modestyinname

[modestyinname]

Are true Christians immune to vampires?

Okay so this is based upon the idea that Vampires have to be invited inside your home or bad things will happen to them.

A key aspect of Christianity is that our body is our temple. A temporary home that is to be taken care of and honored, but a "home" nonetheless.

Does this mean that Christians who truly believe this fact "like myself" would be immune to vampires in the sense that if they bite us without consent the same perils of entering someones home would occur to them?

This would explain the aversion to crosses. Crosses are not God, and Christians aren't really meant to give them as much deference as they do. So it always confused me that even a demonic entity would fear a cross on its own.

But as a symbol they could represent a clear and present danger to vampires. "if I bite this person it may kill me." In which case they would avoid crosses like the plague.

This of course is all pointless based on the newer lore of vampirism having a biological cause, rather than due to interaction with Satan.

But I find it an intriguing premise.

[modestyinname]

This is the best way to make Puff-pastry that I have ever seen! I think it should work for my gluten free recipes.

[modestyinname]

God is Good, mold is bad.

Well I have certainly had an interesting month. It all started over thanksgiving where I being stressed out decided that since we had received a monetary gift for my husbands birthday we should go on an overnight trip to the coast.

An important thing to note is that for the several weeks prior my husband and I had been fighting an illness that we assumed was a winter respiratory infection. Anyway we go to the beach and our symptoms clear overnight. At this point we draw the conclusion that we are being exposed to black mold.

We drew this conclusion because again several weeks prior our laundry closet wall had been flooded by the upstairs washer and in an effort to dry it out the vent fan had been removed exposing us to the inner workings of the wall for the time period. Well we told our manager and as in our state we are required to pay for the initial testing we went ahead and did so. Though not before the maintenance guy came over and cut into the drywall looking for visible mold. Finding none but rendering the apartment unlivable as we were now exposed to much more mold.

We get the company to come out and test, and they find out that not only is there mold in the air, but the outer walls which had nothing to do with the flooded wall were at 22%. For context anything above 17% is considered a rip everything out and start fresh situation. Well management sent out their own company who were not told about the flooded wall and only took air samples. Then said that they had done all that was necessary though they would not give us the sample report. And refused to take the report of the company we hired seriously. But offered to let us out of our lease and refund us one months rent. Well we contacted a lawyer but apparently there is just not quite enough evidence to make it worthwhile to sue. So we accepted their offer and now have to be out by the 22nd.

We did report them to the city but they are backed out until march due to not doing any inspections during covid. Not that they'll be able to fix anything by then so I'm pleased to say that they will still get their comeuppance. And will be forced to fix their apartments so that people aren't sick. They have no excuse when they charge $1600 a month.

The good news is that all of this happened right before my husband was set to get his Bonus, and I was contacted by a apartment complex that is notoriously hard to get into which I had put us on the waitlist for a year prior. So there are blessings in all of this. and to top it off I get to assist in bringing justice to my neighbors. The building will likely be condemned based on what we found, which means all of the neighbors still there after the inspection will get instant payouts and be able to move. Yes, I checked that is the law for my state. I didn't want to make my neighbors homeless, or put them in a tight spot.

[modestyinname]

Candy Corn

A bit unrelated to my theme but I have a theory that Autistic Folk are more likely to like Candy Corn.

This stems from the fact that I as an Autistic woman, will choose a food with a good texture over a food with a nice taste but bad texture every single time. My autistic friends also do this.

Candy corn while tasting like pure sugar, has a nice firm, but soft, waxy texture, people who I know don't have brain quirks almost uniformly say they hate the stuff. While my fellow autistics tend to love it.

I suspect because wax in general is a nice texture to us. Frankly if I could get my hands on candy corn that is just edible wax I would be perfectly happy. Though the sugar does prevent me from eating too much.

Anyway I would like to hear others thoughts upon this subject. Are there any autistic folks reading this that have was as their "bad texture"? and if so can you describe what you don't like about it? I'm curious.

[modestyinname]

Horror

I grow more and more disconsolate each time I am exposed suddenly and without warning to horror movie trailers.

Horror is a disgusting and awful genre and that comes from someone who was once depressed and consumed it in order to feel something, anything at all. But since recovery I have come to realize that it really, truly, only made the depression that much worse.

Horror is demonic and to put it on screen, to suddenly and non-consensually expose consumers to it is just the most disgusting of marketing ploys. Now there are horror movies that are less terrible "Light's out" being one of them. But at least the encouragement of the existence of the demonic entity in that movie is portrayed as a bad thing. I still think it is certainly a "slippery slope" so to speak but there is far worse.

Recently despite my best efforts to make clear to youtube that I have no interest in the genre. I have been getting repeated advertisements for a new horror movie called "Menu". In which a chef goes insane invites a bunch of guests to an island, and kills and serves them to each other.

I know this much about the movie because despite my efforts I have been repeatedly shown this trailer, several iterations of it actually. And I'm getting quite angry. I know that some people want to consume horror and there is little I can say that will stop them. I know my past self would have argued staunchly against my current opinions. But I have never consented to being shown such content. I am well and truly disgusted, and nauseated. Something needs to be done about this.

Youtube is mainly at fault here for not filtering out such content as I have tried to do with my feed. But the fault also lies with the people who produce the trailers. It took me thirty second for me to realize what was playing and get my hands on my remote to skip it. And in that time was given the plot of the movie, and subjected to a scene of them cutting off a mans hand.

If they would only stop releasing the whole movie as a series of trailers I would not be subjected to this. I know I am not the only person made uncomfortable by this predicament. But I am at a loss of what to do. Petitioning youtube to stop showing Horror trailers, or even just to improve their filter would only go so far. It is a conundrum that I face.

[modestyinname]

Stop speaking of the End Times.

I'm sick and tired of hearing from Christians about how the world is going to end in my generation. About how old people are surprised to find that they may live to see the end of all things. Apart from the obvious fact that Jesus specifically said specifically in Mathew 24:36 "But of that day and hour, knoweth no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but My Father only." and then goes on to say that men should not try to predict it. It only produces nihilism in young children.

I know this because it happened to me. Growing up I was constantly being told that all the signs but one had come to fruition and it was likely that the world was going to end in my lifetime. This was always said with such solemn certainty that I came to believe it myself despite knowing of Mathew 24:36. A child can only hear something so many times before they believe it.

I was also told that this would be a good thing! and it really will those who know God will go to heaven. So in the meantime we need to work to convert as many people as possible before it happens.

But this is a wrong a perverted message. I was a child I didn't understand how to save people, and felt useless to do so. My parents would constantly scream at each other and me. If I was powerless to get them to behave as proper Christians should than what could I do for others? Even if God told me exactly what I had to do I felt to tired and depressed to do it. The world was going to end regardless of what I did.

At ten years old I had to grapple with the idea that no matter what I did. The world would end, there would be wars, and turmoil, and suffering. And I begged God to just let me live a normal life, over and over and over I pleaded with him to postpone the end times so that I might live a normal life and die. I didn't expect my life to be free of conflict but I just wanted a chance to live a life like those before me had. Eventually I lost hope. I came to the conclusion that a swift death would be better, but I couldn't bring myself to end my own life. I knew that ending it would only result in more turmoil for those around me and couldn't cause myself to sin in this way. And believe me I justified many other sins.

And so I lived in a state of Nihilism throughout my teens, I would do what God told me to as it hurt not to. But I found it impossible to take any joy in my work. Why should I? the world is just going to end and heaven is perfect. This led to extreme depression that lasted for years. Now this is a good example of why many people turn to atheism. Surely after all a loving God would not allow such suffering. Its much easier to think that if the world ends it will only be because of the actions of those more selfish humans that pollute the earth. And with this thought one can take refuge in the pleasures of the world, things that are sinful alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, miss use of sex.

You might ask why I never turned to these thoughts. Well the fact is that I knew God. I could feel him working in my life and he had answered some genuinely selfish prayers. I had tested him, knowing that I was not supposed to and in my agonized state he had answered.

This made it even harder for me. I could not turn to sin to comfort myself, I was stuck knowing that everything was downhill. Now I had some other issues that have taken priority when it comes to addressing them and I've gotten happier over all. Mainly because I know that God loves me and wants me to take joy in things. So in order to address my other problems I put these thoughts on the back-burner. But now I can finally confront them.

The Church justify this intense focus on the end of times with the story of the bride-groom. Mathew 25: 1-13. Speaking about how we must be ever vigilant for the return of Christ. But instead of teaching us how we should prepare our extra oil for our lamps they only tell us what will happen if we don't. This leads to a third type of bride those who prepared extra oil, those who did not out of laziness, and those who were never told how. Merely given a lamp and told to keep it. Some may be able to figure out on their own how to keep their lamps alight. But others will just sit in the dark with a cold lamp hoping they will see the light of the bridegroom when he opens his door. Darkness abounds anyway we do not know how to keep the lamp, surely we cannot be faulted for that. We know to follow those with lamps that are alight we will be pitied and let in.

But this is not the case. We are to keep our lamps, prepare oil and care for them till the bridegroom comes. We are not to give others our oil but teach by example and help by lighting the lamp as soon as the oil is prepared. But because of the way the Church speaks on this topic those of us who have not been taught fail to see the purpose in looking to others to learn. But we must after all if the world were to be hit by asteroid in an hour would you not do the things that bring you the most joy? God made us this world as a gift, he wants us to take pride and joy in our work, in our children. Because the world will come to an end, not despite it. The joy in heaven is guaranteed but it is very different life is a gift, controversy develops you into a person and God wants to know that person.

Stop sabotaging your children by telling the world will end in their lifetime! You cannot know! There have always been wars and rumors of wars! We just know about far more of it because of how connected we are by modern technology. Our great grandparents thought WW1 was the beginning of Armageddon and look where we are now!

Following Gods word, means to take care of yourself. Focus on your health and happiness. You can't pour from an empty cup. Make yourself happy, focus on the word, take pride in your work your life's work, and your family. Then listen to God, pay attention to what he is telling you to do. Do it! it will bring you joy, even if its scary. Do the things you always wanted to do take a class, learn to surf, go dancing. And throughout all of this mitigate suffering; give your tithe, give your time by volunteering. Be there for your friends and family. Call out your family on what they need to improve upon its painful and unfair to have to parent your parents but this is an imperfect world.

This is how we prepare for the end times. Suffering will always be a part of this world till the end. And it is heavily tempting to just give up especially when constantly told that the world will end anyway.

But if you would just stop, think, and tell people the truth. "We don't know when the end of times will be. There are signs but no time-frame given. Just take care of yourself and others, do your work and take joy in it and the world around you, and trust that God is love like no other. You will be ready when the time comes. Be that tomorrow or long after your death."

When the world ends does not matter, what matters is that you enjoy the life you have been gifted with. For it is the adventure on earth that prepares you for the adventure that is heaven.

[modestyinname]

Writing is my dream. Photography a blessing.