Zed: On Sushi

What is this sick and twisted thing? What is wrong with you people?

Really!? I had no understanding that you humans ate fish. And you don't even have enough care to cook it! Have you no respect for us fish? Do you not care about our dignity? And to eat fish! That was the worst! My own human ate this stuff! She just ate it! (Yes, Canadian fish are very much like cats. We pick our humans. She is mine.) Hang on! I need a moment. :'(

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Okay, I think I can continue. I just don't understand this horrific thing you do! You take a fish that has passed. God rest his soul. and then slice him up. And to make matters worse! Once you dismember the body you roll it in rice and seaweed? I tried to and wanted to take this to the police! My human would not allow this. But she did allow me to have photographic evidence to document this crime. (see above photo) Although I believe she did this simply to humor me. She ate the sushi. The raw fish that could have been a relative of mine! I just couldn't take this! I hid in her purse for the rest of the meal. My human did not take this cause seriously. I hope this message falls on more caring people and fish through this blog.

I am sharing all of this in hopes that you will join my cause.

Fight For the Fishes! Or FFF. Please! If you a fish out there reading this post, please act and help stop this cruelty!

We fish need to unite!

Thank you all for reading this post. Together, we can make a difference!

~Zed

P.S. I will now be answering your questions on this blog. If you comment here with your question I will do my best to give you an answer. All answers will come from a very fishy perspective. But you may have questions that only a fish could answer!

Quotes

So! This is a little bit of a different type of post. I haven't had time to really pull together a good post recently. But I do have a love for quotes! This may be a bit silly. But I like words (hence, I blog.) and I love to reread words others have spoken or written. So I figured I would make a post of a few of my favorite quotes and a few Bible verses that I love. Those that say "~unknown" really honestly mean "It's late at night and I don't want to search for who really said that." So if you really must know the origin of a quote shoot me and email or leave a comment and I will actually look for it. hehe! :) Well! Enjoy the quotes!


(Yeah, some are cliche. But I think that is part of the beauty of them)


Darkness can not drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate can not drive out hate; only love can do that.
~Martin Luther King Jr.



She is clothed in strength and dignity and laughs without fear of the future.
Proverbs 31:25



I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.
~Albert Einstein


Knowing that we are fulfilling God's purpose is the only thing that really gives rest to a restless human heart.~Charles Colson


"Fill your life with passion. And you will never have regrets. It’s through our hearts that we truly learn to live. It’s one thing to do and to be, but you must feel. From the core of your body to the tips of your toes. It’s about riding the bike for the first time. Heart is racing, eyelids peeled back, taking in every second. Trusting yourself. And a smile you can’t hold back. It’s through these moments that we grow. The moments when your mind is so absorbed by that instant and your heart has complete fulfillment. " - Rebecca Salisbury


"The only thing I'm afraid of is living an insignificant life." -Louie Giglio


“My biggest fear, even now, is that I will hear Jesus' words and walk away, content to settle for less than radical obedience to Him. ” -David Platt


"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." -Jim Elliot


Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Matthew 1:23


Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. ~Robert Louis Stevenson


You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it. ~It's a wonderful life. (classic movie)


Your life is your message to the world. Make sure it's inspiring. ~unknown


Today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry. ~unknown. I have no idea where it came from but it just makes me smile!


Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures. ~Lovelle Drachman


Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12


You're off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way. ~Dr. Seuss


If you're a dreamer come in,
if you're a wisher, a liar,
a magic bean buyer...
If you're a pretender come sit by my fire.
For we have great tales to spin. Come in.
~Shel Silverstein


Be the change you want to see in the world. ~Gandhi (Yeah, everyone says that one. But I still love it!)

Success isn't about what you accomplish in life. It's about what you inspire others to do. ~unknown

We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone who's weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love. ~Dr. Seuss

The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why. ~Mark Twain

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Speak the truth even if your voice shakes. ~unknown

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

What is your favorite quote or verse? Please share! I would love to add some more to my collection! ;) Or if you know the authors of some of these "unknowns" I would love to know that too!

Thank you my dear readers!

:)

CCT

A Good Christian

I have been meaning to get this post written for a while now. But I haven't done it. Or blogged at all for that matter! Oh how life can kill a persons love of writing! 

I want to bring up this phrase, "good Christian."

Have you ever heard this label? I have heard this from people within the church (as in the body of Christians as a whole. Not just the building I attend. Although I have heard this label at my church too.) and within the secular culture. And the label brings the same expectations no matter if the person using the term is Christian or not. If you ask anyone what a good Christian is their answer would be something like...

A good Christian acts nice and smiles a lot and helps to take care of people.

I can't even begin to describe how much that goes against the Bible about what a Christian should be. And people in the church strive to be labeled a good Christian by these standards! WikiHow even has a page on how to be a good Christian. According to that site, there are 19 steps to becoming a good Christian.

Really?

The first step was "Act like a Christian no matter what."

Please tell me they were just kidding. Please.

You do realize anyone can act like a Christian and not really be a Christian, right?

 I am involved in community theater. I love to act!

And I am semi good at it, if I do say so myself! ;) haha!

But I can act like a lot of things that are not really me. And acting like any character has never made that character a part of me. So how is acting like a Christian making that "Christian" act a part of them? It isn't. It is an act. Why would a Christians number 1 goal be to act like a Christian?

Jesus sent his disciples to go out and make disciples! Not to go act like good people! Anyone can do that! He sent them to tell about Jesus and to build relationships with others and to cast out demons and pray and heal! He never said, "Hey guys. I think if you guys went out and acted like a bunch of stuck up, goody two shoes, theologians, people would want to follow me. Don't you think? Let's give this a shot!" I MEAN REALLY! And Jesus taught of faith, grace, and love! He taught about living to follow God's will for your life and to seek the least. And guess what! Jesus hung out with people that were not Christians. I'm not even kidding. Jesus hung out with the woman at the well (John 4), and even Matthew, one of his disciples was a tax collector! (Matthew 9) Tax collectors were known thieves! And so many others that the culture would not see as the type of people one should associate themselves with. But they too came to live by Gods leading and living in His faith, grace, and love!

(As a little side note, the Bible says God is Love. It says so in 1 John 4:8 just to name one location. This is not the only occurrence of this phrase. But the word that was used for love here means everlasting, never ending, love. God is never ending love. And this love is not like the English word we have for love. It implies so much more. It was used for a strong love that could never be broken no matter the circumstances. So not only is his love everlasting, it is strong. It wasn't just a never ending little crush like you had in kindergarten. It was a strong, powerful, passionate, never ending, everlasting, love. Wow!)

Basically I believe that the Bible sends us as Christians to follow what God has called for each individual person. My walk with God and the plans he has for me, are nothing like the ones he has for you. We are called to live the life God has called us individually to, and this is to bring glory to Him! Our God!

Now please don't think I'm saying that "oh everyone just do what God says and life will always be happy!" that would be this "Good Christian" label that I am trying to eliminate! Or at least change the definition of!

Because Jesus followed what God called him to do, it wasn't always so pleasant. Dying on the cross for sins He had never committed wasn't an easy task God had planned for him. He went through hard times and He dealt with hard stuff! I can't imagine he ever "acted" like those were easy things. He knew it was hard and He knew it was His calling. His time in the garden to pray before His death showed us that. (Luke 22) Sometimes we face massive trials in our lives. Now, in today's culture you probably will not be hung on a cross. But you might deal with tasks that seem more than you can handle, or difficult family, work, or school situations. Maybe sins that you don't know what to do with. Or maybe you have abuse or trauma in your past, or even in your life now. God didn't say it would be easy.

John Piper said, "The difference between Uncle Sam and Jesus Christ is that Uncle Sam won't enlist you in his service unless you are healthy and Jesus won't enlist you unless you are sick." (Thanks for this quote Stephanie!)

This isn't saying that God isn't going to be present in you life unless your have the flu. It is saying that God can work in even the worst brokenness in person, and He takes that and turns it into strengths and not just strengths that we can boast in but a strength that can only come from God! (Judges 7:2)

So truly the Biblical definition of a good Christian should be someone that is following what God has called them to and living out Jesus and bringing glory to God. But that is such a personal thing between one person and God that you can't judge or label someone else with "good Christian."