Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

I could see how "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" would have been very convincing at the time it was written. Many people would never have dared question the authority and power of God, and this sermon would have reinforced that fear quite suitably. Jonathan Edwards illustrates (with quite compelling words) the absolute power of God, and what could happen if he is crossed. He portrays God as "angry", which would lead me to believe that he would not hesitate to take action if he was offended.  
Do  you think that God would rule with fear? Wouldn't he want to "rule" with respect? Or for people to follow his guidelines solely because they are good people?
I think that this sermon helped Jonathan Edwards gain the control that he wanted (not that this isn't really what he believed.) I think when people make huge speeches/sermons like this it makes me a little skeptical. Does anyone else feel like he was doing this partly from a political standpoint?   
I know this was short, but its about all I have to say on the matter. (Sorry it was late, Mr. McCarthy... :/)                                                      

Arrivals... There Goes the Neighborhood

My neighborhood.... There used to be a lot of kids on my block, and we all used to hang out together. After school we would hurry to finish our homework so we could go outside and play foursquare, soccer, and ride bikes on our dead-end street.

Then life happened. The older kids, at around 12, started getting less interested in hanging out with 9 year olds. a few years later they went off to high school, and well, we all know how much free time you have after that. This was the disintegration of our "gang". More and more of us started getting older, busier, more capable of going other places by ourselves, and soon enough people started moving away.

First it was Nikki, down the block. Then it was Sheila, my next-door neighbor, the Casper's (Anna, Kimberly and Charles).

I never really noticed how many people left. Not until those summer days that you're sitting at home, longing for school to start (but not wanting to admit it.) Bored, and remembering when you were younger and all you had to do was run over to the neighbor's, push the bell (It was the one to the left of the mailbox, right?) and wait patiently for someone to open the door.

Now, in Nikki's house there's an old couple. In Sheila's there's a young family with little kids, and the Casper's is currently up for grabs.

Well... There goes the neighborhood.

Introductions

I'm Stina Taylor. I'm a sophomore at Whitney Young Highschool. I am part of the set crew for the Young  Company and have participated in two shows, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Jugger's Rain. I also Irish Dance, and have done it since I was five.
I like to read, but hardly find time to anymore because school and Company have taken over my entire life.

I take the blue line to school and get off at Jefferson park.

My mom is from Sweden, so I have grandparents, an aunt and uncle and two cousins there. My family and I go there every other summer to visit them. On these trips, we often go to Norway and camp in the mountains as well. We fish and hike and do outdoorsy stuff like that.