To Judge Or Not To Judge...

NOTE: There are three notes for you to consider:

(1) This is going to be a long blog – so, please read it when you are having a cup of coffee or a tea and relax. ;-)

(2) This is focusing on the Christians. However, I welcome anyone to read because I still care about you whether if you are Christian or not. :-)

(3) This blog is not going to be theological discussion such as “how to be a good person before going to heaven.” I am simply focusing on behavior of Christians in general nowadays.

Before I starting writing, I want to make this clear to readers – I am a Christian and I used to pass a lot of judgmental calls on people. Of course, I went through the dark valley where I felt like there was no hope for my life and me. That was when I learned to realize God’s love through people I met, especially gay and lesbian people. For them, I am eternally grateful for the new life and for the lessons to love the others. Bottom line – the purpose of this blog is to encourage the Christians to LOVE ONE OTHER without making any judgmental call.

What makes me to participate NOH8 photo event? The answer is pretty simple. They were there for me and I want to show that I am there for them too. When I faced the hardship, many Christians I knew backed off while gay and lesbian people came in and support me. That is an experience I will never forget because I used to gloat and to judge on them as hopeless sinners, condemning forever to hell. One day, I asked one lesbian friend, who is still my dear aunt, if she knew I was a pastor and I used to make judgments. She said she knew, but she can see my real love in deep of my heart.

That makes me realize after all of those years of being a Christian in churches since I born, she made me see who I really am in God’s love. For this, I called her my aunt ever since. (I still love you, AUNT!) Point: they were there for me when I faced the darkest times of my life. It will be very hypocrisy of me if I don’t attend to show my love. Believe it or not, I did pray about it and I found peace in my heart to go. I have to thank to my dear friend, Jasun Hicks, for welcoming me to NOH8. He came to me gently and asked me politely. Why should I say, “No, because you are gay!” What kind of love is this?

Anyway, I faced a new experience that one person gloated at me for using my Bible at NOH8 photo event. Furthermore, he gloated to my sweet lesbian friend, who felt so confused and worthless to be saved. That’s where I rolled up my sleeves and decided to shed the light on those Christians who keep passing judgments. To Christians who continue making negative judgmental calls, I am asking you to back down. If you disagree with me, please read James 1:19-21 and, most importantly, Matthew 7:1-5 (which clearly states that we have NO RIGHTS to judge, PERIOD).

And, now I want to show you readers that I know some people who were hurt by Christians and they are NOT gay and lesbian people (they left their comments on my facebook and I removed their names for their privacy):

"Most of time Christians can be very judgmental on people. That s why I quit to have a social with christian people. They just put all wordswith rage, jealous, judgment, and more to me. There were no love of God in this enivornment. I m sorry to say that church is considering one of the most unsafe place to go unless they change their attitude toward people like me."

"I'M W/ (name deleted) BC NO MATTER WHAT CHUCH I GO TO ALLL THEY DO IS JUDGE ME VERY BADLY W/ THIS HORRIBLE RAGE W/O EVEN GET TO KNOW ME FIRST. THAT IS WHY I DON'T GO TO CHURCH ANYMORE. WHY BOTHER GO CHURCH WHERE THERE IS NO LOVE WHATSOEVER! HOW CAN THOSE CHURCH CHRISTIAN JUDGE ME Q DOES JESUS JUDGE U Q THE ANSWER IS NO JESUS DOES NOT JUDGE U. I AM A STRONG BELIEVER IN JESUS. IT IS VERY SAD THAT THOSE CHRUCH CHRISTAIN DARE TO JUDGE W/O EVEN THINK BEFORE U SAY IT. BUT I DO PRAY FOR THEM EVERYDAY NO MATTER WHAT. GOD BLESS ALL SMILE."

Also, I got this wonderful email from one of my friends who happened to share a wonderful story. Please check this out:

I am sorry that you going through this. I know this issue is very sticky situation. As a christian I always show them grace, mercy and love and does them one of my good friend was a former lesbian and somehow she found Jesus and is now sharing the gospel and is on fire for the Lord. that why I feel totally disgust to those who bash out to gay/les with wrong approach. Very dangerous as same concept as
John 8:7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
It is my call on toward this people because of my father was leading a double life and he passed away of AIDS in 2007. I never forget all of my visitation to my Dad. I never knew until he was dying. I change my view on gay/les because of the Lord show me clear and I even pray and sense the heavenly glory and show deep love, grace and mercy toward my father and I see his tears! It was powerful!!!! Good part that he accept Jesus and went to heaven. So that why I support you on this. May God bless you!!!!

In Christ,
(name deleted)

I want to grab this opportunity to discuss about this passage that was mentioned in the recent passage (John 8:1-11). It was when the religious leaders tested Jesus by throwing the prostitute on floor before Jesus and mentioned that in Bible that if the woman was caught in committing adultery must be stoned to death. The religious leaders tried to trap Jesus: (1) if Jesus said to cast a stone, Jesus will be accused as murderer or (2) if Jesus chose not to cast the stone, he will be accused for not following the law of God. (And Jesus knew that.) Instead of making either decision, Jesus answered that anyone without sin cast the stone, everyone ended up leaving the woman alone. What does it mean? We ALL make mistakes.

For the person who accused me and passed harsh judgment on my lesbian friend, it shows me that he lacks the true meaning of love, grace, and mercy. Therefore, he has my true sympathy because he missed out the beauty of life itself. Life is so beautiful – full of love, joy, and... you name it.

Now, as a Christian who really wishes to see a better community, I am asking you to stop passing judgment and attacking the people. It’s pointless to attack because it clearly shows that you did not share your love.

I want to share one more thing – in the passage (Mark 10:17-22) where one rich man asked Jesus how to be saved. Jesus told him to follow the laws and normal rules, and then sell everything and give away everything and follow Jesus. The rich man refused. So he walked away. What did Jesus do? He respected his choice. And, the most important part is Jesus did not backstab that person. Jesus did not even came to him and screamed his head off, “DID YOU KNOW THAT IN THE BIBLE, YOU WILL BE SENT TO HELL, DIDN’T YOU?!”

The bottom line for me to say to my other Christian fellows: To judge or not to judge...? That's NOT even a question... As a Christian, I am asking you to set aside your judgmental calls and to start learning how to share the love. It is simply because we are not called by God to judge.

And I am sorry to say this, but… If you are a Christian and you look down at the other person for different lifestyle or different belief, you are not a true believer.

Once again, if you do judge the others, you will be judged.

Support or Oppose AB 2072?

Before I start this blog, this message is to address to the hearing people who supports AB 2072.

I noticed that several hearing people did not look at providing CI or oral program as "fixing" Deaf children. Therefore, I decide to write down a blog to express how I feel as a Deaf adult who born Deaf and raised as a Deaf in a Deaf family. I mainstreamed in hearing classes for many years.

My English was not good as I had been struggling to improve my English. When I enrolled at university in Minnesota, it was the moment my life changed because I was exposed to American Sign Language. At the point, my English had been improving dramatically as I immersed into American Sign Language.

Now, to hearing people who believed that providing CI to Deaf children, please research with Deaf people rather than to focus on medical research. I don't mean to judge, but those doctors literally have no idea because their researches are completely one-sided argument. In fact, American Sign Language is literally a language.

Check out the link: ASL is a language.

Didn't you know that the children who grew up in families with two languages have a better chance of learning acquisition? I have been meeting a lot of children who are CODA [child(ren) of Deaf adult(s)] and they are very smart for their age. I met several people who are hearing with knows two or three languages. They are very intelligent. Now, I have to say this: it's even true for Deaf people who use American Sign Language since the birth and learn English through American Sign Language.

Now, to persuade the Deaf child(ren) to get CI and to work on oral skills, that's a whole different story. To us, you limit the Deaf children from allowing them to expand their learning skills. In fact, I do have friends who got CI after their births and all of them were rather angry at their parents because they wished they had the opportunity to learn sign language in early age. Nevertheless, they are fighters.

Once again, if you still believe that CI and oral program are only the best way to succeed the Deaf child(ren), then why can't you at least allow the children to use sign language?

In fact, Deaf people like me out there are struggling with the job opportunities simply because the hearing people continues to focus on talking skill than the skills and potentials we do have. The Deaf people like us are very able to do endless things. However, because the people generally kept limiting themselves virtually to the capability of speaking only, they failed to recognize we are full of potentials.

Before you argue that Deaf people lack of literacy skills, I have to stand up and say, "That's because you prevent them from accessing to sign language and because you as parents lack the motivation to communicate with the Deaf children as your own."

There are many issues to be discussed, but the basic question is: How much do you as a parent love your Deaf child?

To Deaf people, you are welcome to express your feelings. Especially to the Deaf people who got CI after birth, please feel free to express how you feel because I don't have CI since my birth at all.

Back to the title of this blog, "Support or Oppose AB 2072," I believe you know my answer.

Something Fun To Do!

Before you read below, go to this link - What Your Name Means (Numerology)

Therefore, I decide to share mine. Enjoy your day!

You entered: David John Ballard

There are 16 letters in your name.
Those 16 letters total to 65
There are 5 vowels and 11 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:

Welsh	Male	Beloved or friend, from the Hebrew. Sixth century St David (or Dewi) was patron saint of Wales.
Swedish	Male	Beloved.
Scottish	Male	Beloved or friend, adopted from the Hebrew. David was a common name of Scottish kings in the Middle Ages.
Hebrew	Male	Beloved or friend. The Old Testament David killed the giant Goliath in 10th Century BC, then succeeded Saul as King of Israel.
Biblical	Male	'Well-beloved, dear'

Your number is: 11

The characteristics of #11 are: High spiritual plane, intuitive, illumination, idealist, a dreamer.

The expression or destiny for #11:
Your Expression number is 11. The number 11 is the first of the master numbers. It is associated with idealistic concepts and rather spiritual issues. Accordingly, it is a number with potentials that are somewhat more difficult to live up to. You have the capacity to be inspirational, and the ability to lead merely by your own example. An inborn inner strength and awareness can make you an excellent teacher, social worker, philosopher, or advisor. No matter what area of work you pursue, you are very aware and sensitive to the highest sense of your environment. Your intuition is very strong; in fact, many psychic people and those involved in occult studies have the number 11 expression. You possess a good mind with keen analytical ability. Because of this you can probably succeed in most lines of work, however, you will do better and be happier outside of the business world. Oddly enough, even here you generally succeed, owing to your often original and unusual approach. Nonetheless, you are more content working with your ideals, rather than dollars and cents.

The positive aspect of the number 11 expression is an always idealistic attitude. Your thinking is long term, and you are able to grasp the far-reaching effects of actions and plans. You are disappointed by the shortsighted views of many of your contemporaries. You are deeply concerned and supportive of art, music, or of beauty in any form.

The negative attitudes associated with the number 11 expression include a continuous sense of nervous tension; you may be too sensitive and temperamental. You tend to dream a lot and may be more of a dreamer than a doer. Fantasy and reality sometimes become intermingled and you are sometimes very impractical. You tend to want to spread the illumination of your knowledge to others irrespective of their desire or need.

Your Soul Urge number is: 9

A Soul Urge number of 9 means:
With a 9 Soul Urge, you want to give to others, usually in a humanitarian or philanthropic manner. You are highly motivated to give friendship, affection and love. And you are generous in giving of your knowledge and experience. You have very sharing urges, and you are likely to have a great deal to share. Your concern for others makes you a very sympathetic and generous person with a sensitive and compassionate nature.

You are able to view life in very broad and intuitive terms. You often express high ideals and an inspirational approach to life. If you are able to fully realize the potential of your motivation, you will be a very self-sacrificing person who is able to give freely without being concerned about any return or reward.

As with all human beings, you are prone to sometimes express the negative attitudes inherent to your Soul Urges. You may become too sensitive and tend to express emotions strongly at times. There can be significant conflict between higher aims and personal ambitions. You may resent the idea of giving all of the time and, in fact, if there is too much 9 energy in your nature you may reject the idea. You may often be disappointed in the lack of perfection in yourself and others.

Your Inner Dream number is: 11

An Inner Dream number of 11 means:
You dream of casting the light of illumination; of being the true idealist. You secretly believe there is more to life than we can know or prove, and you would like to be provider of the 'word' from on high.

Medication VS. Healthy Food and Exercise

Recently, I made a tweet about my health. I noticed that several people contacted me about the information. So, instead of replying to each person, I decide to make this as my second blog.

To share a little about myself and my history, I was diagnosed with G.A.D. - General Anxiety Disorder. I was recommended to take Paxil and I decided to grab it. First of all, it does really help me a lot for first few years. I did notice myself to be much mellow and more stabilized than before. Before taking Paxil, I had a lot of anxiety attacks such as worrying endlessly over a simple project facing the deadline which will not end my life. I even suspected my own family and friends for backstabbing, which was not even true. Anyway, it was my struggle years ago. As few years passed, I tried to stop Paxil, but I noticed that my "bad" self is coming back. Some of my good friends wonder why I had been gone "nuts." I realized I didn't take Paxil and resumed taking them. I became normal in a couple of days.

Now, how did I discontinue taking Paxil without having any anxiety disorder or effects? The truth is that it's the FOOD you are eating and how often do you exercise for your body. First of all, if you want to know how much junk foods affect your health, please do check the links as following:

Harmful Effects of Junk Food

Depression and Diet

You can easily google by typing "junk food health" and you will be shocked to see the information given to you.

Therefore, the important question we need to keep in our mind - how much healthy food did we eat daily? Truth be told - I used to love Panda Express, Carl's Jr, McDonald's, and etc. so much that I ate one of those at least twice a week. Of course, it did affect my weight greatly. How did I decide to change? After a visit to doctor who said that I am slightly overweight, it hit me so hard that I decided to change my eating habit. So, I cut out junk food immediately. I started to eat cereal, yogurt, fruits, salad (Romania lettuce or Spinach), smaller portion dinners, and so on.

Eating raw food is very important because it contains a lot of enzymes that will help stabilizing your body. (To learn more about enzymes, please visit this site: enzyme) That's vital part of healing your brain and your body by natural food. (I wish I did that years ago, but at least, I

started last year.)

Secondly, it's very important to exercise because it does help me in many ways. Exercise will release natural chemicals which are considering as "drugs" that will help balancing your mind and your body. In short, our bodies are amazing with endless complications that there are many endless researches about our bodies.

What I did is workout five times a week. I had been doing this since June 2009. At first, it was not easy for me to commit, but I determine to invest in my health and to the better life and happiness.

Here is the result of myself (before and after).

BEFORE (That's me in red shirt on the left) - it was when I loved eating a lot of junk food. I even EXERCISED at the gym!

AFTER (That picture was taken very recently):

My purpose of this blog is to encourage you all to watch what you are eating and to commit yourself to exercise. I look back and realized that those two factors really change my life dramatically.

As you can see, on the first picture, I looked little older than the second picture. Because of food intake and exercise, it's like taking a drink from the fountain of youth! After almost an year, my body changes a lot and I noticed that I missed Paxil several times, but my "bad" self was not coming back. So, I started to withdraw by cutting down the dosage. Today is the day I announce that it's been nine days since I took the half dose of Paxil.

Please don't be discouraged because you can do it! I hope my blog helps encouraging all of you to make a difference in your life.

As Spock said, live long and prosper!

Cheers!

Wall-E Reveals Dark Secrets of America

Here is my first blog. To be frank, I have been considering to be a blogger. Finally at last, I decided to start today, and I will start to make some discussions. Meanwhile, enjoy reading my first blog!

Okay, why do I decide to start my first blog regarding to Wall-E? The simple reason is that this film has a lot of hidden messages that I believe Americans need to be aware. This film is truly fantastic in every way and I had been watching this film more than 7 times. Before you read further, please be sure to watch Wall-E. This is NOT a review of Wall-E. Therefore, it contains spoilers. At this point, you've been warned.

From the point where Wall-E hitched a ride on a spaceship with EVE back to the spaceship called Axiom, which had virtually every human being on a machine to take them to wherever they wish to go. Every human was badly overweighed and was unable to walk because they never walk. On the machine they rode, they have the screen right in front of their faces for the whole time. While those people were being terribly pampered and spoiled by the technology they created, the robots worked endlessly to keep everything the same.

Don't you realize that it has the hidden messages right there? Let me share my thoughts and you all are welcome to agree or to disagree. To me, the robots represent the government that rules the people against their free will. The people in Wall-E were obese, symbolizing the population generally in America who accepted whatever the media, controlled by government, says. For instance, inside Axiom, they spread out the announcement to try blue and then everyone simply pressed a button. Viola! Their suits transformed from red to blue. Why is that? Because the media simply told them to "try."

It appears like that the creators of Wall-E is concerning the future of Americans if we continue in complete blindness.

Of course, I am not saying that America is terribly corrupted beyond hope. I am simply stating that we have the privileges to stand out for the better future for our children. I am trying to keep this topic general as possible by sharing my thoughts and to welcome your thoughts on this.

Hope you enjoy my first blog. I will continue sharing more in near future.

Cheers!