How Good is Good Enough- Part II

In my last post, we tested the "I'm a good person, and God is good, therefore I'll go to heaven " theory. If you haven't read that yet, please take a moment now to do so. At the end, it appeared that the theory leaves us with tons of unanswered questions such as, just how much of our lives has to be good (50%, 10% , 90%)?, what benchmark will we use to measure our goodness on a curve (mother theresa?! eek), how do we know how to be a "good" person if our own morals and values are constantly changing over time, and why on earth was Jesus quoted saying that someone would have to be more 'good' than the Pharisees to get to heaven Matthew 5:20 (ie religious leaders of the time whose job it was to follow the 10 commandments and other laws laid down by Moses) YET when Jesus was lying on the cross about to die, he told the prisoner/criminal on a cross next to him "surely you will be with me in paradise" Luke 23:39-42? HUH?! So if being a good person doesn't get you into heaven, then what does? being a bad person? Well the alternative view, which is the view I hold along with 1/3 of the world's population is that FORGIVEN people go to heaven. Forgiveness is made possible by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. It goes something like this.

1. We are all by nature bad people. GASP! yea that's right I said it. All sin is equal, and it takes just one sin (i.e 1 white lie, 1 time when you idolize something other than God, 1 time when you disobeyed your parents) to separate us from God.

2. The wages of sin is death. Yeah that's right, we're completely screwed at this point. It doesn't matter how many good works we do, or how hard we try to earn our way into heaven, it won't work because we are still separated from God by just 1 sin. "All our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isaiah 64:6). BLAST!

3. I'll just atone for my sin by offering up a dead lamb, mmm k? It's true, the Old Testament made it abundantly clear that God can't dispense sin without a sacrifice, and sin required death, which is why God allowed a dead animal to temporarily substitute for the death of the sinner. BUT, the death of the lamb did not permanently erase the guilt associated with the sin, it merely atoned for or covered the sin.

3. Jesus to the rescue! Heyyyooooo. Jesus positioned himself as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for sin--the Lamb of God (get it?!) . He died on the cross once for ALL sin, past present and future. His death on the cross made it possible for anyone to restore their relationship with God and spend eternity in heaven.

4. We now have been given a free gift of eternal life. It wasn't anything we deserved, or earned, hence 'gift'. All it takes to accept this gift is to believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior.

Is this fair?! heck no! it's more than fair. Fairness would be for us to face the consequences of our sins and be eternally separated from God. But no, Jesus loved us so much that he offered us the chance to go to heaven even though we didn't deserve it

How Good is Good Enough- Part I

In a recent survey, 90% of Americans said they believed there is a heaven, while only 30% of Americans said they believed hell is a real place, and of the people that said they believed in hell, almost none of them thought they were going there.

Good People Go to Heaven: There is a good God who lives in a good place reserved for good people. This God goes by many names. He is behind all major world religions. Therefore, all major, and possible minor religions provide a legitimate path to God and therefore, heaven. It is no wonder this theory is the most popular held theory in the entire world because:
1. It is fair

People who do good deserve good things. You study hard, and you get a good grade. You turn in quality work, you get promoted. This cause and effect relationship is not only shown in our day to day lives, it is also illustrated in many religious texts. For instance The Bible, The Koran, The Book Of Mormon all recount God's eagerness to reward good behavior in this life.
2. It is logical
The theory Goes along with idea that there is a 'good God'. If he dwells in a good place, it makes sense that God would fill heaven with good people.

3. It is good for society
It keeps everyone on their best behavior, or at least it should.

And most people STOP at this point and continue living their lives. I mean why bother to continue thinking about this theory anymore when on the surface it seems to make absolute logical sense. But why not take 5 minutes now to really 'test' this theory a little bit further. HOKAY! Let's take a minute and ask ourselves the following:

1. What defines 'good'?
If good people go to heaven, a good God should have communicated directly to us what qualifies as being 'good'. I mean sure on the surface you may tempted to think well all religions are the same, everyone agrees that it is wrong to lie, cheat, and steal, but then why can't all the religions agree on the formula of good works needed in order to go to heaven? Why does one religion see that participating in suicide bombing in which people get blown up secures them a spot in heaven, while other religions believe that loving your neighbor as yourself gets you into heaven? It just doesn't make sense that a good God wouldn't have made it perfectly clear to everyone what defines 'good'.
2. Maybe everyone uses their own moral compass to define 'good'?
Even if we do innately posses some sort of moral compass or conscience that helps us distinguish right from wrong, it changes over time. For instance, when I was under 21 and would have 5-10 drinks in a night I didn't see it as being bad or doing something wrong. However, now at age 25 I would personally find it wrong for myself to go out and get 'trashed' even though I am of legal age. So which 'moral compass' would God use when determining whether or not to allow me into heaven... my moral compass at age 18-20? or my moral compass at age 25?
3. How does the scoring system for good deeds work?
Maybe God is more merciful than he is just, and will allow us to go into heaven if 10% of our life is filled with good. Or what if God is more righteous and holy than he is merciful and expects 90% of our life to be filled with good works. Or what if God grades us based on a curve, and he uses Mother Teresa (a women who dedicated her life to serving the poor) as a measuring stick. If the latter two are the case, I'm screwed!
4. Can't we use the 10 commandments/bible as a way to gauge how close we are to getting in to heaven?
No. The 10 commandments were given to the Israelites once theywere freed from being slaves in Egypt, because they needed a system of rules to live by to provide a social and civil framework for the nation of Israel. Yes, the bible does tell of people facing earthly consequences for breaking God's law, but you will no where in the bible find it saying that by obeying /breaking the 10 commandments did that make you any closer to getting into heaven/ getting sent to hell. Furthermore, the New Testament gives the reason for the 10 commandments when it says in Romans 3:20 "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
5. What would Jesus say?
Jesus told the most religious people of his day (i.e Pharisees) that they were not good enough to enter God's Kingdom [Matthew 5:20, For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven] while promising a criminal a spot in Paradise. [Luke 23:39-45 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."]

So where does that leave us... if 'good' people don't go to heaven, then who does.. bad people?? Stay tuned for Part II of my book report.

{Above is a summary of How Good is Good Enough, by Andy Stanley, which I read this weekend. It's short and only takes an hour to read. It can be bought here}

All the single ladies, All the single ladies, Now put ya hands up!

I never normally watch SNL, but now that I am currently a stay at home mom minus the kids, I decided to watch Oprah when JT was on and they showed the below clip, a parody of Beyonce's "All the Single Ladies". So take a minute, watch, and laugh.

haha is it weird that I think Justin can still be attractive in a leotard? Anyways, I digress. This song is about women who are single.... and it's a well known fact (well guys might not be aware of this) but almost all girls posses THELIST... maybe they have started it when they were little while going gaga over Aladdin or Prince Charming, or maybe they didn't start it until after they dated someone that treated them terribly and realized they needed a reminder of what their standards should be. Regardless of timing, THELIST is a list (either mental list or on a piece of paper or computer) of qualities that a woman wants in a husband. Yes, woman are more complicated than men. And yes, unlike most men, our list of requirements for a mate isn't just "hot and fun". (I am generalizing I realize, so no need to get all huffy like the bike, thanks ! ) Somehow I was randomly thinking about this when I was brushing my teeth before Easter brunch, and when I was going through qualities that most woman seem to want I couldn't help but ask... is it really a husband we are searching for... or is it a savior??? Let's look at a sample LIST of requirements and see what I'm talking about.

#1 Introspective and aware- Women want men to know their own minds and hearts. We want men who know what makes us happy or sad. We want men who are aware of what we want and understand what motivates our action or inaction.

• Example: Our significant otherknows our thoughts without us having to tell them or hint....i.e. that we want a David Yurman ring or a Tiffany's necklace for our birthday,anniversary, etc and not a vacuum cleaner or coffee maker.

• How God is this: Because God is all knowing, He knows our thoughts before we even think them ." You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD." (Psalm 139:2-4). "The LORD knows the thoughts of man…" Psalm 94:11, "…God…knows the secrets of the heart." (Psalm 44:21)

#2 Clear, open, sensitive communicator & listener.-Women want men to communicate. Women specifically want communication about feelings, needs, wants, hopes, dreams, problems, solutions and all other things which make a relationship work.

• How God is this: God cares when we are feeling down, and he will listen to us. "Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll are they not in your record?" Psalm 56:8 “O God, Hear My Cry for Help! Pay Attention to My Prayer” (Psalm 61:1).

# 3 Committed to the relationship, exclusively and for the long haul

• How God is this: "...God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. ""(Hebrews 13:5)

#4 Fun, playful, creative, passionate

• How God is this: God has a sense of humor...after all us humans do and we were created in His image (Genesis 1:27) ... God is also creative, after all he created created the universe and everything in it (Genesis 1) .... If you don't think God is creative, check out a bleeding heart, a sea horse, or the 25 world's most interesting animals here. God is also passionate, about loving us (John 15:13) wanting to know us personally (Revelation 3:20) and wanting to spend eternity with us (John 14:1-3) "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8

This list is not exhaustive, it's just a sample. If you think you might want to learn more about what it means to have a personal savior go here

Easter, why I've learned to love it

When I was little, Easter was my least favorite holiday. I mean sure I got the Easter basket complete with a chocolate bunny, Starburst jelly beans, fake grass, and a few plastic eggs...but that was it! Christmas was my favorite because as a child I was a materialistic whore... I mean how could I not get overly excited about getting a Huffy bicycle, an Easy Bake Oven, Where's Waldo Books, and Super Mario Brothers 3?

My like for Easter didn't really change until a few years ago, when I looked beyond the Easter bunny and figured out the true significance of this holiday. As I'm sure you all know Easter has nothing to do with bunnies or eggs. Essentially, the ancient Roman Catholic Church , in order to make Christianity more attractive to non-Christians, mixed the celebration of Jesus' resurrection with a celebration that involved spring fertility rituals. These spring fertility rituals are the source of the egg and bunny traditions. The true, biblical purpose of Easter is to celebrate the resurrection of Christ that occurred three days after His crucifixion [and because of Jesus' death/resurrection, I have been given and have chosen to accept the free gift of eternal life and I can be 100% sure that when I die, I will be going to heaven to spend eternity with the God of this universe, yippee! (John 1:12 John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9) ] For proof of the death/resurrection go here . This single event is literally the linchpin of Christianity. It is a fairly well-established fact that Jesus Christ was publicly executed in Judea in the 1st Century A.D., under Pontius Pilate, by means of crucifixion, at the Jewish Sanhedrin. However, after this point, not everyone believes the same thing. Christians believe Jesus died and then on the third day rose again (which explains why Mary and others found Jesus's tomb empty). While others believe he died and someone hid his body even though there were guards watching it the whole time making this theory implausible, while others believe in a Swoon Theory- the belief that Jesus didn’t really die at His crucifixion, but was merely unconscious when He was laid in the tomb and there He resuscitated.... I'm sorry but this theory is bogus. Read here as to why. So yea, what I'm saying is you can't just believe Jesus is God but instead believe that God spared Jesus the pain of death and took him straight to heaven (Islam religion). You absolutely must believe that Christ was nailed to a cross, suffered, died and was buried, and on the third day rose again, otherwise the Christian religion is a complete JOKE. If you don't believe me, just hear what Paul says in 1 Corinthians:15 when he explains in detail the resurrection of Christ. Paul was speaking to those in Corinth who didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead and Paul gives 6 disastrous consequences if there was no resurrection:
1) preaching Christ would be senseless (v. 14);
2) faith in Christ would be useless (v. 14);
3) all the witnesses and preachers of the resurrection would be liars (v. 15);
4) no one would be redeemed from sin (v. 17);
5) all former believers would have perished (v.18); and
6) Christians would be the most pitiable people on the earth (v. 19).
But Christ indeed has risen from the dead and “has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen sleep” (v. 20), assuring that we will follow Him in resurrection.

TRANSLATION: If Christ didn't die on the cross for our sins and resurrect after 3 days, telling people about Christ would be pointless, faith would be useless, all of the eyewitness testimonies of the resurrection must have lied, no one would be able to have eternal life, i.e. go to heaven because we would not be redeemed from sin =( , all believers before Christ wouldn't have eternal life, and Christians would be people that others would pity because of their pathetic belief in something that was an absolute farce.

Furthermore, the death and resurrection
1.)Proves Christ is the Son of God
-Romans 1:4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
2.) Offers Eternal Life to Anyone that Believes Jesus is God bc Jesus Bore ALL sins!
-Hebrews 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
-Hebrews 9:27-28 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
-Issiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Hopefully, you don't feel like the bunny in the picture who is all confused, but if you do please visit www.gotquestions.org/easter.html

Nicaragua Part 3: it's all about the Benjamins baby... SIKE!

On the second day of our trip, we spent most of the day in Bethel, a small village 10 minutes outside "The Project" where we were staying. As soon as we got there, Kristen, who I'm convinced is my long lost sister/twin, and who has traveled to Nica with Vision Nicaragua multiple times and is considering moving there permanently, took me with her to see her 'adopted' family. On the walk over to their house, Kristen warned me that they were one of the poorest families in Bethel and it became painstakingly evident when I stepped foot into their home. There I was, in a cramped 7 x20 room, that held 1 full size bed, a small table, a few hooks on the wall to hang the single pair of shoes that each of the 3 hijas/daughters owned, 2 plastic chairs, and one light bulb near the front door that dangled from a wire. I kept looking over my shoulder trying to figure out where the other rooms were and where everyone slept, but Kristen soon informed me that all 5 family members (mom, dad, and a 11, 6, and 3 year old) sleep together in the full size bed. Also, keep in mind this wasn't a heavenly bed from the Westin, this was a cheap metal frame, with no mattress, that used to only have 2 2x4's going across the width of the bed but was recently upgraded to have a rattan material across the entirety of the frame (imagine the back of a rocking chair). No blankets, throws, down comforters. As shown in the pictures, the bathroom and kitchen were outside.

We hung out with the mom and three girls for probably half an hour. The families only source of income ($100/month) comes from the father who labors 6 months out of the year in the sugar cane fields. Tragically, the father has already contracted the dreaded kidney disease that results from laboring with harmful farming chemicals, and will likely have to stop working soon. The mom was busy talking away in espanol catching up with Kristen, and in the process explaining how it's hard and sometimes impossible to provide 2-3 meals for her daughters each day, and when it is a meal it's always gallo pinto (which the 11 year old gets angry about because there is no variety). After all of this, the youngest girl, whose name is pronounced HEN-E-SIS, grabbed a small black plastic bag from the table and offered Kristen and I some type of tropical fruit that looked like a mango but wasn't. The mom then asked Kristen and I if we would each like a soda. After hearing about and seeing of their poverty, there was no way I could accept such a sacrificial, heart felt gift, so I respectfully declined.

The mom's simple gesture of offering us a soda, was a perfect example of how as Christians we are to act when giving and making sacrifices. What are we to give? Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites were consistently commanded to give from the firstfruits of their crops as an acknowledgement that everything they had came from God. Proverbs 3:9 says, Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. God does not ask for what’s left after we’ve paid for everything else and the mom did exactly this. She offered her guests the absolute best of what she had, and not just offering what she had left over or had no use for. Why are we to give? The bible also says that quantity of giving is irrelevant, but it is our willingness to give which is important (2 Corinthians 8:12) . Also, She wasn't giving under compulsion or out of obligation or because she thought it would somehow earn God's favor, but instead she was doing so cheerfully and out of love! (2 Corinthians 9:7). How are we to give? Jesus makes it clear that our gifts to God should be substantial enough to be considered sacrificial. And giving isn’t sacrificial unless it’s a sacrifice. (Mark 12:41-44). Those 2 sodas to you or I , may not have seemed like much, but from the mother's perspective, that was all she had! Her family doesn't even normally drink soda as that is considered a luxury.

My eyes have definitely been opened from this experience. What I used to consider a sacrifice (i.e. having to get up early on Sunday, and by early I mean 10:00am, yes I have issues sleeping in way too long and consider 10:00 am early, so that I could make it to KidsQuest to teach 3rd graders about Jesus), now seems trivial to the sacrifices I saw in Nicaragua.

So I ask you. What sacrifices have you made, if any? Do you find yourself saying, "oh well once I make x more money, once I have more free time, or if I was a millionaire, I would donate?" If this is the case, I would like to say that even if you reach these points, you're giving won't change. If you don't believe me, re-read the story I just told you of the Nica mother, or go to the bible and read about how a beggar came to church and gave 2 small copper coins, equivalent to a fraction of a penny, but she literally GAVE ALL SHE HAD. (Mark 12:41-44).

Not a sermon, just a blog.

ATTENTION MIDDLE EASTERNERS: Gossip Girl here. Your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Israel’s elite.

Spotted: Leah falling into the arms of Jacob and winning 3 kids as her prize. Sorry Rachel, looks like your fireworks were a hit and a miss. Will J’s love for Leah last, or will Miss maid servant be his next target to mark? Oh mirror, mirror on the wall, now who does Jacob find fairest of them all? Leah, Rachel, or maid servant, J, which one will it be? Don’t you realize you can’t have all three? Oh J, you sly little dog, did you think you could keep up this trickery forever? And that Rachel would find out, when, never? Too bad Leah’s bump is a clear sign of your cheating. Rachel, looks like you’re the one that will need to be fleeting…

Yes, I realize this is April Fool's Day.. but the story you are about to read is 100% from the bible. It is full of manipulation, bribery, jealousy, and sexual promiscuity. The first time I read it with my small group two weeks ago, my jaw dropped... was this really happening??? I mean sure it happens in the real world all the time today, but I mean really, these people are in the Old Testament... Jacob is part of the bloodline of Christ...so doesn't that mean by default he would be a good an faithful servant, someone who was always faithful to God, who didn't fall prey to sin? Well, as you will see as you read the juicy story below, that is far from the truth. Jacob, Rachel, and Leah were all troubled by sin.. just like you and I are.. but what I find so amazing is that God hand picked these people to be part of Christ's bloodline when he could have easily through his sovereignty made them be more holy and righteous!!!! Or why didn't God just change his mind, why didn't he just wipe out the people like he did with the Flood and start over again??? Because God keeps his promises, He said he will never again curse the ground because of man or strike down every living thing as he did with the flood (Genesis 8:21, Genesis 9:11-15) and He also promised Abraham "I will make you a great nation, bless you, and make your name great" (Genesis 12:2). For me it just goes to show how wide and how deep the love of God really is (Ephesians 3:18).. if he can love these two timing, double crossing, deceptive people from the Old Testament, what's to say he can't love you? Well he can, he wants to... That's why he sent Jesus to earth and to die FOR everyone... but the ball is in our court.. we have free will.. it's like receiving a free gift, we can either accept the gift or reject it.. it's that simple. But enough rambling, read the passage for yourself. Below is Genesis 29:31-30:24 JUICY PARTS ARE IN RED!

When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, or she said, "It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now." She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too." So she named him Simeon. Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." So he was named Levi. She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "This time I will praise the LORD." So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!” Jacob became angry with her and said, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” Then she said, "Here is Bilhah, my maidservant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and that through her I too can build a family." So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, and she became pregnant and bore him a son. Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son." Because of this she named him Dan. Rachel's servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won." So she named him Naphtali. When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her maidservant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, "What good fortune!" So she named him Gad. Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. Then Leah said, "How happy I am! The women will call me happy." So she named him Asher. During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes." But she said to her, "Wasn't it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?" "Very well," Rachel said, "he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes."So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me," she said. "I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he slept with her that night. God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. Then Leah said, "God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband." So she named him Issachar. Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. Then Leah said, "God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun. Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." She named him Joseph, and said, "May the LORD add to me another son."