6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

My comments:

With current affairs in chaos all over the world, we have to remember that even in troubled times we can find peace by having faith in Jesus Christ. Too many people worry about simple things that will be taken care of if you have persistent faith and never giving up what you worked hard for your entire life. But we must be humble in the presence of our Lord so when the trouble times come He will lift us high up because of our faith. Never give up faith even when things look dismay and dreary. We are not alone in our troubled times. But dwelling on them isn’t going to help because we already have faith and nothing can pull us down. All we can do is pray and keep hope, including staying connected to our families, friends, co-workers, etc.

I thought this cartoon did a good job describing what a Corpgoth is, basically. I thought the artist did it well. I believe that it is possible to be a corpgoth in the masses of office workers in the world of work. It is possible to conform the dress code without going over the line. As long as you have a pair of well groomed suits, one in plain black and another in pinstripe, you’re all set. As a corpgoth myself, I found it extremely gratifying that I could pretty much get away with anything I wear, including bits of metal, corsetry, and jewelry. Since I work in an area where it is pretty fashion forward, it is so easy to dress up and not have anyone take a double glance at what I wear. I basically wear black everyday but I also dress up in pink, white, red and purple since I like a scatter of color. I don’t want to come across as gloomy and dark although I love to smile often. But I think it depends on what kind of job you do because not all jobs allow flexibility of clothing. Before you consider a job, always check with the Human Resources for dress code as well as check other workers’ outfits. It helps to see where you will fit in. Good news — whether you’re able to dress as corpgoth or not — it’s just between 6 to 8 hours a day where you have to conform to the company’s dress code. On this last note, I love being a corpgoth. It helps to have a mundane job you enjoy most of the time and pay for the decadent things you desire.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not shouting “I’m clean livin’.”
I’m whispering “I was lost,
Now I ‘m found and forgiven.”

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I don’t speak of this with pride.
I’m confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not trying to be strong.
I’m professing that I’m weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not bragging of success.
I’m admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not holier than thou,
I’m just a simple sinner
Who received God’s good grace, somehow!

Copyright 1988 Carol Wimmer

Being a Christian Goth

Perhaps that question should read “can you be a Christian and a Goth?”

There are many sincere Christians who would say NO! They are sincere, but they are sincerely wrong.

They genuinely believe that to be a Christian, you should want to live in a million dollar home, have 4..5 children, drive a Lexus and wear an Armani suit. Their response to the way you look is based on their own culture — a culture that in no way reflects true America, or the Gospel. It is based on religious racism — “You can’t be a Christian because you don’t look like me.” This they genuinely believe because most of them grew up in churches and all they saw were mirrors of themselves. Since this is how all of them and their friends look, they believe that all Christians should look and act and be this way.

In the immortal words of Robert Ripley — “Don’t you believe it!” Nowhere does God command that a Christian look and live like this. In fact, what the Bible says about the Christian life is far closer to Goth culture than our typical American middle class culture.

A Goth is not just someone who wears black. Johnny Cash wore black, and he was a rockabilly.

A Goth is not just someone who likes skulls. Pirates liked skulls.

A Goth is not just someone with a morbid fascination with death. The local mortician has a fascination with death, and usually they qualify as geeks.

A Goth is someone with a transcendent soul; someone who is in touch with her own heart. She knows life sucks. She knows her life is a walk upon the edge of a knife blade. She knows that one drunk driver, one gunshot, one fight between her parents, and it’s all over. She knows her heart and she knows the pain that is in there. And she has the courage and knowledge to admit it.

A Goth is someone who wears this pain on the outside, letting the world know that she has been kicked, mained, crippled, but she still stands. She still walks, each step reminding her of the blow that felled her, the parent who left her, the so-called friend who betrayed her. She cries at the falling of a rose petal, for it reminds her of her own mortality, her own fading beauty that no one sees or appreciates. Yet she goes on, enshrining that rose petal in another tattoo. She knows the horror of her father not coming home, so she pierces her lip to remind herself of her loss — this ring is for you, Dad.

A Goth is someone who believes he will not live much longer. He knows the frailty of his own soul, that he cannot withstand the consumerism and competition that life demands. He cannot possibly hope to be better than the other 10,000 people applying for the same position, so he doesn’t try. He was born dead. His body just doesn’t know it yet. He knows that life and all it has to offer will kill him — the materialism, the agendas of others, the cold heartlessness of Wall Street, the hell-bent mentality of a nation that must go to war. So he prepares himself for his own funeral, now, while he’s alive to enjoy his own wake. He embalms himself, dresses in his funereal finery and sets out how he wants to be remembered, knowing that no one will do it for him once he’s actually dead. Mom and Dad don’t care for him while he’s alive — all they do is throw another Playstation at him, another wad of cash, but no hugs, no true “I love you’s”. So why should they care when he’s dead? Maybe his few friends will care and help him celebrate his meaningless life and death now.

A Goth is someone who is ruled by her heart, not her mind, not her wallet, not her culture. She does not know that she can only find happiness in being a wife and mother — she doesn’t believe that. She doesn’t know that she can only find happiness in being beautiful and owning a BMW and having a MBA — she doesn’t believe that. She believes her heart. And her heart tells her not the way things are, but the way things ought to be, and can never be, because the ones who make the rules will not let them be. And that breaks her heart. And her face and clothes are stained with her bitter tears. And she wants you to know that she cries and that you and your culture made her cry.

A Goth is someone who must express what he feels and sees and try his very best to make a difference. But because of the wounds he has endured, he knows that no one will listen. His voice has been silenced by one too many “shut ups” roared at him by the ones society values. The athletes, the beautiful ones, the rich ones, the powerful ones. They have silenced his voice. But not his heart. So he paints. He draws. He sings. He acts. He expresses his heart. Not rage, not anger, but fear, sorrow, pity for the way things could be, the way people could all live together, could all harmonize. Despite his tears and his black clothes, inside in his deepest soul, the Goth is still the last optimist, for he actually thinks that maybe, someone somewhere will see his art, hear his song, watch his play … and understand. That is a Goth.

And all it lacks to be complete Christian culture is Christ in its center.
To answer our question, “Can you be a Christian and a Goth?” Jesus himself would say “YES!”

We wear not our pain on the outside, but the pain of Christ. Every lash he took, every tear he cried, every drop of blood. These have stained our garments. Not black of death, nor black of evil. But black … the color of all colors, made of all colors. For He has given us all joy and cleansed us so thoroughly that we must wear everything He did at one time. All combined into one. One garment. Black is our garment of praise to our Saviour!

Part 2:

Being a Christian Goth

We wear black. Black is a color. Darkness is evil. We wear black. You must have light to tell the color black from the color red or the color blue. In darkness all colors look the same; all colors are empty and void of life. But in the light of Christ, where we now live, we wear black to show that we are unafraid of the darkness. We have been there and He led us out. We wear black as our emblem of honor. Black is not evil. It is a color of life for it is made up of all colors. We wear black to embrace the new life that is ours.

We prepare ourselves for our own funerals, for we have indeed died to ourselves, for He died for us. We have taken our pains, our pasts, our torments and nailed them to His Cross, and left them there. We have no past. We are dead. We celebrate the death of our old selves, our old ways, our old pains, our old natures. We bury them with gladness. And we wear black and skulls to show that we are dead. We are the Living Dead, dead to ourselves, but alive in Christ. We live no more, but we live, full of the joy and life of God Himself.

We drink blood. Not the blood of others — mere mortal blood — but the eternal, immortal blood of Christ, the blood that washed us free of hell. The blood that acted as an acid, eating away the bars that kept us imprisoned in the Hell of our own lives, our own hearts, our own minds, our own pasts. The blood that erased every fist that smashed us, every word that cut us, every body that raped us, every friend that betrayed us. The blood that infused us with life everlasting. And unlike the vampire, this blood gives us the right and joy to embrace the dawn, to marvel at a new day and enjoy what God has given us.

We embrace the image of the skull. For in the skull, we see a complete stripping away of our flesh, our death to ourselves, our emptiness before Jesus. All that remains is the foundation of bone, the essence of what Jesus did for us on the Cross. If there is to be any flesh, any face, any identity, it will be that which is formed there by God’s own hand. What will emerge then is the image of ourselves as God the master intended, made in His own image, not the image forced upon us by a society void of God or godliness.

We are ruled by our hearts. Now, with Jesus living in us, we can express our hope, our optimism that we can change our world. We can touch it with love, with change, with hope, with prayer. We are led by our hearts, now full of uncompromising love, befriending the friendless, believing that Jesus can make a difference in true life. We believe not in the mass accumulation of more toys and money, but in the purity of the souls of others. We believe that with Jesus living in our hearts, our hearts can rise above the lies and deceptions that our crass nation forces on us, and can make a difference.

We see the dark side of life. For it is dark. And God came to divide the darkness from the light. And who better understands the need to divide it than those of us who live in the darkness. Those of us who have known darkness in our souls. Those of us who know that life bites and sucks like an invisible vampire. Who better to take a lit torch to those huddling under stairs than those of us who know darkness. If we come out of the dark, who will remain to be friends to those we leave behind? They need us. So we remain.

We know that being a Goth is more than wearing Victorian clothing. Just as we know that being a Christian is more than wearing a WWJD bracelet or swearing blind loyalty to one political party or waving signs in front of an abortion clinic. It is nothing less than total mercy and total forgiveness and total acceptance of another human being as a child of God. It is saying I love you regardless of you and I will put your needs ahead of my own.

We. I say we. For I am a Goth and a Christian. I know the pain of life. It mocked me and betrayed me. It hurt me and maimed me. It crippled me and broke me. It beat me, raped me and left me for dead. But Jesus picked me up and cleaned me and healed me.

And as he wiped my tears, I looked into His eyes. And I noticed that Jesus was a Goth, too.

Jesus knows body piercing — he has holes in his hands and feet, and a hole in his side so large that his friend Thomas could put his hand inside. He has a ring of scars around his forehead. And his back looks like a spiderweb of pain.

Jesus was born dead. He was born to die. He knew it when He was twelve. He knew it when He was twenty. He knew it when He faced the Cross.

Jesus knows Hell. Not the Hell we live in, the Hell of our own minds and hearts, the Hell created for us by those around us. But the physical place, the place of eternal torment and flame and stentch. He knows the hopelessness of not being able to control His own life.

Jesus knows sorrow. He took mine. He felt mine. He was there every time something happened to me.

Jesus knows grief. He lost His dad, Joseph. He grieves over those He cannot save even now.

Jesus knows abandonment. He was abandoned by His best friend Peter. He was abandoned by God Himself.

Jesus knows betrayal. He knows the pain of Judas betraying Him with a kiss. He knows the pain of betrayal as I walked away from Him deliberately once.
Jesus prepared Himself for His own death, enjoying the scent of the embalming perfume while He was still alive, enjoying the love of a friend while He still could. And the love of this friend, this prostitute turned holy through true love and forgiveness, this woman that we call Mary Magdalene, was what He left behind for us to see as an act of unselfishness. This was His legacy to us.

Jesus knows skulls. The place where He died is called the Place of the Skull. Jesus knows.

Jesus is a Goth.

How can I … how can we … not be also?

– Nathan Boutwell, Ft. Worth

To see the site, go to Origins of tattoos. Enjoy and made me really think. I know that not everything that is written is always true…after all this is written by a human being, not God Himself. The verses I was thinking about is taken from these.

Leviticus 19:28-29
“28 - Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

29 - Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.”

I know that they are taken from the Old Testament…but the point of these verses is that we may live in the world but we (Christians) aren’t of this world. People who live in the world and are of the world they wouldn’t care whether they gain one, two, or 100th tattoo on their bodies. Once a person becomes tempted and falls to temptation, it can lead to a regret for donning tattoos that have no meaning later in life. Too many young people would get tattoos and then regret them later when they are older. Some of them even went that far by removing the tattoos. I totally understand that. Again, I’m not totally against tattoos and I don’t believe in judging anyone who gets or forgoes a tattoo. Heck, I have one tattoo which I had during university but want to get a few more. I love tattoo art. But I don’t want to adorn my whole body in tattoos like some people do. I like well placed tattoos on my body. I may add tattoos of black rose, black cat, a bat, spider web and black wings (on back). I’ve not decided yet. I could change my mind easily. Who knows?

But it doesn’t mean that we should avoid celebrating Halloween at all costs…instead we celebrate this secular holiday with our nonbeliever neighbors, friends and families with seeds of truth and let them know about Jesus while handing out delicious candy and treats on Halloween night or at a party. After all, many people don’t know the full truth about Halloween. Once they know, they will realize how scary it is but they shall not fear because of Jesus Christ. 8oD

Since the Pledge of Allegiance
and The Lord’s Prayer are not allowed in
most public schools anymore
Because the word “God” is mentioned….
A kid in Arizona wrote the attached
NEW School prayer.

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That’s no offense; it’s a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God’s name is prohibited by the state.

We’re allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They’ve outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the ‘unwed daddy,’ our Senior King.
It’s “inappropriate” to teach right from wrong,
We’re taught that such “judgments” do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.

It’s scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school’s a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen

If you aren’t ashamed to do this,
please pass this on.
Jesus said, “If you are ashamed of me,
I will be ashamed of you before my Father.”

You may not know me, but I know everything about you (Psalm 139:1). I know when you sit down and when you rise up(Psalm 139:2), I am familiar with your ways (Psalm 139:3), even the very hairs on your head are numbered (Matt 10:29-31). For you were made in my image (Genesis 1:27). In me you live and move and have your being (Acts 17:28), for you are my offspring (Acts 17:28).

I knew you even before you were conceived (Jeremiah 1:4-5). I chose you when I planned creation (Ephesians 1:11-12), You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book(Psalm 139:15-16). I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live (Acts 17:26). You were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), I knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13), and brought you forth on the day you were born (Psalm 71:6).

I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me (John 8:41-44) I am not distant and angry, but I am the complete expression of love (1 John 4:16) and it is my desire to lavish my love on you. (1 John 3:1) Simply because you are my child and I am your Father (1 John 3:1) I offer you more than your earthly father ever could (Matthew 7:11) For I am the perfect father (Matthew 5:48) Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand (James 1:17) For I am your provider and I meet all your needs (Matthew 6:31-33).

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) Because I love you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore (Psalms 139:17-18). And I rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17) I will never stop doing good to you (Jeremiah 32:40). For you are my treasured possession (Exodus 19:5) I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul (Jeremiah 32:41).

And I want to show you great and marvelous things (Jeremiah 33:3) If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me (Deuteronomy 4:29) Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4)
For it is I who gave you those desires (Philippians 2:13).

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine (Ephesians 3:20) For I am your greatest encourager (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you (Psalm 34:18) As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart (Isaiah 40:11).

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes (Revelation 21:3-4) And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth (Revelation 21:3-4) I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus (John 17:23). For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed (John 17:26) He is the exact representation of my being (Hebrews 1:3) He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you (Romans 8:31) And to tell you that I am not counting your sins (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you (1 John 4:10). I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love (Romans 8:31-32) If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me (1 John 2:23) And nothing will ever separate you from my love again (Romans 8:38-39).

Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen (Luke 15:7) I have always been Father, and will always be Father (Ephesians 3:14-15)

My question is, will you be my child? (John 1:12-13).

I am waiting for you (Luke 15:11-32).

Love,
Your Dad, Almighty God