It's an outrage! It's a scandal! It's....

*insert disgruntled snort here*

So, Anilee linked to this article in one of her recent posts. I read it, out of curiosity, and I definitely agree -- It's infuriating.

I would suggest you read the article for yourself, but in case you're like me, and rather short on time, and the idea of clicking on a link and reading an entire article makes you bite your lip and move on to the next post instead, then I'll summaraize for you:

The article, entitled Breaking Trust? talks about how many Twilight Series fans (who I'll refer to as the Refunders) have, after purchasing and reading the latest installment-- Breaking Dawn-- in its entirety, begun clamoring that the book was complete rubbish and that they should be able to return it to the publisher and get their money back.

Now, I read Breaking Dawn. Twilight is not my favorite series in the world (although I liked the first book; but New Moon was too melodramatic and Eclipse rather annoyed me), but I decided to read the fourth book because, quite frankly, you bloggers have been talking about it non-stop; and my friends' opinions were/are on every part of the spectrum -- some claim it's the most amazing book EVER; others that its so terrible that it should be burned.
So, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to read it and decide for myself.

And I can safely say that in my opinion, it's poorly written, has very little plot, is rambling and annoying, has some fairly disgusting and disturbing scenes, and overall was probably one of the worst books I've read recently. In fact, it's books like this that cause me to hate YA fiction to begin with.

On the idea that the book was rubbish and not worth buying, I would agree with the Refunders.
BUT, I would strongly disagree with the idea of returning the book to the publisher and getting a refund!

This is the real world, people. Wake up. Just because you buy something and it turns out to be different then you expected doesn't mean you can go running back to the store and give a sob story and get your money back. Hello?! Since when does purchasing something guarantee that you'll like it?!? Sometimes your purchases turn out to be garbage -- and it's precisely this; finding that you've just wasted your hard-earned money on something disappointing, that will teach you a lesson. Maybe NOW all those people who are vying for refunds will think a little harder or do a little more research before spending money on a book.

In the article, the author brings up the fact that some of the Refunders are saying that "returning" the book would send a strong message to the publisher and Stephenie Meyer that they shouldn't "profit from selling...badly-written, poorly-edited garbage".

Well, it's called freedom, folks. Stephenie Meyer or anybody else on the face of the earth can write anything they please --great, terrible, or anywhere in between -- and yes, a publisher has the right to accept it and publish it and even *gasp* profit from it! If YOU, the READER, think it's a waste of money, then it is YOU, the READER'S fault for wasting the money! Just because it, in your opinion, isn't what you wanted/expected/hoped for, that doesn't mean it's wrong. It just means you didn't like it. Tough break. Suck it up and move on!

OR, here's a novel idea (pun!) for all the Refunders -- if you're so upset about wasting your money on a book you didn't like, try getting the book out from the library. It's free, and if you hate it, you return it and never have to think about it again. If you like it, THEN you can go out and buy it! Sheesh!

....Oh, yeah.....And don't even get me started on all the times the author of this article alludes to the idea that teenagers are silly, overly-emotional dramatic nincompoops....*I* beg to differ! We're not all like that!

Safe or Stuck?

First of all, I invite you all to check out a brand new fantastic blog, Somnium of Sarcalogos. (The Latin student in me is just loooooooving that name!!)

Yes, I've been rather lax this month with posts. I'm sorry...there's just been too much going on!! Hopefully things will settle down (at least a little!) now and I can post more in February. We shall see :)

Now....

For the past two weeks in Sunday School, we've been discussing fences. We began by discussing the many purposes and functions of fences. Because really, fences are pretty extraordinary things, when you think about it!

At the preschool I work at, we have a fence around the playground -- to keep the kids in and away from the parking lot and busy road.

My friend has a fence to keep her dogs in their yard.

Fences can be used to create boundaries -- they say, "This is MINE. That is YOURS." Fences can be used as an unquestionable, visual reminder of property. Our neighbors have a fence between their yard and ours. There's never a question of who needs to mow what grass -- we know exactly where our boundaries end and theirs begin.

My youth leader then went on to state, "God's laws are like fences -- do you agree?"

Well, that was an intresting question. God's laws are like fences??

Maybe they are. God certainly lays out boundaries for us. He makes it quite clear in the Bible what He expects of us and what He expects us to stay away from. There's no question about that.

And just like that fence that keeps preschoolers safe...God's laws keep us safe too.

Do we like it? Not usually. It's easy to get so focused on the fence or the blockade in front of you that you miss what's beyond it. You might be so busy lamenting your lack of freedom that you don't see the danger beyond.
Fences do more then keep us IN. They keep danger OUT.

Take my preschoolers -- there are many days when they complain, "There's not enough room! I want to go run out there!" Every single day kids try to climb over the fence, under the fence, or run out past the gate. There is one child who seems to think that running into the fence at top speed will eventually cause it to break and let him out!

The kids don't realize that there are cars in the parking lot and a busy, dangerous road out there -- they are too focused on getting their freedom. They don't know any better -- they need that fence to keep them safe, because they don't understand that danger lurks beyond the fence. Left to their own devices, they would make dangerous choices.

We're an awful lot like those preschoolers, aren't we? God puts up fences in our lives and we spend a good amount of energy trying to climb over them, crawl under them or even run right through them. We don't pause to think about WHY the fences are there -- we're too busy complaining about them.

The fact is, God gives us laws to live by, because without them, we'd just make a big mess of things. We'd make the same dangerous choice as a preschooler running out on a busy road. Quite plainly, we just don't know enough about what's out there, beyond our fences and boundaries.

But God does. God sees everything we will ever encounter, and He builds up fences in the exact places we need them most. Not to trap us. Not to hold us hostage or make our lives miserable or deny us our freedom or be a big old meanie. It's exactly the opposite -- God gives us laws and rules to live by because He loves us, and He knows what's best for us, and He wants to prevent us from blindly running out in the middle of a road.

Often, we teachers find that when we ask the kids why they want to get out of the fence, they can't really come up with answer. They seem to want it simply because it's something new and interesting -- they just want to do something different. Maybe they're just bored. It usually just takes a few suggestions about new things they can do INSIDE the fences, new ideas and new ways to play, and suddenly they lose interest in climbing fences and running away.

Is that how it is with us? Do we just want to break God's laws to test our boundaries, to see what will happen, to try something new and intresting? Is there any good reason for our disobedience beyond boredom?

Next time you find yourself attempting to climb over a fence, pause and think for a minute. What might be beyond this fence that God's trying to protect me from? Is it really that important for me to be out there, instead of in here? Am I just testing my boundaries with God?

Make it a habit to look at your fences as God's wall of protection rather then a big cruel cage. Maybe you'll even find you like the view better from inside the fence.