My kids love to be on the computer and play games on the iPhone and iPad. The girls have such a creative mind, resulting in tablets and notebooks filled with poems and stories. So when a friend introduced me to ScribblePress and their app for our iPad, I thought it could not hurt to try it out. When I looked more into the app itself, I loved the idea of marrying my girls developing writing skills with their love for drawing.

     

Cuptakes is loaded with fun, colorful, and very girly wallpapers just for us girly girls! Now you can not only match your iPhone, iPad and your iPod touch with the girly colors you so deserve, but also match your lock screen and your home screen with coordinating designs!    …From the Cuptakes site

{This is where you watch the video}

Wow. COOL video, right? Catchy, even. It is moving, giving several camera angles, it is well edited, and had a real draw to it with the rhyming and such. Add some fading texts across to make points and it becomes a visual learners dream video! So I kept watching it because of those things. Mentally taking note of content.

Question. If I take all that away. If I take the location, the editing, the music, and the angles away. If I was watching a video of a young guy sitting down in front of his laptop with a webcam making a YouTube video, would I be writing a post about it today? No.

Why? Because it was not done in a visual manner I liked? Maybe a little. It truly pays to spend money to get a point across. It was a great marketing video.

I think as it is a strong artsy video it is a weak theological video. Don’t get me wrong. I think we need someone to stir the pot every now and then, and He makes some good points. Some denominations and individual churches do not do some of these things like feeding the poor and judging divorced people, etc. Some people assume your faith based on your political vote. Then do I wish some would take “Christian” off their religious status on Facebook? Yes. Do most people really care what religious status you put on your Facebook? Doubt it. Probably just other Christians. And when he talks about what Christ came to this earth for? To die for our sins? Spot on, my friend! You should have just kept it at that.

So what gets me so offended about this video? Why do I think it is theologically weak? He makes a statement on religion, as a whole. He takes scripture and places it into his context, his point, his message, rather than giving a rallying speech from scripture. I just get really tired of followers of Christ (since he does not want to be called a Christian) taking scripture out when they feel they need it to make a point, or video. The whole reason for the Bible is to make IT the point. We can all take snippets out to go with our agenda, but when we use it as a whole, that is when it gets tough. That is when real work begins.

Are you going to keep going?

Yes, because you know what? What may bother me more than this guys view of religion, is the fact that so many of my Christian friends seemed to love it.

Why? When you have chosen to be a Christian and identify with it, why love or “like” a video that tells you Jesus came to knock down the religious? That “Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums,” “Jesus is the cure but religion is the infection,” “religion is like spraying perfume on a casket,” and “it’s just behavior modification like a long list of chores.” You just announced “Hey everyone! I am being un Jesus like for being part of a religion. Watch this video to see why. “Like” if you agree! Woohoo!”

So who really cares?

I do, actually.

I care when someone can stir up Christians to question their choice or agree that religion is what Jesus does not want. That is a real concern to me.

I care when Christians do not know the Bible enough to even recognize when a lot of this is questionable.

I am not breaking down each point this guy makes but I do care, strongly on a few.

I care when a guy tries to be all up in my grill saying I would tell a divorced lady she’s wrong, or a hungry person they can find their own food because I am too busy making a bigger building. Why? Because I accept people who are divorced and I feed the poor. And growing “the church” is what we are called to do, as Christians. We have been given the challenge. The Bible talks about it being The Great Commission? Okay, so that was a bit snarky. So yes, I love the divorced, feed the poor, and try to grow the church with more Christians. So has every church I have been a part of. It is what we are called to do, by Jesus!

But I mainly take issue because this video suggests I would not accept Jesus today in a church.

THAT offends me. Why? Because I HAVE! I have accepted Jesus. He’s in my life. He is my “vision board” on how I want to live. I try daily to live by what He taught and came here for. I believe in what He taught. ALL of it. For someone to call me the “whore” for that, to say I am the “infection,” that I am a bunch of do’s and don’ts, that I am a slave to it? I am in bondage? That offends me.

You want to take a stand on some religious people? Do it. But call them out. But before you take your stand on religion and what Jesus wants, look at yourself as well, my friend. Who are you? Make sure there is not a splinter in that eye first. Or as my Bible says, even a speck. Is religion perfect? No. Are religious people perfect? No. Are there some that are idiots with their life? Very possibly, yes. But take the Bible as a whole before you start making blanket statements.

James 1:25-27 (New Living Translation)
But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Does not sound like Christ was against religion, does it.

Merry Christmas!

Now. No more words here. Go spend your time with the ones you love!

It was a snowy night (well, around 4am) in Detroit Michigan when I finally looked at this beautiful girl. She came out vulnerable but ready to take on the world.

Not much has changed.

Every intense moment was worth it when those big brown eyes looked up at me. She was beautiful. Such a cute face, perfect skin, and a head full of dark brown hair.

Ten years later and she is still worth every intense moment we have. There are not enough words to write the love a mother has for her daughter. I just hope I tell her enough. Show her enough.

Happy Birthday Jude. I love you baby girl.

We truly need a cure to this horrible disease. So many people have suffered, lives have been lost, and families have suffered. I, for one, will pray for more birthdays.

This post is sponsored by American Cancer Society.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Olympus

I cry. I used to cry at Little House on the Prairie when I was a little girl. I get teary when the boy finally gets the girl. Tears flow at every video of a soldier coming home. Kleenex commercials cause my throat to get lumpy as well as the groom seeing the bride for the first time.

These are all reasons to get emotional, but the most emotional time of the year for me is Christmas time. I cry because I miss my mom and I cry when my kids open that gift they have been asking for for weeks. When it comes to the music I hear this time of year, Home for the Holidays is one of my favorites. So when I had the opportunity to watch this video from T-Mobile, guess what I did?

You got it. Let some salt water out.

Kudos to T-Mobile for pulling this off and tugging at my heart strings. What a beautiful rendition of Home for the Holidays while bringing women of all shapes, sizes, and races together at this most precious time of the year.

Enjoy and please feel free to re-tweet this video if it pulled at your heart strings too.

This post is sponsored by T-Mobile.

Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo

What one of Activision’s hottest games this year for your kids and the DS is the Moshi Monsters. This monsters game will surely keep your kids up at night, but not out of fear of monsters in the closet or under the bed. They will embrace these little characters and enjoy exploring and adding them to their zoo! With over 50 million players across over 150 countries, there is no doubt this game is a must have this year.

Features

• Find ‘Em, Keep ‘Em: Explore the Wooly Wilderness in search for ULTRA RARE Moshlings to add to your Moshling zoo!

• Play Cool Mini-Games: Play exclusive Moshi mini-games to help boost your Moshling’s level, mood, health and happiness.

• Explore the World: Explore all new areas of Monstro City including Buster’s Baby Care, the Glormatorium and Raaghly’s Stararcade.

• Unlock Moshi Rewards: Unlock ULTRA RARE Moshi Monsters rewards including achievements, trophies and super secret items to be unlocked within MoshiMonsters.com.

 

This is not a sponsored post and I am not being paid for my thoughts or information on this post. I attended a summit sponsored by Activision called Games for Girls Summit. I was shown in detail the games and agreed with the direction Activision is taking with the gaming world.

Activision Games for Girls

I went to a Games for Girls Summit sponsored by Activision and was amazed on how they are really taking the gaming world to new heights. Activision is really implementing some solid education into their games and taking girl games seriously. I experienced, first hand, how well these work with girls and am an Activision fan! They have researched the gaming world with girls and have brought a great level of challenge and enjoyment to their products.

Lalaloopsy

Lalaloopsy is good example of the level of product Activision has brought to the table. It is a new game, released this past month, and has the cutest doll to go with it. The fact that it involves sewing may be completely foreign to me but it makes it so intriguing.

GAME OVERVIEW

The whimsical and magical world of Lalaloopsy has been brought to life on the Nintendo DS. As thenew girl in town, you start by selecting your very own playable Lalaloopsy friend. Reunite all thefamiliar Lalaloopsy dolls with their lost pets to build incredible friendships and unlock exciting craftingactivities. Special surprises and cool collectibles make it a unique and exciting experience. There is somuch to do and so much fun to be had, it’s time to get sewing!

• Colorful and Whimsical World: The handcrafted feel and bright palette is preserved in thegame. Every doll’s environment and items will feel familiar to all Lalaloopsy fans.

• Build Lasting Friendships: Help the dolls find and care for their pets to unlock their specificcraft mini-game; giving the finished crafts as gifts unlocks even more accessories!

• Create Cute Crafts!: Twelve doll specific craft activities are made uniquely personal withvarious customizations and themes.

• Rewards A’Plenty: Frequent rewards, accompanied by distinctive animations, sounds andcontent, coupled with delightful hidden collectibles, make the game engaging and exciting.

Screenshots from the Lalaloopsy game: