A Knight's Blog

Having watched the Iowa Debate, I have to say Michele Bachmann really stood out tonight. For the first time she really seemed elloquent, articulate, and confident all at the same time. She conveyed an energy that was intoxicating. Bachmann was the only candidate tonight that had the courage and boldness to confront major inconsistances in her contemporaries, in particular Newt Gingrinch. She looked like a Joan of Arc wielding her (s)words. Her debate with Ron Paul was epic! She made him look like a knave on the stage. I was impessed by her firm stance even during rebutals, that she held high her shield and did not budge a muscle. After the debate wrapped up, I began to asked myself is Michele America's White Knight? We've been living in a dark age for the past three years. We have watched the economy, job market, and values of this country fall. Our once great Capital has become Gotham City, a centeral hube for corruption at every level. What we need is a regime change. We

Today marks the end of the eight year War in Iraq . It's hard to believe it was eight years ago that America suffered the greatest attack since Pearl Harbor . It's hard to believe our men at arms have been fighting in petulant desert all these years. Now the troops are coming home. The feelings are a mix of jubilance and despair. First we are thankful that many are returning to their families, that those brave and bold individuals can finally come home. But then we lament the deaths of all those who fought for the cause of liberty. What do those in their graves say to our Government that has forsaken the battle for freedom in Iraq ? What can the Obama Administration say to console all the mothers and family members that must now visit the tombs of their sons and tell them It's over, we have failed. No victory banner flies, no triumphant cries. Just somber hearts and lies meant to silence our cries. The war is over, but the struggle remains. Iraq remains in trouble, su

No offense to any children but I think Santa Claus has become an idol or god of Christmas. Jesus now lies in manager that is overshadowed by the Holiday Genie that can fix all of your problems. Santa doesn't just deliver presents anymore; he fixes marriages, provides soul mates, and can make you wealthy. If you will just be "good for goodness sake (being good without true conviction, just for rewards) and ask (pray to) him he will give you all you ask." Hmm.. so instead of asking God for help I should just call on Santa? Proof that even the best of things can be tainted and corrupted. Santa was really Saint Nicholas who gave toys to the poor and blessed people during this time of year. He was a good Christian man who had a heart for the orphan and downtrodden. He was motivated by the love of the King of Kings, but now apparently its a magical force like that of Star Wars that compels him to give to children. It's time to stop honoring and worshipping an idol and g

Eight days ago marked the Tenth Anniversary of Halo Combat Evolved . For some this is not significant, it is was merely another day in their lives. For me, it marks the anniversary of a long journey. Many have inquired of me what is so special about Halo. Isn't it just a game where you shoot aliens? In its crudest form yes, but then to use this description is to not do the series justice. Halo's Universe is vast, the narrative that has been spun for a decade is as elaborate as Tolkien's Middle Earth . The motives of the protagonists and antagonists are simple, but then again haven't they always been? Haven't the great tales of old been about good versus evil? Virtue vs vice? Why must we have Inception like stories for it to be deemed worthy? Halo is not just about a war between the human race and collective of alien races. It is not about a weapon world capable of destroying galaxies. It is about memories. I grew up on Halo, it was the staple of my youth. I clocke

Next year there shall be two new adaptations of the beloved classic Snow White. One will be Mirrior Mirrior , a spin on the fairytale that looks to be reminiscent of The Princess Bride and Ella Enchanted . The other is Snow White And The Huntsman which looks like The Lord of the Rings crossed with Underworld . From the trailers Mirror Mirror appears to capture the magic and enchantment of the beloved Disney classic; while Snow White And The Huntsman appears to be truer to the feel and vision of The Brothers Grimm original. Both films will feature a brilliant cast, each with a distinguished actress portraying The Evil Queen: Julia Roberts (Mirror Mirror) and Charlize Theron (Snow White And The Huntsman). This is not the first time Hollywood has had two studios make two different films from the same script. It happened with Tombstone and Wyatt Earp , and again with Armageddon and Deep Impact . The question that lies in audiences' minds is which Snow White will be the fairest

What has become of us? We were once a great people, who believe in morales and Biblical truths. We cared for the meek and empowered the commoner. We establish a great nation, one of the only two Covenant Nations (Israel being the other). But now, we've become an abomination. I watch as celeberties and politicans step up to their pulpits to preach green doctrines, while they demand the blood of our children. The trees must be saved they say! But your baby, just place it on shelf and crack its skull! The butterflies are agony they say, but they heed not the cries of children lieing in on excution table. Murder has become legal. You can at any point in a pregnancy visit a clinic and have it aborted. Scientists say the fetus feels no pain, that an embryo is not living. I dare say God does not agree nor should we. Life is in the blood, the moment that sperm meets the egg a mircale happens. The Almighty ignites a spark, a flame is kindled and it begins to take form. I wonder how many

I just recently watched a moving film (To Walk With Lions) about a elderly man (played by Richard Harris) who has a reserve in Africa where he rehabilitates lions and releases them back into the wild. The film moved me to tears as I I watched the cruelty comitted against these kingly beasts and other creations of the Most High. Over avarice and greed man has slaughter gentle and ferocious creatures such as the elphant and the lion. These creations once roamed Africa and other territories freely, but now they barely survive in preserves and concentration camps (Zoos). The Siberian Tiger is nearing extinction! Will I one day point in a book like that of the Dinosaurs and tell my kid "This is the Tiger, it was like the lion, it is exstinct." When will the madness end? God made us the stewards of this earth, not rapests and pillagers seeking to exploit every living creature for revenue! I understand the need to slay beasts for food or  because of peril. But hunting them for sp

There seems to be a Crusader Renassiance going on in film, literature, and video games these days. One of the most popular franchises is The Assassin's Creed Series which takes placed in both the Crusader & Renassiance periods. My only angst with the Assassin's Creed games is that they depict the Templars as bigoted villans bent on acquiring lost treasures. I have long desired that a developer would decide to tell the other side of the story; to put the player in the Templar's boots. At last, my wish has been granted by Kalypso. The First Templar takes place around The Fourth Crusade. You assume the role of Celian D'Arestide , a Templar Knight on a quest to find the Holy Grail. On your journey you are accompany by Roland , a synical Templar veteran and later Marie D'Ibelin , the daughter of a famous Templar. The gameplay is redundant, but quite addictive. You can easily get away with buttom mashing, in fact its often the key to survival. There is an RPG el

" This Friday 13th shall be remembered, you mark my words ." - Templar Knight, La Rochelle, France   Friday 13th, 1307, The First Templar On Friday 13th, in the year of our Lord 1307. A great atrocity was commited against The Poor Soldiers of Christ of the Temple, also known as The Knights Templar. On that fateful day three hundred Templar brothers were charged with crimes against Christiandom and burned at the stake. The architect was King Phillip 'The Fair', the Soverign of France. He once was our ally, but as our wealth and dominion grew in the Holy Land and Europe envy & avarice apprehended him. Utilizing his puppet Pope Clememt IV, Phillip hunted us down and burnt our last grand master Jaques de Molay. Thus each year this incident is remembered by subsequent generations. They believe it to be a unlucky day, full of bad karma and other superstitions. What they have forgotten, is that it was dark day in history when good Christian men burned for one man

The Buildings burn around us, Churches are set ablaze. I wade through a street of corpses. We are hemmed in by our enemy. With my blade I hew my way out of the furnace, I delve into the infidel who's body springs forth red wells. This once great Crusader haven has become the den of Satan. My comrades abandon their posts, they flee seeking salvation in the ships. I stand alone, preparing to face the tempest. My white tunic is covered in soot, blood mingles with the scarlet cross. I cry out to God, but I hear no answer. I am at the mercy of Mamuluke Commander.   Ships set sail, as flaming arrows fell. I remain abandoned in this hell, waiting for the devil. The ground did thunder as the Saracens did plunder. Left to my fate, I stood ready with my blade. Crossing myself once more, I plunged into the Infidel Horde. Swords did oscillate, and spears did break. In the chaos I fell upon my face and did partake of the red vintage in the streets. The blow rendered me paralyzed, there I la

Its staggering how similar America is becoming to the Ancient Rome Empire. Last night I was watching FOX NEWS and I was appalled by the obession of over the Casey Anthony Case. Women and men flocked to courtroom. pushing and shoving, they were driven like mad bulls. They cry "kill her! Kill her!" This sound quite like the Roman Collisiums when spectators demanded the death of a gladiator. What has become of our country? That people thrist for the blood of others? That they cry like the mulitudes did at Pilate's Court "crucify him! crucify him!" Granted, I believe in justice. If this woman did indeed slay her own daughter, she deserves the death sentence. However, we don't need to cheer and celebrate her demise. For the LORD warns "Beware that you do not celebrate or revel in fall of your enemies, lest the God turn his wrath from them unto you." Then we have the politcal scandals. Recently Rep. Sentor Wiener has come forth admitting he had don

I have been in God's City for nearly two days and already I can feel the LORD's presence. When I pray I can cleary hear the voice of the Most High, I can feel the Rouch Hakodesh (Holy Spirit) fall upon me. Christ is ever on my mind, I see visions of his loving face, and delight in his tender embrace. Here in Jerusalem I am at peace, Elohim has reassured me that I am free, free of the shackles and chains Satan has endeavored to place on me. Free of the snares of man. I have bore my cross with pride, I walk amongst the pathways of the Holy City, neither Jew nor Gentile mocks or look upon me with disdain. I feel accepted, a crusader amongst unbelievers. I am perplexed by how so many Americans fear the unrest and tension of the Middle East. When in fact I do not precieve any animosity. Here everyone lives in Shalom (peace). They treat one another kindly and accept each others differances in beliefs. As I walk the ancient stone paths, as I behold the mighty walls of Jerusalem,

I have always enjoyed speaking with a high vocabulary. I delight in discovering new words and adding them to my repretoire. However, of late elloquence has become a burden, a yoke upon my shoulders. What originally was a means of expressing myself has become a type of opression. I have felt c ompelled to speak intellecutally perpetually, that even certain words are forbidden. I even have felt that i need to use Old English to establish my brillance, to ensure people I am still intelligent. This vanity has like thorn festered within me and caused me agony. It has tainted something I love, communication and made it a compitition. Typically I speak as I often do, with college words without counting or keeping track of what I say. I just naturally type or convey my thoughts without hesitating or examining what has been said. However, there are times that this sinister force takes my tounge and brands it with hot iron. I know that God has blessed me with gifted speech, with a talent

To offend or not to offend that is the question. During my previous visits to the Holy Land, I have observed a system, a means of discretion. When amongst Jews and Muslims I tend to hide my cross beneath my shirt as not to offend them. However, this act of tact has caused me great grief and outrage. I have two verses that dost wage war against one another within my being. The first is: "Be all things to all people, be a jew to the jew, a greek to the greek, a scithian to the scithian, and gentile to the gentile." The other is "delight in suffering, for if they hated the sepherd, they will hate you. Be glad to share in the tribulations of Christ." A part of me feels that I should be sensitive to others, to not try to incite a feud or quarrel by displaying a symbol that could cause contention. However, I also feel ashamed: like I am denying who I am, that I am failing to profess Christ to the unbeliever. I become quite vehemented that it is acceptable for Jews t

There are three dominate religions in the world. It doesn't take a genius to know which three: Christianity, Judiasm, and Islam . I am a Christian and thus my theology does conflict with both Jews and Islamists. However, there is common ground between ua all. With Jew we have the Old Covenant, the Torah, The Prophets, and the Books of Wisdom. The Jew is like our half brother, they believe half of truth, they acknowledge Jehovah, The One True God. However, they reject the Messiah Yeshua or Jesus. While we diagree, we can coexist in peace, we can be loving towards each other. Afterall it was jews that did preserve the the truth for six thousand years. It was also jews, messianc jews who wrote and safe guarded the Gospels.  As for the Arab, the Islamist. We have common ground in that we were once condemned, lost, and considered blind until Christ payed our ransom. Contrary to common knowledge, Mohammand actually was trying to do something positive. He was confronting idol worshiper

Before I didst depart for The Holy Land, my brother told me that the Evil One would attempt to dismay and deminsh me and my mother's joy. That he would make us doubt that our visit to Israel wouldst be blissful, that it twould instead be toil, hardship, and perpetual suffering. I can confirm my brother's word of wisdom to be true, for yesterday me and my ma were caught in a tempest of confusion and spiritual enmity. The Fallen One assailed me the entire trip across the Atlantic. He tempted me repeatedly to give into his web of lies. I found myself crucified spiritually and physically, I wast in such pain on the journey that I cried out to my Soverign Lord for his healing. When we arrived at Galilee, the tempest grew into a twister of anxiety and chaos. We lost items and experianced a spirit of divination. Hasatan flooded our minds. He assured us that we wouldst not enjoy this trip, that it twas in vain to come. We even got a filthy room.Events seemed to confirm the voice th

Times have changed, values have shifted, and the hero has undergone a transformation. In the days of old a hero was known by his valor, his virtue, and his good deeds. He took the form of a White Knight clad in full platemail or he worn the glorious green of infantry. Alas gone are these images, replaced by sullen, morbid faces and attire that is as black and torn as the Grim Reaper's cloak. It seems the masses are more interested in the anti-hero, the man or woman who does not seek to do what is right, but stumbles upon the right decision in the end. The anti-hero is disturbed, an outcast, he wants nothing to do with society, he would rather watch the world burn from confines of his isolated haven. The line between good and evil has been blurred, gone is black and white, in its place shades of grey. I remember the days when you could be certain who was the hero and the villan by their outfits. Typically the hero wore white or light colored araiment (usually blue), and the vil

The Golden Age of Gaming is over. The days of thrill and perpetual amusement have passed away like rain on the mountains. I find myself rather dismayed to type such words, I grew up on the Nintendo NES . I was introduced to The Super Mario Bros . at five years of age by my brother. Since then I have been faithful gamer, I have watched that italian plumber grow and evolve, I have joined super soliders on the battlefield of Halo , and I have hoped and prayed for games with morales to be released. I remember when I once was so enthralled, so captivated by video games. The countless days I spent playing The Legend of Zelda: Orcarina of Time , the months I relished playing Paper Mario, and  The years I spent helping Master Chief repel Covenant Forces in the Halo Trilogy.   For a portion of my life lies within these digital narratives. Many have made inquiry of me of why I and large portion of the populuce have been so enchanted by video games. They ask how such redundant play and repeat

There are subjects we relish, that we adore, and find ourselves enthralled by and then there are those that are challenge to enjoy. One subject I found to be battle this semester was Psychology. Which at first was quite perplexing, for I am a certified Christian Counselor. I discovered as I spent more time in the class that Psychology is multi-faceted, that there are different avenues and threads that stem from it. One thread is scientific, another medical, and another side emotional. I found myself quite enlightened as I studied the six types of psychology: Psychoanalyisis (Freud), Behavioral, Humanistic, Cogntive, Bio-Medical, & Social . Pyschoanalitical Psychology : Pyscholoanalyisis has to do with subconcious, with supressed desires, dreams, and feelings that remain in unconcious. The father of this type of psychology is Sigmund Freud, who was criticised for his emphasis on the sexual. Despite his fixation on fetishs, Freud is right that we as people tend to supress or

Since the Fall, man has made weapons. Cain created a club or used jaw bone to slay Abel. While these tools have been used to hew or crush our fellow man, they also have been used to hunt for food and defend our beloved ones. A weapon is not evil, it is who wields it that determins if it used for good or ill. We live in golden age of weaponry, we have rifles that can dispatch a target from twelve miles away, chemical devices that can annihilate an entire country and of course we are developing plasma and laser technology. It won't be long before we are waging war like in Star Wars. However, as weaponry has evolved, war has lost its intimacy. Typically when we envision a liberator, it is not someone wielding a AK-47 or a M16. It is the romantic figure of a man clad in plate mail wielding a sword. I mentioned before the intimacy of warefare has been lost. Gone are the days when men fought face to face, blade to blade. It was different then, you had to look into the eye of the one

I am not ashamed of the crusades. I appreciate the efforts of those who fought to liberate Europe from the Turks. I am dismayed by the reputation the Crusades has recieved. Christians are taught to be appalled, to look with disdain upon the Crusades. Biased historians want us to beleive the Christians rode to the Holy Land seeking land, titles, and treasuries. Yet they fail to read the accounts of knights and families that went bankrupt in process of aqauiring revenues to go on Crusade. The gain would never repay the sacrifice of these men, these soldiers of Christ. They did not go with sinister hearts, they went to deliver their opressed brethern and then repay the saracen for their invasion. You have to understand Medieval tactics, if you invade my land, if you take my abode, I am obligated to do the same to you. Some call it an eye for eye, but really it was a way to convey power, to express that you are not weak and will not tolerate injustice. We criticise those back then for

I began the semester quite unaware of the story of "Jane Eyre." I had heard of it prior, but payed little heed. To mee it twas of little interest. When I was informed we would be reading Charolette Bronte's masterpiece, I didn't shrug or sigh, I was curious what kind of tale we would forgo. Upon reading Bronte's story, I must say it has impacted and influenced me. The issues contained within this novel range from class, rights, injustice, theology, and ever issue under the sun. While there is not a lack of controversy, Jane Eyre provides a lense to look upon the society of the time. Most religious insitutions were mere prisions meant to shape the behaviors of young women. Propriety is the practice of society, to behave in any conduct no befitting is looked upon with disdain. Abuse is overlooked, especially in regards to children. Love is nearly lost on the tip of avarice and servanthood. Jane is perhaps one of the most complex characters ever written. Even riva

In the mud I wade in my blood. My armor rendered asunder: my helm hewn in two, my blade dulled and my shield in shambles. There in my pond I look upon my foes, a great pile like a mile. My brothers lay strewn around me, some still breathing, others fleeing. All of us bleeding. The weight is so heavy, my arms so weary, I grow tired of fighting, I long to remain lying. The goblin horde descends upon us with their swords, devoid of the Lord, they prepare to gut us some more. With the last ounce of my strenght, I rise to meet my enemy. I pray God keep me as I lean on my blade like a cain. The demon assails me, I go a tumbling, into the mud and blood, there to strangle love. It claws, it tares, it trys to weaken my armor. I reach and take, its neck I did break. There in a sea he is no more, while I float evermore. The horde circles me, it begins raining. The weight pulls me beneath, suffocating, agonizing to breath. This is not what I imagined, no one told me this was what its like in war