Religion and God: Is There a Difference

My parents go to church every Sunday. When I was little I used to go to Sunday school every week. Back then it was fun. I got to hang out with friends, play games, hear stories, and sing songs.

Although, it seemed to me as the older I got the less I understood why they made me go. Every Sunday my parents would dress me up in a pretty dress and take me to church, but the question is why? When I was about 12 I asked them and they told me, “Because we have to. We’re Christians and that’s what they do, go to church on Sunday’s, and you will too.”

For the next year I went to church solely because my parents told me to. The more I went because I had to the more bored I got with it and the more I didn’t want to continue going. So, when I was 13 I stopped going. Basically I told my parents it was pointless and I wasn’t going to go if it didn’t matter to me.

Then some time last week I found a flyer in my brothers store. (he lets people post flyers on a bulletin board near the door)

Interested in God, But Not Religion!
Live Rock Worship Music!
Come as You Are!
Saturday Night 7:00 pm
The Rock Church


The flyer caught my interest and I decided I wanted to go and check it out.

Of course I couldn’t convince any of my friends to go with me. They were all too busy going to a party to go with me. Patch got someone to watch the store that night and he went with me.

The first thing I noticed when I walked through the door was the pool table, off to my left, and the Christian books for sale, to my left. Then there was the coffee. They were giving coffee to the people for free. It was good coffee too.

When the service started it began with worship music. It wasn’t the played out, heard a million times before, hymns. I’m not saying that’s bad, but this music got me listening and not just to the music.
Play:

Get this widget Track details eSnips Social DNA

The lead singer of the band (who happens to be one of the Pastors at the church) started talking about how God is Holy. More so that God is perfect in every way, and we as humans aren’t perfect. That was fairly obvious. Since God is perfect and we are not we can’t get to him on our own. That’s when he went into how much God loves those he created. John 3:16-17 NIV “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

Listening to him say these words with the conviction and passion that he did it was hard not to believe in what he said.
Another song:

Get this widget Track details eSnips Social DNA

After the music a different Pastor came on stage and gave the message (sermon). I won’t go into what the message was about that would take too long, but I will say listening to him talk was a whole new experience as to what church is.
I remember the sermons I sat through at my parents church were long and boring. In all honesty they made me want to go back to bed. But at The Rock it was the complete opposite. Not only did it keep my interest but at times it made me laugh. Most importantly what he was saying made sense to me. I truly understood what he was trying to say. Yet in the dozens of times I went to my parents church I didn’t get the point they were trying to make.
I remember that the Lord’s Prayer was a prayer I used to say every Sunday, but I never really remembered or thought of it after. Then I heard this song, and it made it so much more memorable.

Get this widget Track details eSnips Social DNA

Really the point here is that there is a difference between God and religion. At least to me now there is. Religion to me was going to church every Sunday because I was supposed to . Calling myself a Christian because my parents said they were. Doing the things on the Do List and not doing the things on the Don’t List. A list of rules and regulations that’s what religion is.
When I say God what I mean is the opposite of what I just described. This church is exactly what religion should be. They go to church because they want to be there, not because they have to. They want to worship God and be around others who want to do the same
I think for now on Saturday nights you’ll find me at The Rock Church. Let me leave you with one more rocking song:

Get this widget Track details eSnips Social DNA

The Sims

To the untrained eye i did absolutely noting all day Saturday. Unfortunately, i couldn't go to my brothers store cause he was out of town for the weekend. (Well I could've gone, but it's not as much fun without Patch.) When my parents asked me if I wanted to go with them while they ran some errands I said no. I decided that I didn't want to put myself through that kind of torture.

So, what was it I spent my whole Saturday doing? If you've been paying attention you should be able to answer this question. That's right The Sims.

This game is like a drug, highly addictive. (It's probably not for everyone, but for me once I get hooked on it there's no going back.) I couldn't honestly tell you why, it just is. I sat down to play the game at about 11, in the morning. When I started to get hungry I looked at the clock and it was 2:30. 3 1/2 hours had passed and I had barley noticed.

It shouldn't be too much of a surprise that when my friends called to invite me to a kick ass party, Dasha's words, I turned them down. I told them I was busy and that I wasn't going to be able to pull myself away long enough to go. There's really 2 reasons why I didn't go to the party, 1.) I've never liked the high school parties. Never been a fan of the drinking and stupidity that goes on. 2.) I probably had more fun staying home and playing The Sims then I would have if I had gone to the party, and I knew this to be true.

Ultimately, I spent my Saturday playing the ever exciting and addictive game of The Sims. I probably pulled myself away from the game at midnight, maybe 1. This game is my drug and it's as bad as it'll get.

What Is the World Coming To

You'll never believe what I saw happen today. It's as if everyone is to busy worrying about themselves to think about the world around them.

I know you've either seen someone do this or have done it yourselves. When someone whose supposed to be driving is busy doing something else; texting on their cell phones, eating food, doing their make-up, or shaving. These people couldn't have taken an extra 5 minutes at home to do these things safely. No they have to rush so fast to wherever they just have to be they risk not only harm to themselves but others.

My older brother, Patch, picked me up from school earlier today. As we were headed back to his store I saw the woman in the SUV next to us doing her make-up. Even as traffic started to move she was still putting her make-up on. That's when it happened. Traffic in front of her suddenly stopped and she didn't see it in time, rear ending the car in front of her. It wasn't that bad of an accident but it was enough to cause quite a bit of damage to the back of the little car she had hit.

It makes you wonder what people are thinking when they're doing this kind of thing. Do they not realize how unsafe it is? Do they not realize that they can be the cause of an accident? This could have been a lot worse. Say if it happened on the freeway and she had been going 70 or 80 MPH. She could have easily killed herself or someone in the car she had hit if she had.

Things like this make you stop and think. What has this world really come to when people start getting into accidents because they're to busy with something else then their own driving?

What On Earth Was She Thinking

Dasha in her infinite wisdom decided to start a slam book. If you don’t remember what those are, they get passed around school for kids to anonymously tell others what they really think about them. She says she decided to start one because, over the weekend, Katy’s older sister told her about how she made one in high school. After hearing how Samantha had so much fun trashing on others Dasha decided she just had to it too.

“Oh, come on Dash what are you 5? You shouldn’t care what other people think about you. And you shouldn’t writhe nasty things about others just because you can,” I was in full on lecture mode.

“Tal has a point,” Posie, for some unknown reason, had taken my side. “If that gets passed around school others are just going to make up horrible lies about everyone else.”

“That’s half the fun, girls,” of course Katy was taking Dasha’s side. Katy has no problem spreading rumors, hell she already does.

I remember back in the third grade when Katy’s family first moved out here. She was so afraid that no one would like her she made up rumors about people to get attention. She instantly became popular among the other third graders. Quite the reverse happened for those who were being lied about.

Like me. She told everyone that I didn’t know how to read, and that I’d only been pretending. Despite the fact that it was a horrendous lie (I was reading at an 8th grade level by then) everyone was believing it.

I seemed as if no matter what I said or did no one believed me, and everyone tormented me over it. That was until Katy found me crying in the girls bathroom. She felt so bad that she immediately told our classmates that she had made it all up and I really could read. After apologizing, several times, we started to become friends. I still haven’t figured out why Katy did all that for me back then, seeing as I was the only one she felt bad for. Maybe it was because I was the only one she found crying over it? Or maybe she just wanted to be my friend? I have no idea why she would’ve wanted to be my friend, but she did and now 7 years were still friends. Even though she drives me crazy to no end.

Anyway, I just know this slam book of Dasha’s is going to be just as much trouble as Katy’s stories were back in grade school. Honestly I don’t want to know what the population of my high school thinks about me, but I know Katy and Dasha will be the first ones to tell me when they find out. I don’t know what the hell Dasha was thinking when she thought this would be a good idea, but what I do know is that her idea’s have never turned out well. So, I ask you why would this one be any different? I hope it is, but who would I be kidding it’s Dasha.

My final thought: Slam Books are the root of all evil.

My Little Bit of Paradise

The best thing about the weekend isn’t getting away from school. (In a purely educational sense I love learning. Really I do like school.) No, the best thing about the weekend is getting away from the soap opera called school. I’ve been in school for just under a week and, despite the fact that I like school, I already can’t stand the drama.

The main topics of conversation among my peers are; who the newest couples are. Who are still together. Who broke up with whom. Who cheated on whom. Last but certainly not least, (among the male population) who the easiest girls are.

As you can see it’s fairly obvious why my two day retreat from the never ending world of gossip. Although, getting away from the kids at school isn’t just an abstract type of paradise. It’s not my bit of paradise anyway especially if it’s in my house with my parents.

Saturday morning I stumbled out of bed around noon. As I poured myself a bowl of Coco Pebbles my mother came into the kitchen. My mother of course had been up since 8:oo am, and looked perfect to start her day. (Cause she wouldn’t fathom leaving the house if she didn’t look absolutely perfect.)

“Honestly Talbot, it’s such a beautiful day outside it’s such a shame to sleep till noon. I swear you’d waste your entire day away sleeping if given the chance. You doing anything with you friends this weekend?” my mother asked this question just as I shoveled a spoonful of cereal into my mouth.

I tried to tell her I had no plans for the day, but all that came out was a mumbled mess. I wiped the milk that had leaked down my chin with the back of my hand.

I wasn’t at all surprised when my mother looked disgusted. She looked down at me, as if to scold a child, “For heavens sake haven’t your father and I taught you any better? You do not talk with food in your mouth.” (She said it as if it were an absolute fact, no to be contradicted, and with my mother it’s not something you want to do often.)

“I said I don’t have any plans for today, or this weekend for that matter.”

“Well why not?” my mother huffed. “Why don’t you do something with your friends?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet, maybe I will.” I knew of course that I wasn’t going to do anything with my friends. I had just told my mother that to get her off my back. I would’ve never heard the end of it if my mother knew I was avoiding my friends for the weekend.

Thankfully she left me alone after that and I slowly got ready for the day. It was around 1:30 pm before I was headed out the door, for the bus stop.

I’m getting distracted. I was talking about paradise, or my paradise at the very least. As I stepped off the bus, the sun shinning down on my bare shoulders, I was only a block away from paradise itself. Thankfully the was a bus stop just a block away fore the store. Otherwise it would’ve been such a nuisance having to walk further.

Get this widget Share Track details

Play Song Now

It’s as if when I walk through the door of Music: Then and Now my problems just disappear. ’Video Killed the Radio Star’ was blaring through the speakers. Patch’s three band mates were hanging around. (They always seem to be there, as if they have no where else to be.) Sullivan, Sully, is one kick ass drummer. Jake plays lead guitar along with my brother. Donovan, Van, plays bass guitar and sings back up. They play some amazing music together, I haven’t missed a show of theirs yet.

“Hey Mercy, how’s it going?” Jake bellowed over the music as I came in. (The three of them started calling me Mercy for two reasons 1.) it’s like my last name, Mercer and 2.) whenever I play music in the store that they can’t stand I get the same response, “No, heaven have mercy.” Hence the name Mercy.

“Good now that I’m here, Jake,” I smiled.

So, naturally I got the same response from them when I switched the music. They all had something not so nice to say about it when they hear the Jonas Brothers, S.O.S. start to play.

Get this widget Share Track details

New Song Now

Being a huge Jonas Brothers fan myself, (I know boy bands aren’t cool anymore, but I like what I like and no one can change that) I started singing right along with the song. The guys looked at me as if I was mental. Hell maybe I was but right then I could’ve cared less.

As the second song started to play I saw Van look over my shoulder. “Patch, please I’m begging you make her turn it off.”

“Sorry guys, you know the rules. You know how it is,” I heard Patch from right behind me. “Tal gets to play whatever music she wants on the weekends.”

“But we can’t take it,” Sully replied, “it’s killing my brain cells as we speak.”

“Stop being so melodramatic, Sullivan,” Patch ordered. “Hey, Tally, how’s my favorite little sister?”

“You mean your only little sister,” I pointed out.

“You don’t have to get so technical, Tal. Besides, you’d still be my favorite,” and he leaned down to kiss me on the cheek.

Despite the 20 year age difference Patch and I are the best of friends. Our relationship has always transcended that of brother and sister. We’ve never fought or gotten into the sibling rivalry. Well, actually we have got into fights, but I wasn’t over anything trivial like; Don’t ever touch my stuff without asking. Were you in my room, what did you take? And other stupid stuff like that.

Patch is the coolest, smartest, funniest, and one of the most successful people I’ve ever met. I don’t just adore my brother as I’ve stated in a pervious entry, I worship him. Ok, I admit that’s a bit extreme, but it’s mostly true. He’s my hero, my role model, and I want to be just like him. Meaning I want to be someone who takes control of their lives and isn’t’ afraid of hat others might think of you when you do.

That’s easier said then down when it comes to me, though. I’m not good with confrontation, and I’m probably one of the shyest people you’ll ever meet. I’m trying to change that though, and maybe soon I’ll speak up for myself. Until then I’ll be speaking here.

Normally I’d say that Music: Then and Now in my bit of paradise, but really it’s were I can be myself without fearing what other people think. Basically, that’s wherever my big brother, Patch, can be found.

Perpetuating the Immaturity

The fact that high school guys still act like they’re in elementary school isn’t all their fault. The girls they choose to hang out with help them to stay grade schoolers forever.

I did my best to avoid Posie and the rest of my friends. Unfortunately, I have lunch with all three of the girls I’ve so nicely labeled friends. Out of all three of them Posie is definitely the easiest to get along with. I think the only reason that is, is because I’ve known her the longest, and she knows me the best. Knows me enough to know how not to piss me off. That doesn’t actually stop her from doing it though.

I had just got through the line with my food when I was intercepted by Posie and Dasha. “Your going to sit with us right, Tal?” Dasha asked as she giggled in hat high pitched way that makes your ears want to bleed.

“Of course Dash, who else would I sit with. My other friends?” my retort dripping with sarcasm.
Dasha stopped mid stride and my tray nearly missed her backside by an inch. “You have other friends?”

I was dumbfounded. I wasn’t sure exactly how to reply to that. Thankfully Posie beat me to it, “She was being sarcastic, Dash.”

“Oh, well in that case, never mind,” and we continued to our table. Katy was conveniently waiting for us all to come and join her.

I barely had the chance to sit down before Katy bombarded me with questions. “What the hell were you thinking, ,Tal? How could you turn him down? Why wouldn’t you want to go out with him? Like every girl wants to go out with him”

I had a mouth full of mashed potatoes when Katy finished her ranting. I could fell three pairs of eyes boring into me. “What?” I mumbled genuinely confused.

“He asks you out and you just ignore him. What were you thinking?” now it was Dasha’s turn.

I looked to Posie, “Do you have any idea what these two idiots are talking about? Cause I have no idea?”

“We are not idiots,” Katy and Dasha chirped at the same time.

Posie tried to stile a laugh, “Of course your not. It’s just more of Talbot’s sarcasm,” she emphasized the last word as she looked at me.

She really did know me so well. “Yep just more sarcasm. Now is someone going to tell me what the inquisition’s all about?”

“Inquisition?” Dasha honest to God didn’t know what it was. I ignored her and continued to stare at Katy.

Posie spoke up first, “Think about it, Tal, yesterday.”

I looked over to Posie then turned back to Katy, “You couldn’t possibly be talking about Douglas?”

“Who else would I be talking about?” Katy purred. (I’m not shitting you that’s how she said it.)
“He asked you to go out with him and you turned him down. I wouldn’t have.”

Thinking back to the conversation I had yesterday I wanted so badly to say to her, ‘No shit’, but I restrained myself. “Katy, Douglas didn’t so much as ask me out as offer to have sex with me. I wouldn’t go out with anyone who thinks he can get sex before we even go on a first date.”

Final words of my so-called-friends:

Katy, “Your lose”

Posie, “You’re a role model. For girls who don’t want to have fun.”

Dasha, “But really, what’s the inquisition?”

The Immaturity of Boys

High school boys are no more grown up then when they were 12. The only thing that’s changed is there appearance. Actually, one other thing has changed. now that they’re in high school all they can think about is having sex, or anything of a sexual nature. Yet it is this obsession with sex that makes them still so immature.

Douglas Preston is a boy I’ve know since the third grade. I’ve always considered Douglas one of my friends. He used to be funny, charming, and cute in a goofy sort of way. Sometime between freshman and sophomore year he grew into his goofiness and now he’s one of the most sought after guys in school. Especially ever since he made the football team this year.

The only class Douglas and I have together (since I’m in honors classes) is health, go figure. I was waiting for class to start when Douglas and two of his new meathead friends, both seniors, came barreling into the room.

“Did you see what the new girl in history was wearing?” Michael Harding (the alpha male) practically drooled.

“Oh yeah,” David Corey answered, “Her top was so tight you could just about see everything.”
Michael winked to his friends and proceeded to tell them, “By the end of the week I’m going to make her mine.”

“Your 18 right, Michael?” I asked as I turned around to face them.

Michael glowered down at me, “What, you talking to me?”

“Yeah,” I said slowly, “and it wasn’t that hard of a question.”

“Yes, I’m 18. Is there a point to this?” Michael asked.

“Well, the point is genius,” I began by rolling my eyes, “She’s 16, which means you’re a legal adult and she’s a minor.”

All three of them looked at me with blank stares. I continued, “That’s rape.”

“I’m not as stupid as you seem to think I am. I never have, and never will, force a girl to have sex with me,” Michael said high fiving his friends.

I gave an exasperated sigh, “Well if you so smart you’d know that a legal adult, that’s 18 or older, can go to jail for like 10 years for having sex with a minor, that’s younger then 18.”

They were all completely dumbfounded, couldn’t say a word. Then Douglas, the little shit, had to go and make a comment. “Sorry guys I guess she’s all mine.”

I turned back around in my seat and stared at Douglas. I just stared at him, cause for the life of me I couldn’t think of a word to say to him.

“What?” Douglas asked.

“I don’t know how to respond to that Douglas. It’s like I don’t even know you anymore. How could you objectify women like that?” I demanded.

Douglas looked stricken, “You don’t want me to have sex with her?”

“Are you really asking me that? I can’t tell you who you can and can’t have sex with, but it’s as if you only want to sleep with her to say you’ve slept with her.”

He then smiled slyly, “How about this, I don’t sleep with her if you go out with me.”

I was once again speechless by my once good friends choice of words. “I’m sorry did I hear you right?”

“If you want me I’ll swear off all other women. You know I’ve always had a thing for you,” he talk me. His friends were held rapt by the conversation, waiting for my answer.

“Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You won’t have sex with any other girl as long as I have sex with you?” I was hoping I got it wrong and he hadn’t become a complete pervert, in what seemed overnight.

Douglas gave a lopsided grin, “Of course. Just ask anyone, you won’t be disappointed.”

For the third time in the same conversation I was at a loss for words. So, I did the only thing I could think of. I turned back around and ignored them. I heard the three of them laughing among themselves. I wanted more then anything to believe Douglas had only been joking, but I know I’d only be fooling myself.

The Wonderful World of...ME

What is there that I can say about me? Well, my name is Talbot Mercer, but I go by Tal cause Talbot sounds why too preppy. I'd say I'm just your average, everyday, ordinary 15 year old sophomore in high school. Except maybe I'm not so average. Above average? maybe in my IQ (I'm a straight A honors student). Unique? maybe cause I don't want to be like the IN crowd (even though my so-called-friends worship them and one day will be them). Non-conformist? maybe cause my so-called-friends are always complaining that I dress like a total loser (there words exactly with a little bit of a valley girl accent. Even though we live about as far east as you can get from beautiful sunny California). I guess you could say I'm your smart, fashionably and socially inept jock. Yeah that's right I said jock. I love playing soccer.

It's the only thing I do in my school that would even remotely be seen as popular. My friend Posie (whose your perfect gorgeous blond) would tell you that I'm the most anti social person she has ever met in her life. That I have the amazing potential to be popular, if only I tried. I don't go to any of the school events, that is none that have to do with girls soccer cause I 'm required to go to those. I do my damnedest to avoid parties in general, cause I'm not into getting wasted and losing all my inhibitions. That's right I'm a virgin, and I'm guessing one of the few still left at my school. One of my other friends, Katy, has told us all in excruciating detail about her sex life, most of which I could live without (well not the sex part, cause I don't plan on being a virgin for the rest of my life, but having to listen to Katy tell about all the guys she's been with and what they've done in detail. That I can live without). Another friend of mine, Dasha, has never had actual sex, but she's done everything else (if you know what I mean). Posie, on the other hand, I couldn't honestly tell you if she's done the deed or not. With her it's hard to tell cause she doesn't talk about it, but I wouldn't be surprised if she has with that boyfriend of hers. They've been going out since the 8th grade and they still seem to be madly in love, or at least as madly in love as you can be at 15 and 16 years old.

Enough about my friends already, huh? Let's move on to my family. My parents, despite what seems to be all the rage these days, are still married. They've been happily married for 35 and still seem to be able to stand each other, even though they have different personalities. My dad is a journalist, he writes for a paper here in Boston (Boston is all your getting about where I live and which school I go to. I wouldn't want people hearing me bitch and complain about them on the Internet for all to see, and become even more of an outcast). My mother is a real estate agent, she sells the lovely homes that nobody whose middle class can afford. Oh, and I should mention that my mother is like an adult version of my so-called-friends. The way she talks about perfect Posie, with her size 2 body and full blond hair, I know she wishes her one and only daughter were her, not the thick brown haired, size 12, fashion disaster daughter she got.

There is only one person in my life that I can stand to be with for exactly who they are, and no it's not myself. It's my older brother, Patch. He is the reason I fell in love with the 80's, being that he was a teenager during them. Yeah that's right, my older brother is 20 years older then I am, he's 35. (I know it's a little weird isn't it him being 20 years my senior. Here's how it went down; my parents had Patch when they were just teenagers themselves. My mother was actually my age 15, my dad was 16. So, they've been married exactly as many years as Patch has been alive. Well after having Patch as teens they hadn't planned on having another kid at all, but 20 some years later, uh-oh, I came into the world as a little accident.) I think the age difference is why I adore him so much. He owns a record store called Music: Then and Now. It's got everything you could possibly imagine; to the newest rap, rock, country, or pop c.d.'s to vinyl from the 60's, 70's, 80's and much, much more. He's also an aspiring musician, he plays guitar and sings lead vocals in a local band he formed with his friends called You.Yes.You. If my parents would let me I'd move in with Patch, he's offered to let me stay with him cause he says I'm the coolest little sister a guy could have. But my parents being as old fashioned as they are think it would be wrong for a teenage girl to live on her own with only a sibling, even though he really is old enough to be my father.

Well I can't think of anything else to say today, but I'll be back I'll fill you in on all the ups and downs of my life. Buckle up it's going to be a bumpy ride.