As cliche as it might be, I am writing about the death of the greatest pop-icon of all time, anyway.
This is a huge loss. Seriously. I still can't believe this had happened... regardless of how expected this tragedy might be.

I first heard while I was at work. One of our regular customers came in and said, "Hey, did you hear who died today?"
"Yeah," I said. "Farrah Fawcett?"
"Well yeah, her too. But Michael Jackson died too!"
My heart dropped. "You're kidding me, right?"
"No! I heard it on the radio on my way here. I was a big fan. (This is a man about 60 years old) This is too bad. I grew up on him!"

Naturally, I didn't want to believe him, being a big MJ fan, myself. I called my dad, because I figured he was watching the news anyway.

The phone rang a few times and my dad picked up.
"Hello."
"Hi dad. Are you watching the news?" I asked.
"Yes. Why?"
"Is Michael Jackson dead? Someone came in and said he was dead."
"No. He went into cardiac arrest and he wasn't breathing. They rushed him to the hospital, but no one knows if he is dead yet. Everyone is saying it doesn't look good though." my dad explained.
"Oh, ok. Well, keep me updated."

After that, a few people came into the Movie Gallery talking about how MJ had a heart attack. By this point, I was freaking out, quietly to myself.

My dad called about 15 minutes later.
"Jimmy, they are saying that he is in a coma... so... say a prayer."

The only thing I could say was, "God... please..."

A woman approached the counter and was on her cell phone (something that really really really bothers me!).
"What! You're kidding! He is not! You are lying. Ok... well, call me back."
"So you've heard about Michael Jackson?" I asked.
She said, "Yes. That was my sister on the phone. She said one station says he was dead, but another said he was in a coma."

After the woman left, I got another phone call.

It was my dad.

When you come back down to earth, I'll be waiting for you...

Other cultures fascinate me... especially if they have funny accents. I feel like when I walk into a Chinese restaurant, I am walking into a circus.


I'm not saying that the Chinese are freaks or anything. I am just saying that it seems like part of the experience of going into a Chinese restaurant (besides the AMAZING food) is the culture. I guess, when I walk in, I expect some form of entertainment. Here are three ways I expect to be entertained:

1) I expect funny accents. Allow me to write out a scenario.
Jimmy and friends walk into a Chinese restaurant. The hostess greets us with a smile and says, "Herro. For here, to go?"
"For here." Jimmy says, with a smile in return.
The hostess says, "Ok. Forrow me prease." and she sits Jimmy and friends at a table. "For drink?" she asks.
"I'll have a water" one friend says.
"Water?" she repeats.
"I'll have a water too." another friend requests.
Again, the hostess repeats, "Water?"
Another friend orders a Dr. Pepper.
"Doctah Peppah." repeats the hostess.
"And I'll have a Pepsi" says Jimmy.
"A Pessi" says the hostess. "One minute prease. I'll be back."
10 minutes later, Jimmy's pepsi is gone and she asks, "You wan more drink?"
"Yes please" Jimmy says.
"Pessi?" She asks again.
"Yes" Jimmy says with a snicker.

And this is part of the experience at a Chinese restaurant. I don't think it would be the same if the host, hostess, waiter, or waitress could actually speak English. Which brings me to my second expectation.

2) I expect the Chinese language. Another scenario.
Yesterday, I went to one of the local chinese restaurants. I was waiting in the line where some dude cooks my food. I was standing in line for about a minute before he took my raw food to cook. When he came out of the kitchen to cook my food, a waitress went up to him and started yelling at him (that is what it seemed like, anyway... I don't know. I don't speak the language.) After she "yelled" at him, he said something back to her. She looked at me, looked back at him, and said something else. The cook looked at me, said something and the waitress looked at me again and laughed.
"Great!" I thought... "I'm the butt of a joke... I think?" I had no choice but to kind of laugh a little as if I were in on their Chinese speaking joke...

And this too, is part of the experience at a Chinese restaurant. It is kind of fun to not know if you are being talked about... it is a scary feeling, but in a strange way, intense.

3) I expect a mini Buddha statue (or some sort of Chinese statue)

The reason why is because I think it's funny. When I'm leaving I don't rub his belly... I pinch his nipples instead. That always gets a laugh out of the hostess.

Do you expect to be entertained when you go to a Chinese restaurant?

Shalom.
In case you missed part one, here is the link. I suggest you read that before you read part two.

Last time I talked about how, in order to be a Christian nation, we need to change the constitution to make us a true Christian state. I also pointed out that we would need a completely different monetary system- one that wouldn't upset the very jealous God we Christians worship.

What I'm saying isn't a brand new idea, obviously, however, this subject is something that Christians ought to think about. Who is the "we" our currency is talking about? Not everyone believes in God. Some believe in a god or gods, but its (or their) name(s) isn't (aren't) "God". However, our currency seems to suggest that we (Americans) trust in God. Not all of us do. In fact, many Christians don't even put their trust in God. Many people put their trust in (drum roll please?) ...MONEY! Again, I blame it on our system of capitalism.

So does the phrase, "In God We Trust" really belong on our money. I don't believe it does. I think that mammon is part of the world and should not taint the church. It is just another one of those things on the dollar bill that has become part of its intricate design- easy to overlook. Really, I don't feel comfortable knowing that I will be trusting my money to put food on my table and not God. What I'm saying is, if "In God We Trust" is meant to be a friendly reminder telling us to pay attention to what we are investing in, it doesn't work, and it really only serves as a contradiction. In a sense, this forces many people to live a lie.

The solution to this problem is simple- though it may cost a lot. Take "In God We Trust" off of the American currency. It doesn't need to be on our money and causes God to look at us and say, "Really? You trust me? You trust me, but you've refused to give that homeless man even a penny of what you've earned?" Remember- how you treat others is how you treat God. What you give others is what you give to God. If you want to be a Christian nation, trust God. Give away all that you have. See how God takes care of you. You may not have everything you want, but God will give you everything you need... and you would be doing this so others can have what they need. That would make one's spirit beautiful.

I would also say that, along with taking "In God We Trust" off of our currency, we should take out "One nation under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. But I'm not going to say that. I am taking it a step further. I'm saying get rid of the entire Pledge of Allegiance... if you want to be a Christian nation (you can read some interesting stuff about the Pledge of Allegiance on Tom's blog).  The reason why I say this is because as you recite the Pledge of Allegiance, you are declaring the USA your home. Is it really your home though? I don't think it is. We are citizens of another kingdom. This makes us ambassadors. We are here temporarily and our purpose is threefold. 1) Worship God- serve only him (when we serve "the least of these, we serve God as well). 2) To let the world know about Christ (this is something that is less of a duty and more of something we shouldn't help. The spirit should be overflowing in us, so we would have no choice but to tell others the source of our joy). 3) Help bring Heaven to Earth (the work of an ambassador- to represent his home)

That is all we are here for- and it is only temporary. Soon, we will be with God in our true home- the kingdom of God, which we are to help bring to earth. However, if Heaven is our true home, why would we declare the USA as our home? Is it because the USA seems more tangible then the Kingdom of God? Is it because we have a group of rulers that we can see? Is it because here, we have a sense of "freedom." I've said it before and I will say it again. The term, "freedom" is relative. If all of our freedoms are ripped away from us, God is still in Heaven and Christ still died for us. That is all the freedom we really need- that is, the peace and rest Christ has given us in and through him. I could still feel free if I can't speak my mind (granted, it would not be fun). I could still feel free if I can't worship God anywhere outside my home (I would probably do it anyway- but that is an entire different blog altogether). I would still have my thoughts. I would still have my beliefs, and NOBODY can take that away.

Anyway, back on topic, when you say the pledge, you are claiming that we are one nation under God... this is a dilemma. Saying this can equate to saying that if you are not "under God" you are not a citizen of the USA or if you are in the USA, you are automatically under God. I have a problem with this. First, I want to explain that I do believe the USA and everyone in it is "under God". That is my belief and since it is my belief, I say this is an accurate statement. However, we dwellers of the USA have a freedom of religion which is protected by the first amendment of the US Constitution. Not everyone believes in God or they may believe in a different god. But when they recite the Pledge of Allegiance, they are forced to say that they are under God (spiritually, they are, but in their own mind, they are not). Perhaps "forced" is the wrong word, but there is only one Pledge of Allegiance for the USA. But when you are saying that you pledge your allegiance to the USA, you are pledging your allegiance to God. Otherwise, you are not really pledging your allegiance. This goes against our very constitution, making it a contradiction to what the US actually stands for, thus, technically voiding the Pledge of Allegiance. Which to a Christian, this should be ok... because this is not our true home. We are simply visiting and making the best of our stay.

But we are not a Christian nation. If we were, we shouldn't have a pledge of allegiance. Our pledge of allegiance should be our constant prayers to God. He is the only one we should be pledging our allegiance to, anyway.

So you want to be a Christian nation?

Step One: Rewrite the Bill of Rights
Step Two: Find a monetary system that does not cause us to put our money before God.
Step Three: Remove "In God We Trust" from our currency- unless you really are trusting God.
Step Four: Get rid of the Pledge of Allegiance