian, I strive to be "Christ-like"; a Follower of Christ. More on that later, though. But Jesus is my Savior(:
As you will find more about later, I can be random and weird, but that's just how I am!
I think that's good for the boring, "Let's get to know this blogger who we may or may not care about yet but I'm reading this first post because it's her first post obviously, and she has to write a first post obviously, so it needs to be an 'about me' section so that we get to know her, blahblahblah."


Peace, yo.
Elle Camino