C.R.E.E.P.

What’s causing a riot in the Middle East? Political uproars, terrorism, energy crises? Maybe, but also flight attendant uniforms. Designs for a new uniform for Turkish Airlines were leaked on the internet, and the reaction was not positive. Turkish Airlines is commonly regarded as a prominent face of Turkey, as its modern sophistication represents the attitude the nation wants to show the world. Turkey is very concerned with maintaining its place as a modern, Westernized nation that also happens to have a strong history and Islamic presence. Currently, the female uniforms include form-fitting blue blazers, white shirts, and skirts at the knee, incorporating European flair and trends straight off the fashion runways. The proposed designs put their flight attendants in long dresses and traditional Ottoman-style fez caps.

There are a variety of criticisms about the new design. It is said to be rather costume-like, playing up the history of Turkey in a diminutive and uninteresting way. The uniform is substantially more conservative, which may be aimed at pleasing the right-wing Islamic government. Turkey is still a rather secular nation, so placing its major airline’s female workers in conservative outfits does not seem to be the result of widespread cultural tendencies but more of a scheme to satisfy a particular group. Many Turks dislike the uniform for its modesty and lack of excitement, saying Turkey is a fashion-forward nation that doesn’t need to look to the past, but rather should be innovative and modern. Many just thought the uniforms were plain ugly.

The airline responded quickly to the negative reactions, stating the design was just one of several preliminary ideas and that they were not yet meant to be seen by the public. The designer of the uniform received the brunt of the uproar, with many believing that something so against Turkish fashion should not have even been proposed. The designer, popular Turkish and internationally-renown haute couture designer Dilek Hanif, responded by saying she is also working on several more modern designs, and when she is finished they will be presented to Turkey and the world.

It is surprising that something as seemingly inconsequential as flight attendant uniforms could cause such a cultural and religious uproar, especially in nation like Turkey. Middle Eastern airlines play a prominent role in their respective nations’ economies, as for example Emirates Airlines is adding billions of dollars to the GDP of the United Arab Emirates. The look of flight attendants, the employees that interact most with customers, is in fact important, as for many, the first locals travelers meet when going to Middle Eastern countries are flight attendants. Emirates Airlines is commonly regarded as one of the most elegant airlines, and their flight attendants are always clad in stylish and crisp cream-colored suits, red hats and scarves evocative of the Arabic veil. The uniform is culturally relevant and representative, but also modern and aesthetically appealing.

People will be anxiously awaiting the formal presentation of the new Turkish Airlines uniforms, and it might not come as a shock if they stick with their current design. 

We all heard of punishments for not following God’s law, but what about the consequences when we only follow God’s law out of fear? When the Bible says fear the Lord, many people take it out of context and believe they should quiver under God’s law or God will strike them with plagues and lightening. God isn’t watching our every move and waiting for someone to fall short of the law so he can curse them. In fact, punishment is the last thing God wants to do when we fall short. Correction is the correct term to use, and punishments are sometimes the necessity for us to learn from our sins. 

The law is for us to live a more fulfilling life than what the world can offer alone. God knows that we have a sinful nature so he knows that we will fall short of the law some times; therefore, we should follow the law out of love instead of fear. I’m not suggesting that we should have no fear of the law. It is good to have some fear of God’s power, but the issue with all fear and no love is that once we find a way to hinder that fear then we will no longer follow the law.

For example: most husbands are faithful to their wives not only because they fear the consequences of adultery, but most importantly because they love their wives. If a husband is only faithful to his wife because he fears the consequences then that is not love, that is selfish ambition. Once that man a way to rid that fear such as knowing how to sneak around then he will act on adultery. But, if that man is faithful because first and foremost he loves his wife, then he will have no contemplations of adultery. 

Another example: God doesn’t want you to be in an abusive marriage because you fear your spouse, God wants you to remain in a marriage because you love your spouse unconditionally. 

On the other hand, some Christians love God with all their heart, but they continually sin because they have no fear of the consequences. Some of my Christian friends have premarital sex and they love God, but they have premarital sex because they have no fear of God’s law. The only way they won’t have premarital sex is if they are sketchy of the girl’s sexual past, or if they don’t have a condom, but they don’t say no because of God’s law. 

Therefore, to live a fulfilling life you need to have a balance. Foremost, love God with all your heart. No law in the Bible would make much sense to follow if you have not dedicated your love to the Lord. Furthermore, fear God’s law because of your love for him. You fear the food you put in your body because you love your body and you want to take care of it. You fear how you punish your children because you love them and don’t want to abuse them. Therefore, fear God’s law because you love God and want to praise him. 

Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions when you read the Bible. It doesn’t help to follow scripture because you love God, but you don’t understand what you read. Every thing in the Bible is there for a great reason, not to fill up pages to create a thick book. Buy a study Bible to help you understand the laws, join a study group, and talk about scriptures with your friends which all of this is part of loving and growing with God. 

Attending college in Boston is fantastic, but every once and a while I just feel the need to get out and explore. I just finalized that I will be studying abroad in Berlin in the fall. Berlin! I don’t speak German, but through some research, I concluded that it will indeed be an exciting adventure. Berlin is a cultural mecca in a variety of areas, including architecture (which is what I will be studying there), cuisine, music and fashion. Also, several interesting people were born there. Allow me to profile this fabulous foreign city for you.

Architecture: As an architecture student I can, and would love to, give long-winded descriptions of important German architecture, such as Schinkel’s 1823 Altes Museum and Behrens’ 1910 AEG Factory, so I will. Karl Friedrich Schinkel was the German architect of the 19^th century, and he designed a wide variety of buildings in Berlin that used neoclassic and neogothic styles to give a strong nationalist feel to Germany. His Altes Musuem used Greek and Roman architectural references to give monumentality to the nation. Peter Behrens, roughly a century later, was also trying to show the greatness of Germany, chiefly their booming industrial economy. The AEG Turbine Factory also used Greek temple references, with symmetrical sides to show how the factory acts as a concrete temple. Neat, right?

Cuisine: Germans like their food hearty. They like potatoes and beans, pork and fish. They like a variety of wursts (sausages) and krauts (cabbages). Beer is also a city-wide favorite. If ever in Berlin, grab a molle (glass of beer) in a pub or outdoor beer garden.

Music: Berlin has been a hub of classical music for centuries. Many important composers have worked in Berlin, and the city is still known for its enlightening orchestras. Ballet, opera and choir are also still very popular in Berlin. On the other music spectrum, Berlin is currently very involved in the electronic scene, and there is even a subgenre developed in the 1970s called Berlin School that is a derivative of ambient music. Berlin techno is still very relevant today and plays an important role in the city’s urban fabric.

Fashion: When I think of German clothes, the little outfit with the shorts and socks and vest and hat comes to mind. But that is not in fact what every German wears. The outfit, chiefly the lederhosen, or leather breeches, is not still currently worn on a daily basis, but only on certain events like Oktoberfest, and only in certain areas like Bavaria. Today, Berlin is very involved in high fashion and has its own major fashion show. The city is known for its unique shopping, and includes stores like KaDeWe, the largest department store in continental Europe, and Mykita, a Berlin-based eyewear retailer known throughout the world.  

Famous People: Many famous people have risen out of the streets of Berlin. For example, the Grimm brothers, of the children’s fairytale stories, were all born there. Also born in Berlin was Edward Munch, painter of The Scream, Vladimir Nabokov, author of Lolita, and Marlene Dietrich, famous actress.

Overall, Berlin seems like a very exciting and exuberant city. I’m immensely looking forward to spending four months there. And if this travel guide was not inclusive enough, please feel free to pick up a Fodor’s, I won’t be offended. 

Recently, I browsed on Twitter and came upon a tweet that read, “The reason I’m single is God is preparing me for the one he has handcrafted and created just for me and me only. For that reason I can wait.”

Some Christians believe that God handcrafted a future spouse just for them as if all Christians have one soul mate. If God handcrafts future spouses for Christians then why are Christian divorces as high as secular divorces? That’s like a shoemaker handcrafting a pair of shoes for your feet and they don’t fit. Either God lost his creativity, or we’re all flawed marrying flawed people, yet choosing to love each other unconditionally. I believe the latter.

First, we must analyze the meaning of handcraft. The Oxford definition of handcraft is, “To make skillfully by hand.” If God handcrafted our spouses then God waited until we were ready to marry, handcrafted a spouse, and then descended them to Earth; because handcrafted means to come from the hands, not from the womb. Or, handcraft can be used in the active voice such as when a woman becomes pregnant, God handcrafts events in the person’s life to specifically form them for a significant other and they both meet when the time is right.

But, there are no biblical scriptures that support handcrafting people besides Adam, and there are many other logical ideas that refute handcrafting. The only person in the Bible described as handcrafted is Adam. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7. There is no other scripture describing a human being handcrafted from the ground–even Jesus came from the womb. 

Did God handcraft Adam for Eve? No, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.’ In the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:26-27. God handcrafted Adam in his own image, not in the favor of Eve. Did God handcraft Eve for Adam? No, as you read above, God created man and woman in his likeliness, not in each other’s likeliness. And, Eve was not handcrafted; she was formed from a rib. A rib is not like the clay that created Adam; a rib is a bone that cannot change form, and neither can you form something into it. 

 Therefore, does not merely handcrafts spouses for Christians or for everyone? If so that means that Christians have perfect matches while secularist have to try their luck in a world of millions of people. Somehow Christians have trouble coping with their handcrafted spouses as secularist. So does God wait until we become Christians then handcrafts us a spouse or are we all handcrafted from birth for a significant other whether we recognize God or not? 

I believe God handcrafted everyone to become Christians, but some have crafted themselves to be atheists. If God handcrafted everyone a specific spouse then by freewill we can craft ourselves to fit someone else. Therefore, if you believe you have a soul mate then you should spend your life searching for them because if they have crafted themselves for someone else or to be celibate then you’re SOL (shit out of luck). 

Whether God handcrafted us a soul mate or not, we don’t have to meet them. Same as God created every human being, but we don’t have to believe in Him. But, Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” Humans are a reflection of God, which is why when Jesus was born the travelers recognized him as the son of God. Therefore, if God handcrafted a spouse for each of us then it should be a mirror experience when we meet them. Have you ever met someone who looked familiar but you couldn’t recall how you know them. The same experience would be if God handcrafted our spouses. When we meet them we would recognize them, but not know them. This is what people call “love at first sight.” Maybe God does craft spouses for us, or more accurately, God crafts us into his image, which causes us to recognize each other because we see Christ through each other.

An issue with dating in conservative states is that people are more family oriented and sheltered in Christian beliefs of sexual sin. I am not attacking Christian beliefs; I am merely stating that Christian beliefs have a strong influence on how we approach people to date. If you were taught that premarital sex is a deadly sin and that lusting is a deadly sin then you will be very cautious on whom you date. These beliefs will cause a person to want to get married young or at least date someone who has strong Christian values to help them resist sexual temptation. When Christians take these beliefs to the extreme they cause themselves to do the following when looking for a date: 1. Check for red flags before they know the person. 2. Believe no one is virtuous enough for them. 3. Wait until they find the one that God crafted for them. How do these three characteristics result from extreme Christianity?. 

I am a 22 year-old college student who grew up in a conservative home in Tennessee. I was raised with the beliefs of remaining a virgin until marriage; do not burn with lust, etc. The issue is not Christian values, but not being properly taught on how to exercise Christian values. Therefore, when I entered college my goal was to find a girl who was either a virgin or abstinent from sex and is practicing Christianity (by that I mean studying the Bible and possibly participating in campus church programs).

There’s nothing wrong with having standards because standards show that we know our self-worth and what type of people deserves our attention, but my standards weren’t mere guidelines, they were a contract; if a girl could not live that contract then she was automatically undatable. For example: if a girl were a nonbeliever or agnostic then I would automatically reject her as a potential date. I’ve read the scriptures that say to not marry a nonbeliever, but it doesn’t say to not date a nonbeliever.

 Although, I wouldn’t tell someone to date a nonbeliever and I wouldn’t tell someone to not date a nonbeliever. I wouldn’t tell someone to date a nonbeliever because dating can lead to love, and love can lead to marriage, and marriage can lead to becoming a nonbeliever (on some occasions). That is a whole other argument so I’ll leave it at that. And, I wouldn’t tell someone not to date a nonbeliever because sometimes we can learn more about God from someone who doesn’t believe in God. We can become stronger Christians by hearing opposing views.

On to my second point. If you have a great fear of sexual immorality then you will be cautious of the girl you date. Something simple as a style of clothing can be a red flag if it causes sexual thoughts. Although a girl’s clothing style does say something about her, but it shouldn’t necessarily be a red flag. Something simply as tight jeans can be a red flag when you’re super religious about sexual immorality. 

Being too concerned about sexual immorality will cause you to think that kissing, hugging, probably touching of the elbows, and alone time will lead to sexual immorality. Again, its okay to be cautious of what turns you and your partner on, but it shouldn’t cause you to flee every attractive girl because you fear that she’s too beautiful to resist temptation.

Lastly, some Christian men will wait until they meet the girl that God crafted for them, or at least that is what they believe because somehow they cannot meet a woman good enough for their Christian standards. The issue with believing in a soul mate is that, well, they don’t exist. I do wonder why some Christians believe that God crafted a special someone for them when God didn’t craft a special someone for Adam. Eve was taken from Adam’s rib; she wasn’t formed from clay like Adam. A rib is a bone. You can’t form something new from a bone. Bones don’t bend and fold. So how did God create Eve from a bone? I don’t know. I wasn’t there, and the Bible doesn’t give a step by step explanation. I’m merely saying that God created Adam and Ever perfectly in his image, not each others.

Therefore, Christians who want to date in conservative states should visit relevantmag.com, which is a Christian website that has good articles analyzing the subjects that I wrote on. Dating in conservative states can be hard when we’re trained to go straight for marriage instead of enjoying casual dating. Sometimes dating the “wrong” person helps us to know more about ourselves and what we need in a relationship besides reading scriptures. The scriptures on dating and sex are more so to guide our choices, not to dictate them into looking for perfection. 

As a Christian it is impossible to be spiritual and not religious. How can someone say that they believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but they do not read, study, and follow the scriptures explaining why Jesus died for our sins? Your faith in Jesus Christ can only be strengthened by your understanding of Jesus parables and other teachings on sins. Jesus did not die for us to be drunk without guilt, to lust without shame, and to murder with a clear conscious. Before Jesus Christ, humans lived in a debt to God that no amount of currency, sacrifices, or righteous acts could pay. Imagine that every righteous act earns you a step closer to the exit door of sin, but because of our human nature we would always slip up and sin, stumbling ourselves back to the floor. 

This is why God sent his son, Jesus, as an undefiled human who could pay the debt of sin because he was sinless. Now, that Jesus paid the cost to release us from the bonds of sin why should we return to sin? Maybe its that we lived in sin for so long that it feels unnatural and odd to live righteously. As when I decided to be abstinent from lust, it often felt unnatural to say no to my sexual desires. Here I am a 22 year-old college student, a time in my life when my hormones are full blown and in an atmosphere where my peers are experiencing with love and sexual pleasures. Yet, I have to say no to it all because I was once in debt for my sexual desires and now that Jesus paid for my debt why should go back into debt knowing that I can’t pay it off.

Its easy to think that God expects us to be perfect, but no. If it had been possible for humans to perfect themselves by practicing scriptures then there would have been no need for Jesus because humans would have paid their debt after perfecting scriptures. Jesus didn’t die for us to live perfectly, and Jesus didn’t die for us to live free in sin; therefore, I’m stuck in between. Am I supposed to live righteously or sinfully? Its not about how much righteous acts you do but what you’re doing them for. 

Grace is a gift so there’s nothing we can do to earn it because we already have it. Its like going into Sams Club (a grocery store) and asking the staff what can I do to receive this free sample. They’ll look at you like you’re crazy because there is absolutely nothing you can do to receive a free sample. Its doesn’t matter how many groceries you buy, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a basic or platinum member, and it doesn’t matter if you entered Sams Club through someone else’s membership, everyone who enters can receive a free sample at absolutely no cost.

Imagine asking God what can I do to receive your grace? God will look at you like you’re stupid, and its the one time I’m glad I cannot see God’s face because I can’t imagine the embarrassment it will be to see God looking at me like I’m stupid. And, God will answer, “There is absolutely nothing you can do to receive my grace. It is a gift.”

If you are familiar with the movie Grace Card then you know at the end the father gives the murderer of his son his grace card. The murderer did his full jail sentence and paid his debt to society, but there was absolutely nothing he could have done to pay his debt to the father. No jail sentence could bring that father’s son back neither if the murderer took his own life it wouldn’t have brought the father’s son back. Therefore, the father gave the murderer his grace card because he knew the murderer’s debt could never be paid so he released him from his debt.

Therefore, being religious helps me understand that grace is a gift and not something I can earn, not the other way around like the media portrays it to be. As James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

The whole “go green” movement has brought some new trends to society: recycle everything and turn it into key chains, put funny environment-themed jokes onto graphic t-shirts, and pay double the price for organic fruits and veggies. While these alone are doing very little for reversing mankind’s harm to the environment, they represent a global movement that is trying to lower carbon emissions, cleanse the oceans, and lower our overall impact on the environment. That’s not to say these little trends aren’t fun; I personally own a key chain made of recycled bike chains, a  t-shirt that says “respect your mother,” and a fridge full of $6 organic blueberries. 

But my favorite trend is the reusable water bottle. This ubiquitous item is a staple of every college kid, who clutch to their metal or plastic bottles with dear life. It doesn’t matter if the bottles are scratched, bent, broken or worn, kids will continue to use them until they fall apart completely  These bottles can range from $5 to $25, and if used daily, should be replaced every couple of months. But many people I know, including me, reluctantly part with their water bottles. I’ve been using reusable bottles for five years, and have gone through only three.

I continued to use my first bottle for months even after the bottom warped enough that it couldn’t stand on its own. The second bottle’s filter broke and I would occasionally find black specks of carbon in the liquid, but I didn’t throw it out until I stepped on the lid and smashed it (by accident, of course). My current bottle has a very insensitive lid, so that if my hands are even slightly wet I’m unable to twist it open, but I’ve been using it for four months now. 

There is a nice variety of bottles, each with their own pros and cons. First off, plastic or metal? Metal can add a bad taste to the water, while plastic has received a bad reputation for an ingredient, BPA, that can cause cancer. Metal makes a clanging sound whenever it hits something, but plastic can get crushed. Metal will heat up quicker, but it also keeps the water cooler than plastic. 

There are also glass bottles, but one fall and it’s gone forever. 

Moving on from material, there are a variety of lids: Flip-top, twist-top, screw-cap, squeeze bottle,and open mouth, to name a few. It depends on your preference  and what is most important to you regarding how you take your water. For example, if you need to be able to get large gulps of water, maybe open mouth is best. But if you don’t want embarrassing spillage down your face, squeeze bottle or flip-top may work better. I personally prefer to sip my water from a spout, which is most conducive to a twist-top, but that’s just me. 

There are other variables, such as brand, color, size and shape, but I feel those are secondary preferences. Some people feel very attached to certain brands, especially Nalgene, but generally every manufacturer produces the same thing. Color and design allows for a more personalized product, but I would never choose a water bottle that doesn’t work for my lifestyle just because I like the polar bear on the front. Size and shape do matter, as some people like tall and thin while others want a wider shape. This matters most when trying to fit your bottle into a side pouch of a bag or your car’s cup-holder. If that’s the case, maybe break out the old ruler before you buy.   

Obviously price is a factor, but if you buy online you will be able to find the bottle you like for the price you love. 

As a 22 year-old male I watched my first porn video at age 15, and I’ve watched a fair share of porn since. I’ve noticed that the majority of porn actresses are exceptionally beautiful. They feature perfectly proportioned breasts and buttocks, their lips are full, their eyes are an exotic color, their hair is long, their thighs are toned­—the fact is these women are unrealistically beautiful.

I’ve lived on a college campus for four years now and I’ve realized that the majority of women on my college campus are not qualified for the porn industry. Some women have big breasts but little buttocks, some have big buttocks but small breasts, and some have facial beauty but a small body. According to sexual science judging on a scale 1 to 10 the average American’s beauty is between 4 and 6.5. For a woman to be successful in the porn industry she must be an 8 or 10. Take Lisa Ann for example: a porn star who has won numerous awards. She also has big butt, big breasts, and full lips; everything needed for doggy style, breasts fucking, and oral sex.

The reason why the majority of women are not an 8 or 10 is because of genes. Exceptional beauty comes from receiving the best of genes from two parents. The porn industry isn’t about genes, but about cosmetic surgery. Many porn stars have had breasts implants, butt implants, and facial surgery to have more video gigs.

The issue with viewing many videos of women with cosmetic surgery causes men to desire that beauty in reality, which causes too high standards for beauty. Porn viewers will expect women to be perfectly proportioned, have flawless facial beauty, and will expect them to perform sexual acts that the woman may or may not be comfortable with.

I recently read a post on CNN about a southern mother explaining why she doesn’t raise her children to believe in God. But, what caught my attention was this quote from her, “I understand why people need God. I understand why people need heaven. It is terrifying to think that we are all alone in this universe, that one day we—along with the children we love so much—will cease to exist. The idea of God and an afterlife gives many of us structure, community and hope.”

Does she really understand Christians or does she share the simplistic view of religion like many other American atheists? The Bible that contains 40 authors and 36 books written over years in various cultures and countries does not all boil down to the fear of being alone and leaving the children we love so much. She says that Christians fear to be alone in this universe, but there are many times when we do feel alone in this universe. There are times when Christians pray and we hear no answer, when we seek our fellow Christians and they do nothing but judge us. There are times when it seems that Christians suffer more for our beliefs than those who deny God’s existence. 

Then the mother says that Christians fear death. I’m a 22 year-old college student and God forbid, but if I died today then I would be satisfied with my life. I don’t have a criminal record, this year is my last semester of college, I’ve had girlfriends, I’ve made mistakes and learned from them, I’ve wrote a novel manuscript. The point is that I’m too blessed to be stressed about death. When I think of heaven I think about God allowing me in, not how much better a life it’ll be than now because my life is good. Even in hard times I can’t complain. If heaven is about living a better life then Christianity is only good for the poor and sick. 

The mother asked, if there is an all-powerful and all-knowing god then why does he allow so much suffering and torture in the world. But, its funny how Americans have the most questions about suffering when we experience the least of it. Americans view suffering as being laid off from a job and having to live on welfare for a few years. The most suffering America has experienced in a little over a decade was the terrorist attack on 9/11, but there are some countries who experience yearly terrorist attacks like Syria. Even in domestic suffering like the Elementary school shooting in Connecticut that took the lives of 20 children and six adults–I’m not denying the emotional suffering, but those children and adults died quickly, they did not suffer. 

Therefore, this southern mother doesn’t really understand why Christians believe in God. Just as a father would never completely understand the strain and pain of a mother who carries and delivers a baby. Just as a white African-American professor will never completely understand the black culture until he steps in a black man’s shoes. This southern mother will never completely understand why Christians believe in God until she becomes a Christian.

When God tells us to save sex for marriage it is not to see who can hold out the longest, but is for everyone’s own well being. When we have sex we release a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is an addictive chemical; it is also released when a person does cocaine or watches pornography. Therefore, God wants us to save sex for marriage so we can become “addicted” to the same partner. Having premarital sex causes a person to “work harder” to obtain the dopamine chemical which in urban terms is to “play the bad boy” and have excessive things like cars, money, jewelry because they have to win over another sex partner. 

If you ever watched Animal Planet then you’ve probably seen male animals fighting each other during mating season. For example: various deers and bulls buck heads and usually the one with the strongest and longest horns wins. In the human world some men seek careers that obtain a ton of wealth to buy fancy cars and clothes. Usually the guy with the most masculine looking car or the one who dresses like he has the bigger bank account will win the females over in their bed. 

Premarital sex also causes insecurity such as men sizing each other up to see who has the bigger penis. Surely, no two men pull out their penises, gets a hard on, and measure each other side by side. Men size each other up in a more sophisticated way. For example: if a white male is competing for a female against a black male then the white male may feel insecure because black males are stereotyped to have larger penises than white males. Therefore, the white male will use resources to his benefit such as charisma because another stereotype about black men is that if they speak proper then they sound like a white person.  

According to Askmen.com, a recent study involving 800 men of all shapes, races, and sizes concluded that the average penis size is 5.5. But, for the average man to have confidence about his penis it must be a size 8 in length and thick in width. I suggest this thought process is due to pornography. The porn industry requires male performers to have huge penises, but the percentage of men having an 8 inch penis or larger is about 5% of the male population gobally. 

Pornography also affects women’s decision on lifelong partnerships because when some women watch pornography they see women having orgasms by men with huge penises which causes them to believe that if they want an orgasm then the size of the penis matters a lot. 

Therefore, celibacy isn’t just a religious act. It is scientific that we were created to have sex in marriage because when we introduce our bodies to sexual pleasure, God made it such an electrifying experience that premarital sex can only do harm to our emotional and sometimes physical health. Hollywood has done a great job at portraying premarital sex as casual fun, but when has Hollywood been known for scientific evidence of their entertainment? 

I love baking. Not as in baking cakes, but as in being literally baked by the sun or a dry sauna. Tanning and using dry saunas are two of my favorite activities in life. Maybe I was supposed to be a cookie, but I truly enjoy sitting and letting the warmth permeate my body and encase me in heat. 

Baking is a science. There is a right and a wrong way to do it. I think myself something of an expert, so follow these tips of the trade. These tips will get you baked, but definitely not stoned. 

1. Sun tanning can be a glorious activity. It is very relaxing and makes you feel like a pancake, just lying there taking in that heat and flipping over when the time is right. I would tan if there was no effect, but there is: a nice bronze color coat to your skin. Too much sun is harmful, as it doesn’t yield a deeper tan but burns you, as I think everyone has experienced. They say tanning can give you cancer, but they also say everything can give you cancer. To maximize color without the burn, be sure to limit the hours in the sun. I like to do about an hour per side, with a large indoor break if I plan to return to my lounge chair. You can sun tan anywhere, at the beach, in your backyard, or at the park; the sun is the same everywhere. 

I rarely put suntan lotion onto my body, but I always apply to my face. Facial skin is more delicate, more visible, and more embarrassing to have red and peeling. 

When I tan to bronze, I play music or sleep; reading means holding a book which means giving a shadow over some part of your body as well as contorting your arms into indirect sun positions. I constantly read as I tan, but if I only have one hour and I want to see results, I leave the book behind. 

As mentioned, I always use suntan lotion on my face. Hence, sunglasses are ok to wear, as my face isn’t up to its bronzing potential anyway, and my eyes don’t have to deal with that annoying red haze. 

Don’t let the stigma that suntanning is girly and stupid interfere with your ability to bake, it is pure summer fun. 

2. Saunas are the main reason I go to the gym. Tanning during the winter is not pure winter fun, so the second best way to bake is in a hot and steamy room, most of which are located at gyms. Sometimes hotels will have them, in which case good work choosing that hotel. Even some fancy people have saunas in their homes, in which case I want to be those fancy people. 

There are two types of saunas: dry and wet. Wet heat is muggy and dense, and not my favorite. I find it hard to believe there is not mold in a public steam room, and it’s very hard to see while inside. Wet saunas are less like baking and more like boiling, which eliminates them from this discussion. 

Dry saunas provide an extreme heat similar to what one would experience in an over. Temperatures can reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit, which is actually very beneficial to one’s health. Dry saunas can reduce stress and blood pressure while increasing endurance and blood cell counts. 

I personally only like 10-15 minutes per sauna session, as I find that is more than enough time to bake, and they say more than 15 minutes at a time can overheat you. The maximum time to stay in a sauna is 30 minutes, at which point you will probably begin to fill dizzy and ill. 

Be sure to drink water before and after sauna use and apply moisturizer to rejuvenate the skin after it loses some moisture during the bake time. 

Do not fall asleep in the sauna. I recently did this at the sauna in my gym at college, but luckily it was not a very deep slumber and I woke right up after a couple minutes.

Maybe baking isn’t so much a science, as all it really takes in sitting or lying down in a specific place. Baking oneself is much easier than, let’s say, baking a goat cheese souffle. 

In church today my pastor spoke about the good and bad of feeling like we’re in a wilderness. When you think of a wilderness what first comes to mind? I’m an avid Animal Planet watcher so when I think of a wilderness I think of the Amazon filled with rain forest and all types of creatures. But, the biblical term for the wilderness is a desert; a dry piece of land with sand and no water. A place where human beings have zero chance of survival without a survival pack. 

You’re probably thinking what good is it to be alone in a wilderness? Well, my pastor described the wilderness as a place to hear God. One verse that speaks of the wilderness as good is Isaiah 41:18, “I will make the wilderness a pool of water.” Here, Israel is assured of God’s help. Here is another great verse on the wilderness in John 3:14, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness and crushed it, Jesus will be lifted up in heaven and exalted. 

The pastor said that for every Christian, right now, is either about to go in the wilderness, in the wilderness, or is coming out of the wilderness. The Hebrew word for wilderness is yĕshiymown meaning a wasteland, desert, a land of darkness. This is why when David wrote Psalm 23, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (a dark place) I will fear no evil.” Sometimes we become enraptured with the ways of the world and stray from God so God brings us, “out of the world” away from the cluttered noise and distractions to speak with us so we as sheep will not stray completely away from our Shepard, Jesus Christ.

The wilderness is also bad because sometimes we bring ourselves into the wilderness by our sins. I remember when I was eighteen years old I was having sex with my girlfriend at the time and it brought our relationship into a dark place because our feelings were confused for true love when it really was nothing but strong lust. Our lust for each other brought jealously towards friends of the opposite sex and it also brought jealously our family members. 

Some of us may not feel like we are in a personal wilderness but by living in this world we are living in a wilderness everyday. In Isaiah 14:17 Isaiah is speaking of the fall of Satan, “Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you saying: Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world as a wilderness.” Satan is the ruler of the earth therefore, he has isolated the world from God with temptations of greed, materials, lust, gluttony, etc. That is why it is easy for Christians to be part of the world and stray from God so God has to lead his sheep away from the world to keep our eyes on the prize which is eternal life. 

As an avid movie-watcher, one of my greatest pet peeves is a film with a lack of creative cohesion in the world the movie creates. If the setting is supposed to be medieval England, all the characters should have British accents. Unless it’s an American movie and they really want to eliminate the British accent and allow the actors to use their normal accents. This is allowed, because then the filmmakers are taking a creative stance behind the world they are creating. But then, if there are any actually British cast members, they have to forge an American accent, or else it totally negates the point. It does not make sense for some Brits to have traditional accents while others have foreign, especially if they’re all supposed to be from the same place during the medieval times when no one even left their manor. 

Accents are not the only thing that can ruin the environment, although for some reason this seems to be a major problem with filmmakers as almost every non-US-based film I’ve seen recently has brought me accent-related irritation. Recently I saw the new adaptation of The Three Musketeers, which is supposed to take place in 17th century France. All right, I understand French accents are very hard to forge, and really only if the entire cast was French could everyone have a legitimate French accent. That’s fine with me, give everyone a generic, European-sounding accent, most akin to British, that many European-set films employ. But it is most definitely not okay to have several characters with American accents, one guy with a German accent, and a couple others with strong Cockney British accents, all of whom are supposed to be French. I’m pleased for those actors that the director liked them enough to use them for a character completely disparate with their geographical background, but they couldn’t have at least attempted to not ruin the already shallow world created by the movie?

While accents may seem trivial to some, obviously not me, set and costume design are much more focal, and therefore much more important to get right. By set and costume design, I don’t mean the specific person in charge of choosing outfits or sets, but the creative direction of the filmmakers in terms of how the characters should look, where it takes place, the feel of the setting, etc. While it’s the job of the set/costume designer to take the direction and employ it, and they can either make or break the world, they are not the architects of the film’s world. That’s the job of the creator, director, writer, etc. 

My example for faulty set design, which has been received negatively with everyone I’ve shared it with, is The Hunger Games. I never read the book, so I don’t have substantial evidence to back up my claim, but I really was not impressed with the direction of the film. I am a huge fan of futuristic movies and books, and I can appreciate all sorts of worlds, from the post-apocalyptic desolate to the true utopian to the frightening technological. But I can’t appreciate a film with every single one. A futuristic movie must pick a world to set its characters in, as no world can have such extremes within the same place. Sure, in our current world we have an enormous range of difference from third-world impoverished countries without electricity to a city with skyscrapers 1,000 feet tall and underwater hotels. But our world is still a world, you will find poverty everywhere, and wealth everywhere. The two extremes may seem endlessly apart, but in real life they aren’t. In The Hunger Games, I just don’t feel there was any attempt to combine a futuristic world, instead they merely had them segregated and distinct. It is after all a movie, they can do whatever they please to place their characters in a world, it does’t have to replicate ours in terms of endless extremes. Maybe this is just an opinion only I hold, everyone doesn’t have to like something just because it’s popular. 

An argument I’ve received in regards to my Hunger Game issue is that the book does a better job and the world seems seamlessly developed rather than obnoxiously thrown together. But that brings up a whole new debate: films versus books. It is wrong to say books will always win, but it does seem right that a great book will trump a great film any time. Books create worlds through implications, as the reader must imagine the characters and settings for themselves using clues from the author. A good author will allow the reader the chance to conjure up a mesmerizing world, one they can feel. A good filmmaker will demonstrate to the viewer a mesmerizing world, one they can see and hear, but take no part in. All people want to create, and while films can generate intense emotions and transport the viewer into its world, only books can allow the reader a chance to create an entire world for themselves. In my world, everyone will have an appropriate accent. 

Last Sunday my pastor criticized people who didn’t like being in church for too long as if its something to be ashamed of. It wasn’t a harsh criticism, he did laugh about it, but its the simple fact that he mentioned it that made me feel like I should question myself if I don’t like to be in church for too long. I don’t like being in class for too long, the doctor’s office for too long, in the grocery line for too long, so why should church be different? I come to church to hear some praise songs and to hear the Word, everything else is extra. 

My hometown church in Knoxville is a Baptist church with a two hour service, sometimes two hours and fifteen minutes. Most of the service is not necessary. We have call of devotion, song selection, call of worship, song selection, children’s moment, offering, alter prayer, and more song selections. The ministering doesn’t start until 12:00 or 12:30PM and our service starts at 10:45AM. 

At the Baptist church I go to in Chattanooga the service starts at 11:00AM and we’re dismissed at 12:00AM. An hour service is all I need. We sing three songs, have a moment to shake hands with friends and strangers, give offering, and then the ministering starts. Some may think that all I care about is the time difference and not the spiritual growth I’m getting from the service. There is much more that I like about my Chattanooga church than jus the time difference such as the service programs that have sheets for us to fill out during the service so we can study the lesson at home, there are more college students at the church, and I can drink coffee during the service because its located in a basketball arena. 

My hometown church is very traditional and the problem with traditional churches is that many of its members can get confused that their works will save them. As if spending two hours in church is a great sacrifice for all their sins.