15 Oct, 2008
Who Is Cutout Dissection.com?
A PETA intern (formally known as Jennifer Thornburg) has officially changed her name to Cutout Dissection.com. What made her decide to do this?
"I changed my name in order to raise awareness about the six million animals that are killed for dissection each year. In middle school I dissected a chicken. I wasn't into the idea of dissecting an animal, but when I asked my teacher for an alternative, he said that I could only have it if I went vegetarian for the two weeks leading up to the dissection. I thought that was crazy, at the time, so I went through with the project. Looking back, I can't remember much from the actual dissection; I know now that using an alternative would have been much more educational, and I also know that it's definitely not crazy to be a vegetarian, too.
My fellow interns call me Cutout, but my family still calls me Jenny."
Partial story courtesy cutoutdissection.com & photo courtesy images.google.com, 10/14/2008
What's in a name?
John 15:15 The Message
I no longer call you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking. No, I've named you friends, because I have let you in on everything I've heard from the Father.
What does God's Story scripture teach us about our name?
Clearly this girl is passionate about preventing dissection of animals. Isn't amazing how people can become so convinced of something they stake their name on it?
This season NFL player, Chad Johnson went to the extreme of legally changing his last name to Ocho-Sinco. The name refers to Johnson's jersey number, 85.
Our names are important. Given to us at birth by our parents, people have gone to great lengths to both protect their good name and lend it to causes they feel strongly about.
Most parents spend time considering what to name their child. They search for meanings and choose names that will define, honor, and describe their offspring.
Our Heavenly Father, God, has names for us as well. Here are just a few that come straight from the Bible.
Apple of my eye, Son/Daughter, Precious, Beloved,
Cherished, Sheep of his hand, God's Image bearer, Friend...
Aren't you glad that God's names for us define not who we are but who He is? In other words, we aren't given the names that describe us, but the names that describe how deeply God loves us despite who we really are. Imagine if God named us by what we did.
Sinful one, Selfish friend, Ungrateful daughter,
Disobedient son, Angry teenager, Failing Algebra...
No, God sees us (and names us) not as we are but thru the lenses of his deep love despite who we are. He is passionate about us and names us accordingly.
What difference would it make in you if everyday you reminded yourself, that you are precious, beloved, and a friend of God? Names are powerful; try a few of God's names for you on for a change.
How does God's Story scripture connect with my story?
- Spend some time in the scriptures and see if you can find some more names that God has for you.
- Choose one of the names that means the most to you. Now try getting up each morning for a week and saying that name five times before you start your day. For example: "I am a friend of God" repeated five times before your feet hit the floor.
- Make a list of the names of God that we see in scriptures. Remind yourself of who He is in your life.
How can we connect today's story, God's story and my story with others?
- Tell your friend about the girl from the article who changed her last name for a cause. Ask them if there is anything they are passionate enough about to change their name for. Talk about God's passion for us and the names He calls us.
- Ask your friends if they know why their parents gave them their particular name. Is there a special meaning or were they named after a particular person? This can be a jumping off point to talk about how important names are and some of the names God calls us.
Share with your friend what it means to you to be called a "friend of God".
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