The Hobbit

Last Thursday, along with 30 other people, my family and I went to our local theater in complete elf/dwarf/hobbit/wizard costumes. First we went to a friend's house and had the 'unexpected' hobbit party and then we had a game of riddles right before heading over to the theater at 10:30. The movie didn't start till 12:00 AM but we heard that they were already seating people so we decided it would be best if we went over early so that we could find seats for the 30+people we were bringing. After an hour and a half wait the movie started. It was awesome! They included a bunch of background storyline from the appendixes which I thought added a lot to the movie and they also stuck pretty close to the book. The filming was incredible and I thought the actors were good too, but I did have one complaint: the special effects went a bit over the top. I like special effects and everything, but there were more than a few scenes where I thought Peter Jackson went overboard with the unbelievable falls, jumps etc. which I don't believe wasn't Tolkien's intention. I think he was trying to make his stories believable, so that you felt like it might even happen to you. I think the movie did stray quite a bit from the book in that sense, but overall it was very good. Rank=4th favorite movie, the reason being that the Fellowship of the Ring takes 1st, the Two Towers takes 2nd, and the Return of the King, 3rd. =D 

Unfortunately, I had to un-friend a bunch of my former friends because they still seem to like the Avengers better...just kidding. I feel sorry for their inability to grasp the deeper meanings of Tolkien's works though. I know that the Avengers beats LotR in special effects but that's not the point. The point of LotR is the meaning behind it and the principles of the characters. I'm sorry, but the only Avenger who had a bit of real character was Captain America. Put the Fellowship against the Avengers for virtue and character and you can't help but admit that the Fellowship rocks that arena.

Shooting is Completed

I'm happy to announce that all shooting for our movie King Arthur is completed, and we are now in editing, post-production stage. My friend Abigail Harrison, with Entrada Productions is also working on a movie called Engano and another studio, Lord and Lady Productions, is working on a movie called Grail Lords. I'm excited to see the end results of both of these movie in 2013 and I hope you will check out their websites and watch their completed movies if and when they are available!

Updated Trailer

Well, I have done practically nothing today but work on this new, updated version of the trailer. There's a few more fighting scenes, better quality clips and all the little tidbits I could fit in. Hope you enjoy!

King Arthur Trailer

Finally, here is the finished music trailer for King Arthur. I have not made  a regular one yet but I think this one will suffice for now. Enjoy!

Horatio Hornblower

 My sisters and I have been watching the Horatio Hornblower series (starring Ioan Gruffud) on YouTube over the past two weeks. They are based on C.S. Forester's first three books in the Hornblower Saga, Midshipman Hornblower, Lieutenant Hornblower, and Hornblower and the Hotspur. I am really pleased with them so far, even though the first and second movies varied a little bit from the book; but I am able to overlook that in light of their other qualities. I currently have 10 books left to finish in the 12-book series so I can't possibly give a very complete review on the books or the movies, but I really like them. I don't intend to read all 12 books, but I do intend to read the next one at least and maybe another after it. I have a lot of good books this year; Scarlet Pimpernel, more Sherlock Holmes, Wodehouse, Jane Austen and others so I can't possibly hope to read all the Hornblower books and finish my other readings. :) Anyway, I found that the books and the movies (available on YouTube), were very good and I hope you read them.

The Matterhorn

Here are a few pictures of the Matterhorn. I recently read about it in Richard Halliburton's The Royal Road to Romance. 

Bilbo and Frodo's Combined Party

In remembrance of Tolkien Week 

and Bilbo and Frodo's combined birthday party (My brother)

The Hobbit's Latest Trailer

This is the latest trailer for The Hobbit! You'll have to turn off the music on the sidebar first.

Snippets of Story

Well, I decided 'd also post Snippets of a Story if anybody's interested in a peak inside a few of my many books, so here are a few. Thanks Katie S.! 

He looked over the mountains into the desert below, swept by a thunderstorm. Up on the mountain a strong breeze blew, ruffling his too-long hair and whipping his cloak about him. His arms were crossed and rested on the butt of two pistols stuck in his belt at a diagonal angle. His feet were spread and his head held high as he surveyed the hidden valley below cloaked with mist and fog as the early morning clouds lifted off to reveal the lush, green mountain valleys he was proud to call his home. -Iron Will (Fiction, Revolutionary War Era in my own world)

 “Then what are you afraid of? For I am afraid of nothing.” He said this with perfect solemnity and not a hint of a smile. This was no deadpan humor, but the complete truth, although it was not his habit to show it off before others. “I know that,” said Lucas with a tone which communicated the perfect trust he had in Jakin and the strength of his loyalty to him. “But I am more easily frightened. Parson will be watching you. He’ll shoot you at the first sign of escape and if I try to back you up before the Captain he'd nearly kill me too. I’d do it for you of course, I’d do anything for you, but it’s not my preferred choice of action.” “You will help me though.” said Jakin; overriding and seemingly ignoring everything Lucas had just said. Lucas lowered his head, “I would die for you.” -Iron Will 

Jakin ran after him. His heart was screaming for a break as it pounded ferociously inside his chest before the figure slowed its pace and began running backwards as it pulled out a pistol from inside its cloak. Jakin saw it too late to draw his own pistol. He had tried to avoid shooting the figure, but as the bullet sank into his shoulder he gritted his teeth and wished he had. -Iron Will

 “The police will be at the spot in 00:02:50 and we’ve got two miles of traffic to get through before they’ll have him handcuffed and waiting for the Chief of Department at the Police Department. We’ll have to fake SWAT or Secret Service just this once.” -The Resistance (Spy/SEAL/CIA type)

 “This is all very strange,” Lucas said with a winkled brow. “Forgive me, but I never thought you really had much of a conscience. I always knew you would prefer not being in the army, but I never guessed that you had any qualms over killing men in battle.” -Iron Will 

 “I did not realize the depth of your character. But I guess it is hard when one is as reclusive and defensive as you.” Lucas felt a strong urge to say this. Jakin had been so reclusive in the past years Luca shad known him that it had not been very possible to break Jakin’s defensive outer shell. Jakin nodded, “Of course. That is how I survive. If I spoke my thoughts more often I would be killed for treason.” 
\
“Very well, you may go. Do you require a companion or a pistol?” Jakin moved aside the grey army cloak tucked into his belt and revealed the brace of pistols. “As for a companion, I work better alone. I will be back in an hour.” -You guessed it, Iron Will 

Jakin felt relief at this information. He had been right. A trap had been planned for them. He crept silently away back towards his own camp. He had heard enough. -Iron Will 

“It’s almost nightfall. I’ll lead the infantry around the ridge until they meet at the eastern side. We’ll be in position by three o’clock. That gives you time to give the soldiers a brief rest before the charge. You must be awake and in position by three thirty, for I’ll give the signal at three forty-five. Heavy cavalry charges, infantry follows and light cavalry patrols to make sure none escape. If we have complications and do not light a fire by four o’clock, then you must wait. Do not charge until you see two signal fires. -Iron Will 

“What if something goes wrong and you have to order them to take measures that may be fatal?”

“Nothing will go wrong under my command,” said Jakin quietly. 

                                                               -Iron Will

 
Hope you enjoy!

A Side Project

It's about time I made another post just about life. Unfortunately, I can't make a post which has nothing to do with filming,lol...My younger brother and I had just written a storyline and outline of a short movie we were going to make, when he happened to drop the camera outside on the ground. Even worse, it wasn't even his, but our older sister's who had just bought it. Sooo, filming came to a very abrupt halt. Fortunately for us, (and more so for him to redeem his reputation) he fixed a broken camera that was lying around the house which had shared a similar fate in March on a beach in Oregon, and we are now using that. The quality is less, but oh well! we have a camera at least.

The movie is currently being filmed by some of the members of Silent Planet Productions and goes, temporarily, by the name of 'An Unknown Friend'. Any suggestions along those lines would be appreciated and considered. The movie will be short and will appear on the blog by October at the latest. Since we are doubtful whether King Arthur can be posted on my blog do to complications, I decided to allow my readers and followers to at least get a glimpse of the amateur films that Silent Planet Productions makes.

Gwyn

Filming and Rapiers

Just a little update on filming and director meetings, on August 5th, the directors/producers/editors/ and cast of King Arthur met at a Community Center and filmed a large battle scene for the movie. Our cast included people from a different film studio as well as our original cast so we had about twenty-five people in it. It was really great. We got a lot of good clips and footage.

We also met on August 11 with the directors of the other film studio and had a wonderful time fencing with homemade rapiers. Let me rephrase that, we had an Awesome time. We looked over their costume designs and screenplay and talked about our movies together for quite a while. While outside our conversation strayed to Oliver Cromwell for some weird reason (actually, somebody said Cromwell was a good guy and I immediately had to refute their opinion with my own arguments, lol) and we also had a stimulating conversation about him, justice, execution and different "random" topics. (I try to refrain from using the word random because there is no such thing as random, so when I put it in quotes you know I mean miscellaneous really.) Great time there.

Filming has been really hot lately, (average is 100 or so when we're filming) so we try to get the scenes done quickly. Also, our two main actors are gone on an adventure/camping trip, so our filming has slowed down because we really need them back! The movie will be done by December 2012.

Gwyn

Movie Poll

I just wanted to say really quickly that my movie poll came out a lot better than I had expected. Glad to know I have so many LotR fans following or reading me!

Gwyn

Just so people know, the music was taken off my blog because of the change in the website I was taking it from which does not allow that anymore. I'll post a poll to see whether my followers and readers prefer music or not.

Disclaimer

Due to a comment I just received, I thought it necessary to write a quick disclaimer telling everyone that The Crusader's Tale was NOT made by me. Despite how much I would like to claim the credit for the movie, The Crusader's Tale was NOT my production. The Scarlet Pimpernel, who follows this blog and can be found in my blog list, is the director of this movie and the producer and main actor and we live a thousand miles away from each other. lol. It was not my production. I am however, one of its biggest fans and supporters and I really like it. I'm sure many of you know this, but I just thought I'd make sure everyone knew because of a comment I received.  I DO make movies and I am working on King Arthur, but I did not write The Crusader's Tale and I am not nearly as good as them.

Sorry folks,
gwyn

Film Night- OK

As you can tell from the title, last Wednesday did not go so well. Sir Pellinore would not cooperate through the choreographing scenes and I did not bring the make-up for Guinevere or the blood which was supposed to be all over King Arthur. Nevertheless we made do with tomato puree and dirt. The scene was filmed really quickly because we were expecting to be called any minute so Merlin's part wasn't filmed and we may have to redo the entire scene. Stress level was 95 and the kids were all goofing off and being ridiculous. (It's hard to film a scene with three people when about ten other kids are looking on, "helping" and, to be frank, causing problems. lol.
Good luck all amateur filmmakers! Hurrah for amateur movies!

gwyn- Director of King Arthur and Co-director of Silent Planet Productions

Update

We're currently working on a trailer for King Arthur and hoping to film some good trailer shots this Wednesday when I meet again with the cast. Some of my friends are also working on a movie with another group of people and apparently they're making gauntlets, chainmail, breastplates, medieval saddles and metal swords for their filming, plus giving all their cast riding lessons to have fights on horseback.  I can ride a horse but the horse I have I don't think any of my cast will have the guts to get on. (Wish I had the time they have!) I struggle enough just getting the Wednesday filming done, let alone trailer shots! But I guess that's part of directing and organizing your own film. I should be meeting with them on July 4th and I'm hoping to drag them upstairs to watch the trailer and get a few tips from them.

I bought a chain mail coif for the film (since I didn't have the time to make one) and got it just as cheap as I would have if I had made my own. (Without all the labor and time) I wish we were filming a movie I had written instead of King Arthur; Then you can write the script and plot using weapons, armor, scenery and settings that you have available without having to go but stuff. I buy everything for our movie so cash is not something I have in abundance. (Speaking of which, I really need to buy some fabric to make new costumes...) Anyway, I'll post another update after Wednesday's shots.

Gwyn -Director of King Arthur and Co-Director of Silent Planet Productions

Film Night-Success

Last night was the first official film night for King Arthur. We filmed the Excalibur scene and I was able to play my part of the movie, which consists of going under water and holding the sword up for King Arthur to take. Yes, that's me with the oar in the center of the picture just come out of the water. To the right is the Lady of the Lake, to my left is King Arthur, to my far left is Merlin and the other girls are Morgan Le Fay and some unknown lady who came with the Lady of the Lake. Due to my being director, and also due to our overflowing cast, this was the only part available since this is my seven or eighth movie or play to act in and several other people have not ever acted. I was impressed with the acting of one of our cast as I had not expected as much before we filmed, he being a new actor. The actors from our previous production, A Winter's Tale by Shakespeare, shone out again as usual on film night. This was the only scene in which I was not to be filming, due to my acting in the scene. Next film night is the 20th!

Abigail Gwyn-Director of King Arthur and Co-Director of Silent Planet Productions

Clouds

These were all taken at our house. Awesome pics! The last one is during the tornado watch when a tornado went through about twenty miles south of our house.

Camping and the Book Fair

I’m sorry I have not posted in a while, but I have been gone for almost two weeks and have not had internet access or time to make a post. First off, we went to the Home-school Book Fair at the beginning of the month and spent two days there. We set off at 6:00 in the morning and arrived at about 8:15 at the hotel adjoining the community center it was held in. We checked in, received our name tags and looked around for a little while before we (my sister and I, very much obsessed with chess) headed to the chess section. The chess section is in the corner of the community center away from most of the traffic and is in my opinion the best part of the Book Fair. I must admit I was rather upset when we had to go eat lunch at twelve o’clock and was extremely impatient to get back. 

When we returned I continued to play chess until we left to go and eat supper at a Vietnamese restaurant and go to a couple of Half Price Bookstores. At one of these bookstores there was a moment of panic and comedy when one of the people we were with, (it was me), turned a coffee machine on without the pot under it and spent the next five minutes trying to clean up the spilt coffee and figure out how to turn it off. When we got back to the hotel we went swimming and got in bed around 11:30 or twelve. Unfortunately the coffee I had drank (the spilt coffee which I had poured into a foam cup from the machine at the HPB Store) was caffeinated and I was up most of the night lying awake in bed.

               

The next morning we had breakfast and I was down at the Book Fair and at the chess section, right after the doors opened. There was a little crosswalk between the hotel and the community center which allowed for easy traffic between the buildings and was handy for running back to the hotel to get things. The first person I played was somebody I had played the day before and we proceeded to play a game (which I won). Then he had to go and I played three more people in between helping the chess-master write up cards for those entering the tournament that day and taking pictures. After lunch in the hotel, I walked back down to the Book Fair and passed several of the people I had played in chess sitting in the cafeteria so I talked with them for a moment. When the tournament started I was asked to score the cards for those playing in the tournament and I was very busy till I went to hear one of the workshops on filming. After that we left to go home. I played a total of eighteen games and won fourteen of those. Two of the ones I lost, I lost because I played the previous champion of the tournament who was really good. The only downside to the trip was the fact that I messed his (the previous chess champ) card up and so he had a draw with somebody else because he played black instead of white like he was supposed to. Now of course, I don’t know how the game would have turned out if he had been white instead of black but I cannot help feeling guilty about it. (The draw cost him first place which was probably given to his brother who he was better than but just never got the opportunity to play.) Anyway, we had a very fun time.

Ok, the other reason why I have not been posting was because of a week-long camping trip to Arkansas which we went on last week with six other families.  The previous post was fairly long so I shall sum up what happened. We got there and unpacked, set up camp and then went swimming. We swam across the lake and hiked up the mountain, ate blackberries and then came back down. We had lunch, swam some more, and played Ultimate Frisbee. A very awesome game of Ultimate Frisbee because my brother, his friend and I were on the same team against about six other people and beat them without giving them a single point. I must say that was very fun. Over the next couple days we had kayak wars with rented kayaks, threw pinecones at each other, played Frisbee in the water, swam a whole lot, ate wonderful camp food (including crawfish we caught and boiled alive) and danced. Danced you ask? Yes. We hooked up an I-pod to a speaker and danced for a long time. The best day would have been on my birthday, the 19^th. (Maybe you noticed my little ‘About Me’ has changed to fourteen years?) We had stuffed blueberry French toast in the morning, had lots of kayak wars, went swimming and danced some more. In the middle of our dancing the adults came over and sang Happy Birthday and gave me some presents and then we continued dancing. We had a GREAT time. It was our last night so it was a very good conclusion to the trip. The next morning we packed up and went to some waterfalls where we swam down the current, jumped off rocks, and had two flat tires. (We didn’t have them, our friends did) Then we caravanned back home. On the way home we stopped at a Mexican restaurant (all of us, so about 26 people) and stayed there about an hour or more until we separated and went home. That was definitely the best camping trip I’ve been on.   

gwyn

Matthew 10:16-42

 This is a much revised edition in place of my last post about Matthew. Enjoy and tell me what you think!

I recently read Matthew 10:16-42 and wanted to post my thoughts on it since I was struck by some of the things it said which had not occurred to me before. For those of you not familiar with the passage:

 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.  Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say,  for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  

You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.  When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!

 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.  What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.  Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.
But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to turn

“‘a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law —
   a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

I would like to start with verse 34, where he says that he has not come to bring peace but a sword. For some reason, I had always thought that the message of the Gospel was peace and of course, in a sense it is, but I had always thought that peace was the ultimate virtue, something we should be always eager for like it was a sin not to be at peace. But really, peace is one of the things that we are not going to encounter very often in our walk as believers if we are preaching the Gospel because the average non-believer cannot accept Christ. Paul states it clearly that until the Holy Spirit has opened the mind of a man he cannot receive the Gospel and believe it because Satan is the ruler of this world and he has taken over man’s soul as John Bunyan said so wonderfully in his book ‘The Holy War’. We should try to be at peace with the world so far as it is in our power, but the non-believer cannot accept Christ and therefore cannot accept us, which causes the strife and conflict which so many martyrs and missionaries have endured and died because of.

However, it should not be our person which causes the strife. We should not be arguing or causing conflict. Christ’s deity and person itself should be the only thing that causes the conflict, because it will cause conflict whatever we do because he cannot be accepted by the person whose mind has not been opened as I said before. Of course, after I thought about this it was clear to me how Christ could not come to bring peace because His person is the cause of the conflict! And I felt that this passage would be very encouraging to missionaries. (I mean, this chapter was devoted to instructing the disciples before he sent them out into the world to preach the Gospel. Verses 26-29 and verses 38 and 39 talk specifically to encourage the missionary and those preaching the Gospel, and to warn them.) He also goes on to say that whoever loves his father or mother more than Him is not worthy of Him and tells us that, ‘brother will turn against brother and father against his child’ because of Him and it is because of Him as I said before and Paul said and Jesus said in Matthew 5 in the last verse of the Beatitudes that they will do this. As missionaries we should not be afraid of the conflict but be steadfast through it all for great is our reward. We should not be afraid to offend for the sake of the Gospel, even if it means alienation from our family, relatives and closest friends for unless we do that we are not worthy of Him. I love this passage because I have been thinking a lot about missionaries and martyrs lately and this sums up so perfectly what is required of those preaching the Gospel to the unbeliever.  

               

Before I finish up here, I’d like to add also that we are definitely to be peacemakers amongst ourselves, in the Body of Christ, but just like when preaching to the unbeliever, we should not be afraid to offend if one of those in the Body goes astray. We should always do everything in love which means lovingly bringing those who go astray back to God’s truth without asserting that our way is ‘THE ONLY WAY’ and condemning those who do not follow us all the way through the intricacies of principles and theology. Paul mentions a group of people in Philippians who were preaching the Gospel out of wrong motives and said at least the Word of God was being preached. These are the same people whom he addressed as dogs in Galatians, yet he said it was enough that they were preaching the Gospel. If we differ in opinion with another good person (not in any way a ‘dog’) over a technicality of theology, should we argue over it? Should we make denominations and alienate ourselves from other members of the Body who are of a different denomination just because they have slightly different views then us? Isn’t it enough that they are preaching the Word of God and that they are saving lives? If they agree with us on the resurrection, crucifixion, removal of sins by Christ’s blood on the cross and other such fundamental teachings isn’t that enough? We should not be at war among ourselves in the Body. We are supposed to be an example to the entire world! Everyone is watching the Christian and what he does and how are we supposed to save people if what they see when they look at us is bickering and arguing over ‘slight technicalities”? to quote Princess Bride. I cannot stress how much I dislike the separation I see in the Church through denominations. I believe I once heard that there were three thousand denominations in America but that can’t be true. How could we have done that? It is incredible. We must be at peace amongst one another in the Body.

It is late and I ought to be in bed so I will have to stop. I would LOVE to continue to discuss this and would really like my followers and readers to share their opinions with me. Also, check out my post on Martyrs and my clarification post on Revenge. I love to discuss and debate but the only opportunity I get is being an attorney at Teen Court.  Thanks for reading and please share your opinions I will !

gwyn

Poetry

I was recently asked asked where and how I got the inspiration for the poetry I write and I thought I'd post my response here as a blog post since it would also be useful for this blog.

Firstly, I am inspired by the writing of great poets such as Tennyson, Longfellow, Sir Walter Scott, Chesterton, Whitman's Oh Captain, My Captain, Dickinson and others. Also, songs by Wickham, Switchfoot and others have also inspired me. Probably the main reason why I want to write poetry, and why I take the time to sit down and find a theme, a meter, and a rhyme scheme, is because poetry is a beautiful expression of thoughts and nature and whatever else comes to my mind. It's music on paper, music without the form of songs. As several people said,  I could put my poems to song, but then they wouldn't be poems. Skilful poetry, (and I'm not asserting that I'm a skilful writer) can be as beautiful (and I believe is and more so) than song. I don't like free verse that is not alliterated or written with some sort of pattern and rhythm. I don't like it because it's not poetry anymore, it's prose. Poetry takes prose and gives it a beautiful polish and finishing touch. Without the rhyme and the meter, alliteration and rhythm, poetry is just a story. Poetry is not easy. It must be written well to be beautiful and many of the great poets became great because they used rich language and perfect rhythm.

The ideas for my poems come from nature and my reflections on Bible passages. They also come from topics I have been thinking about or discussing. They're also from my stories, books I have been reading and other things. I get my motivation from these ideas, because when I see something beautiful I want to praise it or if I read a Bible passage I want to use poetry to discuss it with fuller meaning or acknowledge the wonders of Christ. The ideas don't just come to me though, I have to look around me and find something I admire or appreciate. (Right before I wrote, 'The Hosts of the Sky are Marching' I was on top of the hill beside our pond watching a storm come in. Things like that I considered so beautiful that I immediately wanted to run inside and write a poem to describe it.) When I think of something I want to put to words in a poem, I think of descriptive words and rich language to express my opinions. Poetry takes time, and nobody can perfect it on the first try. (For instance, I wrote 'Mysterious Depths' four times before I found what I have now.)"

A little bit more detail and answer to the question, "How Important is Rhyme to Poetry?

In my opinion, poetry sounds much better with rhyme. I think that rhyme is incredibly important to poetry, but I think poetry can sound good without it. Alliteration is beautiful if done well. (I have read Beowulf, the original poem and Tolkien's Sir Gawain and the Green Knight so I have had experience with alliterated poetry.) Non-rhyming poetry is hardly poetry, it's prose. True, there are various poems that are non-rhyming which are enjoyable to read, but, generally speaking, rhyme is more beautiful. Unfortunately, many of the judges in poetry contests these days are biased towards non-rhyming poetry and prefer it over rhyming which aggravates me exceedingly. Rhyme is important for poetry to retain it's title of poetry. The Encarta World Dictionary describes poetry as:

 "literary works written in verse, in particular verse writing of high quality, great beauty, emotional sincerity or intensity, or profound insight"
Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

If non-rhyming poetry is a 'writing of high quality' and 'great beauty' than it is poetry, but I have come across few non-rhyming poems which I have enjoyed reading. My least favorite poets would be those who are not able to capture a sense of rhyme, beauty, and rhyme in their poetry well enough, such as some of Robert Frost, Walt Whitman, and all of Carl Sandburg as well as several other inferior poets, inferior, in my belief, and not as well known, because their writing is not a 'writing of high quality' or of 'great beauty' though some unrecognized poets are exceedingly good. Anyway, these are my thoughts on poetry. What do you think?

gwyn


                           

A Poem

This is a poem which I wrote recently and submitted to a poetry contest. I am still waiting for the results however and I don't have very high hopes. Anyway, here it is:

A grotto sheltered by the sea
Possessing a history of mystery,
Waiting in silence with an untold past
Waiting to be revealed at last

Visibility weak in the gathering gloom
Hiding the treasure in the lagoon
The starlight glints on where it lies,
Illuming the cave to the voyagers eyes.

First the boat ride through the midnight,
Then the searching for the moonlight,
Shining down the rocky shaft
While the lapping water laughs,

"Ghosts of galleons, lost in the deep,
Blue-silver beauty, glory in sleep.
The end of the line for many a ship,
Where shadows dance and gray waves dip,
And weeping gulls lament the tide,
Who knows how many sailors died?'

-gwyn

Ist Day of Filming - Practice Shots

Last week a few members of the production met at one of the actors' home and did a few practice shots to get our actors familiar with their parts. We had a very small group so we filmed some short clips between Sir Ector and Sir Kay. If anyone would like to read the script for the play, we have it here. Here are a few pictures and videos

Me, looking over the script

Merlin, my brother Micah

Sir Ector, (red shirt) and Sir Kay being ridiculous

Next film date, the 25th!

gwyn

I'm Back-Camping

Sorry for not posting, but I have been gone on a week long camping trip and only just arrived home. My family, (excepting my dad who had to work) and some friends of ours went on a camping trip to Arkansas. Our campground was near Mt. Magazine, the highest peak in Arkansas at a rather pathetic 2,753 feet above sea level. However, the views were spectacular on the way up and from the various vistas from which we looked off.

We planned to leave at 7:30 in the morning but our friends trailer came off of her hitch on her driveway and we had to help her hitch it back up. In the end we left at around 9:10 in two cars since we were carpooling. We arrived at Blue Mountain Lake but we were not impressed so we went to Cove Lake Campground where we stayed. The campsites were right on the lake and the fishing was really good. Over the next couple days we went fishing, bike riding, hiking, running, and got rained on. I caught a large-mouth bass in the lake about 14 inches long which we fried that night with our chicken, and I also caught four fish that looked like perch/bream/sunfish mix. We had a lot of fun and that is why I wasn't on here for the past week.

I'm very sorry! I have not posted the second chapter to my book or the rough-draft map. I'll get them up as soon as possible!
-A.J (Gwyn)

Music Poll

Well, James Horner and Lord of the Rings are tied in the music poll! Somebody needs to break it before the poll closes. 1 day left!
Also, I'd like to say Happy Birthday to all of you whose birthdays are in April, so Happy Birthday to Kalen, Daniel, Hannah, and Anthony! (If I forgot anyone, tell me!) Some of you I know as a friend and some of you I know as actors, photographers and Directors over the Internet but Happy Birthday to you all and may you have a great Birthday! I'll be back after Easter,
A.J (Gwyn)

Go Watch It!

Hey followers, readers, and anybody with the slightest trace of a brain, go watch the awesome Crusader's Tale at http://lordandladyproductions.blogspot.com/2011/12/crusaders-tale-part-1.html Please go watch it and follow their blog!

Trailer for it:

My Story

Well, I finally decided to post my story on my blog. It will not appear as a regular post, (so I won't bore my uninterested readers) but will be available through the category My Book. Click on that and it will bring you to my book. My story is a fictional, fantasy book which I have recently started and new chapters will depend on how much I write. Spring is a busy time on a farm and I will be EXTREMELY busy. Nevertheless I will try. I thought of posting and introductory paragraph here but decided against it so you'll be able to read one at the aforesaid category, My Book. I will warn you, my book is not very good; consider it as you would an amateur film production, (though some amateur movies are really good) but I didn't write the book to be famous, I wrote it for myself, to improve my writing. I'm posting it here to 1. keep me consistent 2. to get other people's input (positive or negative) and 3. for an incentive to write better and better since people will be reading it. I would love for people to read it and I would appreciate all comments and input and I do not care whether it is bad or good. Speak your mind, help me to improve. Your time and input will be GREATLY appreciated.

A.J (Gwyn)

I will hereafter be posting as Gwyn

Movies/Reviews

I watched the movie about two months ago and thought I should do a review. It's been awhile since I wrote a review anyway. Unlike Braveheart, The Last of the Mohicans was not too gory or bloody (except for one scene) and was not a complete tragedy. I like movies that have some tragedy in them, but the end of Braveheart just didn't fit my happy ending preferences. Last of the Mohicans was staged during the French and Indian War and the hero was a hunter who fought for the British when war came upon the land. The story was based on Cooper's book which I have not read so I couldn't give you my opinion on how close it stayed to the book. I love movies which keep to the book and I would say that generally speaking, the book is better than the movie. Now there are people out there who like watching better than reading who may differ with me, but for those who like reading the same as or more than watching, I think the would agree with me. Last of the Mohicans was filmed well, had good acting and would have a rate of 4 out of 5 on my list. The movies I've watched who have reached the 5 mark would currently be Lord of the Rings, as my favorite movie, The Phantom Menace, the latest three Narnia movies, The last of the Mohicans and the Young Sherlock Holmes. Braveheart gets a 4, along with The Last Samurai, Star Wars, and the Bourne Trilogy . Indiana Jones and Cranford get a 3.

I'm sorry, it's not that I don't like the bugs in Indiana Jones, it's just that I really don't like Harrison Ford. Call me crazy, but somehow Harrison Ford always plays in movies wherein he is a very arrogant, proud and extremely rude person. Harrison Ford fans and those who have seen his movies will have to agree with me that he is often rude. I believe that the types of movies Harrison Ford plays in reveal parts of his character. Character is revealed through our speech, actions and thoughts. If I was a Christian person, honest and upright, I would not play in movies like Indiana Jones or the Star Wars episodes 4-6 as the part he played. In fact, as a Christian I would not act in Hollywood movies, at least none that I've seen.

 I prefer acting in my own amateur productions and those of people I know, like The Crusader's Tale (5 stars by the way, I love that movie!), Isundae I and II, and Ye Castle Attack. I love amateur movies, especially as I have made three myself. Someday all of us who write/direct/film amateur movies should make our own filming company. That, my friends, would be awesome!

Well, I should go write the script for King Arthur and finish some schoolbooks. Thanks to all who follow and to those who comment on my blog,
A.J

Filming

Here is a little update on what's going on in my life. I am currently writing the screenplay for an amateur movie about King Arthur based off Howard Pyle's book, King Arthur and His Knights. As screenwriter, photographer, co-director and producer, my job should start get heavier as we come into April. First film night, Wednesday the 4th or the 11th. I may try to post this one on my blog, but I've had troubles with previous movies so I may not be able to. If anyone has tips or hints on how to upload Windows Movie Maker and other program films online I would appreciate it. I love filming!

Our previous productions include, A Winter's Tale, starring myself and other friends, Robin Hood, starring myself as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Battle in the Wood, starring my brother, and a stop motion film using Playmobils. Our property has been converted into battlefields, castles, etc. and our journey with filming has been fun and educating. My sister is our wonderful producer and director and should get the credit for editing and holding the movies together. I am hoping King Arthur will be our best production, which reminds me, in order for it to be so I should get to writing the script. Til' next time,

A.J

Francis Bacon Quotes

"Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse but to weigh and consider.

Lastly, I would address one general admonition to all; that they consider what are the true ends of knowledge, and that they seek it not either for pleasure of the mind, or for contention, or for superiority to others, or for profit, or fame, or power, or any of these inferior things; but for the benefit and use of Life; and that they perfect and govern it in charity. --General Preface to the Great Instauration

He that cometh to seek after knowledge, with a mind to scorn, shall be sure to find matter for his humor, but no matter for his instruction. Advancement of Learning, Book I(1605)

As touching the explication of Mysteries, we see that God vouchsafeth to descend to the weakness of our capacity, so expressing and unfolding His Mysteries as they may be best comprehended by us; and inoculate, as it were, His Revelations upon the conceptions and notions of our Reason; and so applying His inspirations to open our understandings, as the form of the key is fitted to the ward of the lock. In which respect notwithstanding, we ought not to be wanting to our selves; for seeing God makes use of the faculty and function of Reason in His Illuminations, we ought also every way to employ and improve the same, whereby we may become more capable to receive and draw in such Holy Mysteries: with this caution, that the mind for its module be dilated to the amplitude of the Mysteries, and not the Mysteries be girt into the small compass of the mind. Advancement of Learning, Book I (1605)

If a man will begin with certainties, he will end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he will end in certainties.

Crafty men condemn studies, simple men admire them; and wise men use them.

To write at leisure what is to be read at leisure does not interest me. My concern is with life and human affairs and all their troubles and difficulties. It is these I wish to improve by true and wholesome thoughts.
--Letter to Casaubon, 1609.

That men ought to know that in the theatre of human life it is only for Gods and angels to be spectators. -Adv. of Learning

But one thing is most admirable, which is, that this communicating of a man's self to his friend works two contrary effects, for it redoubleth joys, and cutteth griefs in halfs. For there is no man that imparteth his joys to his friend, but he joyeth the more; and no man that imparteth his griefs to his friend, but he grieveth the less.

Times glory is to calm contending Kings, to unmask falsehood, and bring truth to light.

The first creature of God, in the works of the days, was the light of the sense; the last was the light of reason; and his Sabbath work ever since is the illumination of his spirit.- from his essay, "Of Truth"

The desire of power in excess caused the angels to fall; the desire of knowledge in excess caused man to fall; but in charity there is no excess; neither can angel or man come in danger by it

Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, a sense of humor to console him for what he is.

Discovery sooner emerges from error than from confusion.

Laws are made to guard the rights of the people, not to feed the lawyers. The laws should be read by all, known to all. Put them into shape, inform them with philosophy, reduce them in bulk, give them into every man's hand.

The monuments of Wit survive the monuments of power. The verses of a poet endure without a syllable lost, while States and Empires pass many periods. Let him (the poet) not think he shall descend : for he is now upon a hill as a ship is mounted upon the ridge of a wave : but that Hill of the Muses is above tempests, always clear and calm; a hill of the goodliest discovery, that man can have, being a prospect upon all the errors and wanderings of the present and former times. Yea, in some cliff it leadeth the eye beyond the horizon of time, and giveth no obscure divination of time to come.

Men believe what they prefer.

Fame is like a river, that beareth up things light and swollen, and drowns things weighty and solid.

The best part of beauty is that which a picture cannot express.


 Great riches have sold more men than ever they have bought out.

Number itself importeth not much in armies, where the people are of weak courage; for (as Virgil says) it never troubles a wolf how many the sheep be.

There is a great difference betwixt a cunning man and a wise man. There be that can pack the cards, who yet cannot play well;

God never wrought miracles to convince atheism, because his ordinary works convince it.

Revenge is a kind of wild justice, which the more a man's nature runs to, the more ought law to weed it out.

He that studieth revenge, keepeth his own wounds green.

It is a strange desire which men have, to seek power and lose liberty.

That sick man does ill for himself, who makes his physician his heir.
I would live to study, and not study to live.

If money be not they servant, it will be thy master. The covetous man cannot so properly be wealth, as that may be said to possess him.

Conscience is worth a thousand witnesses."

Life of Francis Bacon

Some of my readers may not know who Sir Francis Bacon was but I will soon enlighten them. Francis Bacon was the son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, knight and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England. His mother was Anne Cook, a woman skilled in Greek and Latin. Francis was given a very good education and knew Greek and Latin. He was sent to Trinity College in Cambridge at an age younger than most people and was tutored by the afterwards renowned Archbishop of Canterbury, Doctor John White-gift. He fell into dislike of Aristotle' philosophy at sixteen, not for worthlessness but for unfruitfulness. He ascribed to Aristotle's teaching high attributes but he said it was barren for the advancement of the life of man. He was sent with the ambassador lieger into France to learn the arts of state after his education at Trinity. On his return he took up the study of law and became a judge later on in his life. the largest blot on Francis Bacon's character would be his decision to speak against his great friend the Earl of Essex when that unfortunate man stood in court for minor treason. Bacon's actions were not the main reason Essex died, but he had betrayed a trust which he should have kept more carefully. Bacon came to his greatest fame not under Elizabeth but under James I under whom his fortune escalated and he held the titles of Counsel Learned Extraordinary to His Majesty, King's Solicitor General, His Majesty's Attorney General, Counselor of Estate, Lord Chancellor and keeper of the Great Seal of England. He married Alice but they had no children. Bacon's name was more famous in foreign countries than in England and was considered a very learned man in Italy and France. Bacon died of a fever at sixty-six after pursuing an experiment in freezing meat to preserve it. To him may be attributed our modern way of refrigeration. He died in Earl Arundel's house on April 9, 1626.
I have read several of Bacon's essays and some of his quotes I really like. I'll post some of his quotes in my next post. 

"Lastly, I would address one general admonition to all; that they consider what are the true ends of knowledge, and that they seek it not either for pleasure of the mind, or for contention, or for superiority to others, or for profit, or fame, or power, or any of these inferior things; but for the benefit and use of Life; and that they perfect and govern it in charity."   --General Preface to the Great Instauration by Bacon 

A.J

Losing our Freedom

People in America are losing their freedoms. It is a fact. Every year kids are taken away from homeschooling parents, every year the United States kills thousands of children and every year more corruption unfolds in the government. I have attached here the link to an incredible story of several pro-life people, all under age, who were leg-cuffed, handcuffed, strip searched, not allowed to contact their parents, arrested and jailed for breaking no laws and doing what they are allowed to do in the First Amendment. The case went to court and the city was fined 380,000 dollars which was given to the children. The trooper refused to tell them what laws they were breaking and insisted that they had to have a permit when no such thing was needed. Unbelievable!

Watch the video and read the article here.

Another case which people are still fighting in court are two young boys who were wore small American flags on their shirts on Cinco de Mayo day and were ordered to turn them inside out or remove them.

Another man said in a facebook comment that he wished he had a magic wand which would make Rick Santorum disappear. The police came to his house and interrogated him.

A law was passed about six months ago or a year, the NDAA Bill, I believe, which said that the government had the right to arrest anyone, including U.S citizens, and interrogate them on suspicion of that person's being a terrorist.

What has happened to our justice system? Why do people like this get expelled and jailed and arrested while murderers are set free or spend a brief amount of time in a prison better than the house they live in? Why do we, the people of the United Sates, allow this to happen? Why hasn't this caused a revolution? Why are Americans sitting back and allowing their freedoms to be trampled? Our government is not accountable to higher law. Our government does not follow the two fundamental laws: do not encroach on other persons or their property and do all you have agreed to do. A country whose government is run by men who are not accountable will never succeed. In my opinion, the government has to be accountable to these laws. Daily our freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and other freedoms are taken away and we must fight back. Now, as my last post stated, I am still grateful that Americans still have so many freedoms and I am very blessed to live where I do. That does not mean though, that being trampled is okay, we still can fight back, maybe not with the sword but definitely with the pen. We must write books, articles, newspapers and essays which unveil this corruption. "The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all." ~ President John F. Kennedy

The same is true of one person. We must educate the people. That is what leaders and dictators fear. That is why countries have propaganda, to blind the people so they can't see the truth and why they have schools, so the next generation will be tools in the hands of the government. That is what Hitler did in Germany. We must be educated people who can learn from the countless examples in the past.

A.J

The Martyrs and U.S Christians

Recently I read Richard Wurmbrand's, Tortured For Christ and it led me to think about the strength of my own faith. For a little background, Richard Wurmbrand spent fourteen years in a Romanian Communist prison where he was mistreated, tortured and beaten for preaching Christ to the unsaved Soviet Union. He also went to prison in other places as well for less lengthy periods of time. It took eight and a half years for Christians to find where he was and several more years to get him out. He also was imprisoned under the Nazis in Germany during WW II. The story of his life and the stories of hundreds of martyrs like him, draw me to consider the state of my own faith. Here is a man who was tortured, imprisoned, separated from his wife and son, endured unspeakable horrors and who continued to love his enemies and preach God's Word. He is just one of the millions of Christians who have been and are being persecuted around the world. I consider his life and I think, "Wow!" The majority of Christians in America today do not know what persecution is and many of them do not know what pain is. Sure, lots of us have encountered pain, but none of us have endured pain to the extremity that Richard Wurmbrand, or Justin Martyr did, or the rest of the incredible men who preached the Gospel to Communist Russia and China and Europe and the Roman Empire.
            After considering the incredible sacrifices these men made, I considered the state of Christianity in the United States today. Christians in America don't know the horrible persecution that those men endured and they do not face the same persecution today. Christians today do face the slow loss of their rights and many more Christians will face the loss of their rights and will probably have to withdraw from society, but we can thank God that we are not in the same situations as those brave men and women. I would say that my main point here is that we should consider the state of our faith and ask ourselves if, when the time comes, we will be able to stand against the persecution, not deny our Lord and remain faithful to the end. Also, it has made me more thankful and grateful that I have not had to face those trials, or my family or my friends. It will make us much happier if we consider all the freedoms we still have in America and to be grateful that we are even allowed to meet and worship when so many around the world are not allowed to do.
          I wanted to give you a quote here from Justin Martyr or Wurmbrand but now I can't find it, but it went something like, "The more Christians are persecuted, the more Christianity will spread." This quote is totally true. The martyrs turned more people to Christ than the evangelical program of any church. Their deaths turned more people to Christ than their lives. They gave a standard and an example to the rest of the world and their persecutors and those who saw them turned to Christ. Think about it, Christians in America today are not persecuted and Christianity is not shooting up in America right now. wherever there is persecution there will be growth. History has proved that.
          Now, just for a little clarification, of course I'm not saying that evangelical programs are bad or that we shouldn't try to have those types of programs or that we should be persecuted, I'm just saying that we should be very thankful for the freedoms we have, pray for those who do not have them, love our enemies as the martyrs did, and daily strengthen our faith so that we too, will be able to serve Christ and be faithful to the very end. For more information on Wurmbrand and other martyrs, I recommend Wurmbrand's Tortured For Christ, and Jesus Freaks by the Dc Talk band with the Voice of the Martyrs, a program started by Wurmbrand. Remember the martyrs.

A.J

A Race

A poem I wrote:

The excitement building, we watch and wait

As the starter ascends unto his chair,

A stallion shuffles, behind the gate

The rider steadies him with care.

The noise subsides, the silence is heard

The riders stare between their horses ears

Perked and tense waiting for the word

Suddenly it comes and the air is rent with cheers.

From now till the end its one long cheer,

As the riders rush on down the track,

The beating of hooves, the thrill and fear

But the trumpet is blow, there is no turning back.

Bent bodies crouching, shouting voices

The stallion passes to the lead,

Past all the lashing whips and noises,

That characterizes this mass of steeds.

The stallion and bay the lead do take

The crowds loud roar rings up to the air

From the heights of the bleachers at the Stakes,

“On,” they cry, “win the race, if you dare!”

They’re neck and neck as they run down the course

 The onlookers whistling and applauding them fine

The stallion surges to the front by his pure force

And leaps across the finish line. 

Foaming Sea

I stand on top the rocky crag

And look below on foaming sea

A world of spray in billowing flags

Of color grey with vast majesty

I descend to the shore and wade on through

The roaring waves and sand below

Without restraint I plunge into

The blueness of its sparkling glow

I feel water surrounding me

I swim through caverns in the deep

I smell the air of salty sea

And hear the gulls above me weep.

What hand such majesty could compose?

What ability in the Maker’s mind?

Covered in stalactites, blue-silver grottoes

Who can tell the treasures one might find?

I work my way back down to the sea

Where the sand is crushed by the waves

I see the dangerous rocks in the deep

How many of those mark a man's grave?

Spanish galleons, lost at sea,

The desperate fight between nature and man

Sinking, dying, in black waters eerie

The end of that sea-race those sailors ran.

Come to my grotto, lost in the deep,

Sheltered from the tide in my silent lagoon;

Now but a whisper, glory dead in sleep,

Beached in my grotto, lit by the moon.

A.J

Shakespearean English

This is hilarious! This is what it would sound like if we all spoke Shakespearean English. :) You got to watch it all the way through!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxoUUbMii7Q

Some Pictures

Beautiful water!

Going Hunting at night in December

Plowing the garden

Clarifing and Simplifying My Revenge Stand

As I promised, here is my follow-up post in response to some comments, and to clarify where I stand. In this post, I’m going to give a definition of revenge and justice and give my stance on both. I’ll start off with revenge. Revenge is, according to the Encarta dictionary, ‘the desire or urge to get even with somebody’ or, ‘the punishment of somebody in retaliation for harm done.’ It says that retaliation is, ‘to deliberately harm somebody in response or revenge for a harm he or she has done.’ I’m sure that everybody can agree that these definitions are correct, and after reading it they should be able to agree with me that revenge is wrong, period. Revenge has never been right, and never will be. When god mentions revenge in the Old Testament, I think that He meant justice. Now you might say, “God never said anything he didn’t mean.” That is also correct, but do you honestly think that God carried out the revenge which was just described by the dictionary? No, I’m sure you don’t. That’s because God didn’t carry out revenge, he carried out justice. Now, I’ll give a definition of justice and we’ll establish the difference between the two.

Justice: ‘fairness or reasonableness, especially in the way people are treated or decisions are made’

Justice: ‘the legal system, or the act of applying or upholding the law’

Now, we all see justice as this, but we also see it in a little deeper sort of way. We see justice as the ‘fair and reasonable’ way of punishing criminals, e.g. they administered justice on him. I made a mistake in my last post by calling it ‘of revenge’ instead of, ‘Of Revenge and Justice’. What I was really getting at in my last post I’ll sum up in five points.

• Revenge is wrong. Today the majority of us see revenge as an act of anger with a motive to get even. That is generally what we think of when we think of revenge. According to Leviticus 19:18, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”

Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.
Romans 12:19
Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.

• Justice should always be performed out of righteous anger and should be well considered before any action is taken. The basis of this point lies in the definition of justice. There is a huge difference between justice and revenge. People can get easily confused by what revenge and justice really are. There are people who think they are carrying out justice but are really only feeding their pride and carrying out their revenge, and there are people who are honestly trying to establish justice. Justice must be reasonable and fair, ‘especially in the way people are treated or decisions made’. Justice should never, in my opinion, be an ‘on the spot’ action. Meaning, of course, not that some decisions should not be made hurriedly when the criminal is running away, etc. but that it should not be an act done because of the sudden urge of emotion after a death, theft, or other such things.
• I would not set a right-or-wrong law for self-defense. This is totally in the individuals hands. We have a right to defend ourselves if we are attacked, we don’t have to let somebody come up and kill us obviously. If you think you could make a difference by sparing the other man’s life, then by all means do so. If you think that this is what you should do, go ahead. Nobody except God should judge on the subject of self-defense. Don’t go looking for trouble though. “It is an honor for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling” from Proverbs 21. Christ was killed and died for all of us. When His murderers are judged in heaven they will get their full due, he didn’t rise to defend himself.
• Government was provided for establishing justice by God. Now, I strongly believe that many of the government’s laws about murder and adultery are too slack and that the government doesn’t always carry out its job right. But nevertheless, if everyone goes out to establish their own justice we’d be back in the chaotic days of the Wild West. If people simply hand their private revenge over to the government’s public justice, they would not have the responsibility or the weight of the decision. I also have strong beliefs on the role of government, and how it has been corrupted, I am open to that topic at any time. 

• What is past is irrevocable. We have control of our future, and the future of the person we decide to terminate. Wrongs that have been done to us cannot be reversed. No amount of tears, threats, or revenge is going to replace what we lost or what was done. Proverbs says that it ‘is a man’s glory to overlook a fault. Make the decision to live for The One, and to let things pass. What good are you going to get out of killing the offender? At the risk of taking away his salvation? I don’t mean that murderers should be allowed to roam the streets freely, they should be punished, but don’t get involved in private quarrels. “God is the one who justifies, who is the one who condemns?” Romans 8               I hope this clarifies my stand, and I thank all the readers who read this.

          A.J