More Hunger Pains...

This is just giving a nod to some more Hunger Games hype that's been popping up the last week or so. If you haven't read my post on the Hunger Pains I've been experiencing, I suggest reading it here so you can feel my unbiased (not) take on Suzanne Collins' novels.

Anyways-- why do people say that? It's not plural, for crying out loud. We don't say "so's" instead of "so", or "whatevers" in place of "whatever". And why do we say "thanks"as in, you have my thanks? Aren't we supposed to say "thank you"? So shouldn't we say "thank" instead of "thanks" if we really do need to shorten it?

Sorry, little rant here.

Anyway (see? It's not plural), Foxtrot ran this comic in April 22nd's newspaper. I thought it aptly grasped what our female teenage society now thinks-- we ALL can be Katniss Everdeen.

And I'm not sure I like what the Hunger Games is doing to my friends at school... ha, ha.

My friends (not the Hunger Games-crazed ones-- okay, they're a little crazed, but not excessively) showed me this video. I laughed so hard, and now I'm asking for a "I'll Bake You Pies" tee-shirt for my birthday. [It's only $19 if you feel like getting me one. :)]

Have you been hit with any Hunger Pains recently?

Quit Putting the Christian Label on Everything!... And Other Random Thoughts

Hello, all! Sorry that last week's post was a tad on the longish side... I'll try to keep this one short and sweet.

I recently had the pleasure of hearing Cody Deese, a youth pastor, speak on his spring tour, and man, was it amazing! His last message was about being in the world, but not of the world, something a lot of people get confused on.

Basically, we're either one or the other-- in the world (just barely) or of the world (excessively). In the world: meaning we're here, but we'd rather not be. So we take everything that we can't see or hear or read or use because it's "pagan" and stick a Christian label on it. Music... the world had Green Day, SLAP on goes the label, and now us Christians have Third Day. The world had secular books, SLAP on goes the label-- they're still secular books, but now you can buy them from the "Christian" bookstores, not the pagan ones! Do you see what I'm getting at here? It's ridiculous! I mean, we have "Christian" tattoos, music, books, movies, and these are all good and well. But we're not "of the world" when we don't even allow these "pagan" things into our life!

And it's taking it a dreadful step forward when we don't allow "pagans" themselves into our life. Basically, the message was: Be in the world (God called us to be witnesses, not judges and lawyers, and how can we witness when we go to a "Christian" school, live in a "Christian" neighborhood, and only have Christian friends) but not of the world (no need to take it too far but totally throwing the Holy Spirit out the window-- that's why you feel guilty when you're listening to a dirty song or doing dirty, "worldly" stuff). ...Just a thought.

On to the random stuff...

I watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding at a friend's sleepover the other night, and I have to say, it cracked me up (even though I don't recommend it). Now all I have to do to my friend to make her die from laughter is to say in a Greek accent, "It was my twiiiiiiin!!!!"

Another thing: for my best friend's birthday, I'm writing her a story. Great present, I know! So far, the forest guide named Ashley has been taken captive along with her group by a band of Hungry Hungry Hippos. Turns out the hippos are part of a fight to the death for the totalitarian government leaders, Milton and Bradley. Only 2 kids escape-- and with the help of a lone Hungry Hungry Hippo, Nyssa, and her boyfriend Pete-- they rescue the group, while keeping away from the increasingly strange creatures in the woods. (Think: an escaped murderer named Buck, Ben Ben the Lizard Man, the magical rock, demon wolves, and more on the way!)

Oops, I lied. It wasn't short, but I sure hope it was sweet.

How are some ways you're in the world? Are you of the world?

Is it possible to be both?

(Author's Note: You may notice that I use the word Christian sometimes with quotations, sometimes without. This is because Christian is a word that describes a person: a follower of Jesus. A movie, book, song, or tattoo can't have a relationship with God! That's why I use quotations, to show that these things aren't REALLY "Christian". By the way, if you're interested in Cody's messages, go to codydeese.com. I think currently he's in Arkansas, so if you live in Our Kansas, you're in luck!)

What's the Big Deal About the Hunger Games?

Okay, the post title should say it all. But I think I need to say it again:
What IS the big deal about the Hunger Games?


I mean, seriously. I get that it's the new thing. It's like what Harry Potter was in 1999 and Twilight in 2006. But honestly, we need to look at ourselves as a Christian and a modern society here: Why are the biggest things in our world wizards, witches, and sorcery? Then vampires are werewolves? And now KIDS KILLING OTHER KIDS?! I am confused. Extremely confused. 


I read the first Harry Potter book a few months ago, and a little ways into Twilight about a year ago. (I still regret it to this day.) And I don't want to turn this into a bash-fest, but honestly, the writing wasn't that great. It wasn't quite hack writing, but pretty close. And now with this Hunger Games junk? I mean, we were into Wicca and witchcraft. Big deal. Then we were into vampires and the un-dead. Slightly more of a big deal. And now we enjoy dystopian novels about government-enforced slaughtering festivals where 24 kids fight to the death for entertainment. 


American's teenagers have gone down the drain... the big Cornucopia-shaped one.


And now the movie? Released March 2012, The Hunger Games was lauded as "thrilling and superbly acted", according to Rotten Tomatoes, but PluggedIn.com doesn't describe it as a gore-fest. So the books may possibly be just a little more violent than the movie.


Speaking of the books, if you really are interested in this disturbing trend of child fighting, read the first book. Then stop. 


(SPOILER ALERT: Okay, here's where I get to treat myself and rant about the books. If you've read them, please don't be offended. If you haven't, this will make no sense to you, but then again, it shouldn't. So just ignore this next paragraph unless you want to laugh at me and my inexplicable lameness.)
I'm going to assume you know who I'm talking about, because Katniss, Peeta, and Gale may possibly be the single thing your friends have talked about for the last three weeks-- and you probably have been asked "Peeta or Gale?" more times than the number of books I've read this year (which is 68 exactly). So anyways, in teh second book, about halfway through Katniss gets a little psycho. Oh, did I say psycho? I meant paranoid. (She's always been psycho. Okay, I lied, this is definitely a bash--fest.) She's always like "This person's gonna kill me, can't trust this person, can't be here or here or AHH IT'S A GIANT MONKEY!" and so on so forth. I believed that in the third book, Katniss should've died and it should have been her looking down at the Games below (or looking up, depending on what you think of Katniss). Too many people died thanks to her than I would've liked-- but she comes out unscathed at the end, to grow up, marry her true love (which should have been Finnick, if you ask me) and live happily ever after while the people and families she scarred are left behind. The end. (Both of the books and my self-indulgment. Thanks, guys, for listening.)


This may not be the raving review you've always heard, and it probably makes more sense to those who have read the books. If you feel as though you need to read them now, knock yourself out. Not literally, of course.


But we need to analyze these books as Christians, too. Twilight deeply scarred me as a naive 13-year-old, scaring me with the darkness Stephanie Meyer fans adore. While the Hunger Games might not be as dark and creepy, or dabble in witchcraft,  it definitely gives a rebellious nod to what may (but most likely will not) be our future. From the romantic angle Suzanne Collins played in the first book to the gruesome details in the third, the unmarried sleeping-together, the blatant disregard for those in power above (no matter that they were evil), the Hunger Games is probably a book those who value values (and their sanity) can live without.


Today I felt like I needed to give some funny to offset this (hopefully non-offensive) sad review, so here's a couple writing prompts made up by yours truly.


It's time for the Hungry Hungry Games! If you're familiar with the Hunger Games, you won't want to miss this! Put 24 Hungry Hungry Hippos into the arena and see what hilarity ensues!
*Disclaimer: any unintentional or intentional maiming by the generally docile hippos is under no warranty to Milton Bradley or the Capitol. Take all risks as such.*


When I googled "when did Harry Potter became popular", this result popped up from stateofnature.org (of which I have no clue what it is). You know how Google, bless it's soul, only shows a few bits of the article with your key words? This is the result I got.

"The enormous scale of the sale of Harry Potter is undoubtedly due to the changed ... 

In the nearby Khan Market, buyers were provided breakfast to refresh ... 

Notwithstanding all the precautionary steps, pirated copies did appear on the market..."

Take one of these sentences and finish it. I guarantee everything you come up with will have at least a small degree of funniness! Mine are:

"The enormous scale of the sale of Harry Potter is undoubtedly due to the changed military tactics of the attacking life-sized Lego men."
"In the nearby Khan Market, buyers were provided breakfast to refresh after one unfortunate incident including a fainting woman, a beard, and a stick of butter laced with dynamite."
"Notwithstanding all the precautionary steps, pirated copies did appear on the market, if only by accident because the pirates usually don't enjoy just anyone seeing their special red and white skull-and-pineapples cover design."


Enjoy! I'm sure I will... :) Sorry this was so long, but I felt I owed ya'll one. 


(Okay, just wanted to say: If you have any questions regarding my views on the Hunger Games, as well as where to find good, Christian resources about them, feel free to contact me, if only to rag me for being so against it!! Also, if you have any good arguments against it, please let me know. I am losing this battle completely to my Hunger Games-fanatic, Josh Hutcherson-crazed friends. Please, help!) Although I am known to just be a tad Josh Hutcherson-crazed myself... but it's to be expected, right?