Last Minute Gift Ideas

Picking out presents for someone is always challenging...do you play it safe and go with something you know he will like, or do you take more risk by branching out in the hopes that the return (i.e. his excitement joy) will be such that his face may explode? I think almost all gifts fall into one of four categories in order from least to most risky, lowest to highest return potential:

Trendy Generic Gift: The gift that majority of people in select demographic will appreciate and have use for. No surprises, just practical. Personal in a sense that they are a man and men appreciate this gift. Examples include wallets, cologne, electric razor, and camouflage colored snuggie.

The No Brainer: The gift that has been spelled out explicitly to you either in gentle hint or half-joke ultimatum form. "I was telling my girlfriend the other day, if Danny doesn't get me a diamond for Christmas, we're through". or the oh so blunt email "Dear David, I thought it'd be fun this year if we made wish lists for each other than we can each select a few items to get for each other so we will still be surprised. Love Schmoopie" . Alternatively, gift could be a new version of something she has loved in the past.

The Gift Card: The gift that lets the person know you are aware of her favorite store. It also lets her know you recognize that your opinion on her favorite sweater from Banana Republic differs drastically with her own personal taste. So really, you are being extra sweet by giving her back the freedom to decide what form of cotton she wants to go romping around in.

The Wild Card: The gift that you choose 100% on your own without any sort of input or advice from recipient. In an ideal world, this person will experience sheer ecstasy momentarily as they are surprised (both with the awesomeness of the gift, and surprised at your ability to pick out something so stupendous on your own). Granted, there is the potential that you and recipient will realize you don't know recipient well at all when she opens a dual bag vacuum when she was expecting a necklace, but hey it's worth the risk right?

So we have a variety of options for people we know. But how would we choose a gift for someone we've never met before whose birthday conveniently is on Christmas (Jesus)? Real quick, let's go through the same categories:

Trendy Generic Gift: Promise to attend church regularly and share the gospel with people.

The No Brainer: Love people (do 'good deeds', make sacrifices, return evil with kindness, grant favors without expecting anything in return) .

The Gift Card: Donate money to church, a non-profit, a homeless person, enemy, or a friend/family member in need!

The Wild Card: Spend quality time alone with just you and Jesus.

Friends, the Wild Card is what God wants from us most. I can't even begin to pretend that I have a gift that would ever please the Son of God. Any material gift I could provide, even if I could afford frankincense, myrrh, or gold, would be insufficient. I think the drummer boy had it right. He was a poor boy and had no gift to bring the King so what did he do instead? He honored God by worshiping Him in song! So maybe you aren't musically talented, who cares! Just spending time with Jesus is enough... and He looks with favor on this more so than any type of act of service we could provide. It seems crazy to think that Jesus would prefer us to be still and spend time with Him versus being involved in activities serving the community, but it's true! Check this passage out:

" As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

In closing, it's up to you to decide what type of gift to get a loved one, but I'd like to encourage you to take a risk and go for the wild card. It might take more time and effort but it will be worth it. Speaking of which, I need to head to the mall. Merry Christmas!

General Tso's Vegan Chicken...better than crack?

ALERT: I may or may not have discovered the best food on the planet! Over Thanksgiving break my brother introduced me to what I truly believe is magic in my mouth. My brother presented me with a small Tupperware container, that housed 1 piece of what I thought was General Tso's Chicken. Apparently he had been saving it for over a week in anticipation of my arrival. I decided to appease him and popped the snack sized bite in my mouth. BOOM. Despite the cold temperature of the Chinese food, I found it to be highly enjoyable! It was juicy and bursting with flavor. After my brother confirmed my liking, he revealed to me that it was from Whole Foods and it was vegan "chicken" (aka tofu). TIME OUT. I hated tofu. The only time I had tofu before was at a Japanese Steakhouse over 10 years ago...I knew in theory it was supposed to be good for me, so decided to give it a whirl when my cousin ordered it... my experience: boring, flavorless, and a sick-nasty rubbery texture, YUCK. I was utterly perplexed that what I had just so thoroughly enjoyed could be tofu! A few days later I got a whole half pound of it so see if I would enjoy a full meal of it. Welp, not only was it amazingly delicious, I was full afterward and not left with that utterly gross full feeling... ya know the kind after you eat legit General Tso's Chicken which is so greasy that it makes you feel the need to take a shower.

So, can you think of something you tried once a long time ago and didn't like? Maybe it left a bad taste in your mouth (literally or figuratively) and you decided you would never try it again. But what if your tastes/preferences have changed since then? What if that thing you tried was fundamentally still the same, but it was presented in a new and highly appealing manner?

The only other time this has happened to me was with church. I used to HATE church. Stand up. Sit down. Hear a dude get up and ramble for an hour. YAWNNNNN. Although I knew in theory it was good for me, I didn't care because I thought it was utterly boring and could never pay attention. After college, in-spite of having many worldly things (good job, good relationships, money) I felt incredibly empty inside and yearned for something more...so I decided to give church another chance. BOOM. Church (Frontline) was AMAZING. Fundamentally it was still the same (worship and learn about God/Jesus) but it was re-packaged using things I already had a liking for....i.e. pianos and guitars playing contemporary worship songs, a charismatic speaker presenting a sermon using B.L.U.F (bottom line up front format),telling personal stories I could relate to, PowerPoint slides to help follow along with the scriptures and emphasize the key take aways and how to apply them to my life!

So this holiday season, I challenge you to try something again that you've tried a long time ago and swore it off. Maybe it's church, maybe it's tofu, or maybe it's something different. But take the risk, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

SNATCH

Hokay, so the other night I watched this movie that was SOOOOOOOOO confusing. It's called Snatch and honestly I have no idea what the movie was about. I was warned ahead of time that I would have difficulty understanding the movie, so I decided it was time to buck up and try extra hard. Five minutes after the movie started, my friend paused and said "Chessy, do you understand what's happening? " Um, NO! Was this some joke I wasn't in on? Surely this couldn't be the REAL movie he brought for us to watch. The actors were speaking some garbled form of gibberish that allegedly was English. My friend reassured me this was a solid movie that I would like, so I decided that maybe the issue was that I couldn't hear well enough. (After all I was positioned at least 20 feet away from the TV next to the running dishwasher and the rest of my friends were only 10 feet away.) I turned off the dishwasher and he turned up the volume. [5 min later]. "Chessy, do you understand what's happening? " Ugh, no! Still optimistic, my friends reasoned that I was simply sitting too far away to hear, so one guy offers up his prime seat, 5 feet away from the TV. I agree and sit in the leather love seat excited that there is still plenty of time left for me to understand and enjoy this movie. [5 min later]. All 4 guys watching the movie with me start cracking up over a certain scene and I remain silent. They ask me if I understand what was just said, and I give them the head nod, rationalizing to myself that it must have been a joke only guys would think is funny. [5 min later]. All four guys PLUS my one girl friend start laughing. BLAST! Okay, maybe I just can't focus because my blood sugar is low and my brain is fried from calculating the present value of bonds all day. Surely once I eat some apple crisp, I'll be recharged, and better able to discern the words coming out of the actors’ mouths. Post-apple crisp gorging, I regain my prime seat ready to show this movie who is boss. [5 min later]. I am still LOST and to top it off Brad Pitt just took his shirt off so focusing becomes even more difficult. I decide to swallow my pride and ask my friend to put on subtitles (I felt like this was on par with requesting bumper pads at a bowling alley or training wheels on a bicycle). We then try to put on subtitles as a few other guys admit that occasionally they can't understand what is being said. To our disappointment subtitles aren’t available because the movie is a pirated copy, bought in a sketchy alley in Thailand. FAIL . We decide to press on, with my one friend agreeing to pause every few minutes and explain to me what just happened.

The morale of this story is that on my own, my comprehension of Snatch was limited. I was only able to discern facts based on what I could see with my eyes (Benicio Del Toro is shot dead, briefcase gets stolen, dog steals diamond, etc). However, with the help of my friend serving as an interpreter/teacher, I was able to piece together the facts to understand the full story. Shortly after my experience, I realized this is exactly what it can be like when someone tries to read the Bible. Although the Bible, like Snatch, is available in English, it is extremely complex and often times very difficult to understand. However, with the help of someone else to interpret the Bible for us, we can enhance our overall understanding and experience. The parallel is as follows:

On your own, the Bible can come off as utter foolishness and thus be hard to understand


Experts are available to increase understanding of the Bible
So how on earth then can we increase our chances for comprehension of the Bible? Simple. find an expert who can interpret it for you! I would say God via the Holy Spirit is a great choice! Just as the Holy Spirit guided prophets to deliver the word of God (2 Peter 1:20-21) and guided the apostles in the writing of the New Testament, He also guides us in the understanding of Scripture.


You need access to the expert in order to get help understanding!
With the Bible, the expert (Holy Spirit) is accessible to anyone who has decided to start a personal relationship with Christ. We know this because the Bible clearly states that the Holy Spirit will physically come to live inside a person once he/she becomes a believer.(1 John 4:13-15)


To the Christians reading this…what if for your friends/co-workers, your life is the only Bible they will ever read? Knowing that they are only discerning information based on what they see, how would you change your behaviors and actions to ensure they get an accurate picture of the gospel?

To everyone else…please don’t let this discourage you from reading the Bible. During the first six months when I was first in a Bible study, I didn’t understand jack. At the time, I didn't have a relationship with Christ so my understanding of the Bible came from what I learned at church and what Christians in my small group taught me. Also, keep in mind that if you truly are wanting to seek God , you will find him (Jeremiah 29:13, Deuteronomy 4:29).

If ya don’t know, now ya know, hommie.

FML

We've all done it before. You find yourself in an unfortunate circumstance, and as a way to cope with the situation, you vent to another friend, only to end your rant with "FML". You and your friend then have a good laugh, maybe throw in a "yea that sucks brah", and then move on to the next topic of conversation. If I've lost you already, check out a few examples pulled from the ever so popular fmylife.com site:

Today, at work, after a visit to the bathroom, the lock broke in my hand and the door was jammed. I called the janitor on my cellphone and told him about the situation. He told me to fill out a complaint and leave it in his post box. He then hung up. FML

Today, my boyfriend ditched me, saying he had some important things to do. When I checked on him a while later, I found out what was so "important". A game called Robot Unicorn Attack. FML

So you see? It's a way to make light of our daily misfortunes. But how do we handle the bigger, more serious, legit trials that we go through? I'm talking about when we are truly suffering. Very early on in my Christian walk, I think a lot of times I would throw up a prayer and ask God to get me out of my existing circumstance. I would then wait based on a time table I had decided was a sufficient amount of time for God to take action. Nothing changed. I would then get angry with God, chalk it up to bad luck and develop the "woe is me" attitude. Sound familiar? I was operating like this until a sermon revealed to me two very important myths I believed to be true.

Myth #1: God works only through divine intervention

Truth: God has the power to change circumstances if He chooses
"...A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "QUIET! BE STILL." Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. " Mark 4:37-39

Truth: Immediate relief from circumstances isn't guaranteed

The first time the apostle Paul was thrown in prison for preaching the gospel God sent an earthquake that same night to allow Paul to escape. HOWEVER, the second time Paul was thrown in prison, God did nothing to change the circumstances, so Paul ended up staying there for several years. Did you know that during his time in the slammer Paul wrote much of the New Testament ?!?!?!?(Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon). Sometimes God doesn't change the circumstances because He wants to work in us and through us!

Myth #2: When bad things happen, it's just bad luck

Truth: There is purpose in trials and God promises wisdom
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. " James 1:2-6

In fact, the Bible lays out at least 25 potential reasons as to why Christians might suffer:

1.Produce the fruit of patience

Romans 5:3; James 1:3-4; Hebrews 10:36

2. To produce the fruit of joy

Psalm 30:5; Psalm 126:5-6

3. To produce the fruit of maturity

Ecclesiastes 7:3; 1 Peter 5:10

4. To produce the fruit of righteousness

Hebrews 12:11

5. To silence the devil

Job 1:9, 10, 20-22

6. To teach us

Psalm 119:67, 71

7. To purify our lives

Job 23:10; Psalm 66:10-12; Isaiah 1:25; 48:10; Proverbs 17:3; 1 Peter 1:7

8. To make us like Christ

Hebrews 12:9, 10; 1 Peter 4:12-13; Philippians 3:10; 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

9. To glorify God

Psalm 50:15; John 9:1-3; 11:1-4; 21:18-19; Philippians 1:19-20

10. To prevent us from sinning

2 Corinthians 12:7, 9-10

11. To make us confess when we do sin

Judges 10:6-7, 15-16; Psalm32:3-5; Hosea 5:15; 6:1; 2 Chronicles 15:3-4

12. To chasten us for our sin

1 Peter 4:17

13. To prove our sonship

Hebrews 12:5-6

14. To reveal ourselves to ourselves

Job 42:6; Luke 15:18

15. To help our prayer life

Isaiah 26:16

16. To become an example to others

2 Corinthians 6:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7

17. To qualify us as counselors to others

Romans 12:15; Galatians 6:2; 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

18. To further the gospel witness

Acts 8:1-5; Acts 16:25-34; Philippians 1:12-13; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-17

19. To make us more than conquerors

2 Corinthians 2:14; Romans 8:35, 37

20. To give us insight into God’s nature

Job 42:5; Romans 8:14-15, 18

21. To drive us closer to God

1 Peter 4:14; 2 Corinthians 12:10

22. To prepare us for a greater ministry

1 Kings 17: ; 1 Kings 18: ; John 12:24

23. To provide for us a reward

Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 19:27-29; Romans 8:16-17; 2 Corinthians 4:17

24. To prepare us for the kingdom

2 Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Timothy 2:12

25. To show God’s sovereignty

Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Psalm 66:10-12; Genesis 45:5-8; Genesis 50:20

So hopefully now you're perspective on trials has changed. So before defaulting to "FML" maybe try and ask yourself "Is there a reason that this might have happened to me?" "What might God be trying to teach me or reveal to me? "What might God be trying to change in me?"

Grilled Cheesus

This post is dedicated to Anne Betts. A few weeks ago Anne emailed me to let me know that the latest episode of Glee was about "God/spirituality" and that " it was one of the best episodes ever but apparently a lot of people hated it." One side plot of this episode involves Finn, a football player in the glee club that is dating fellow glee club member Rachel. When the episode begins, Finn is at his house making a ghetto fab dinner (grilled cheese on a George Foreman). Finn takes the sandwich off the grill, slices it diagonally, and notices that one half of the sandwich bares the image of the Son of God. Finn decides to preserve the "grilled cheesus" in a ziploc bag and eats the other half of the sandwich. Finn decides to test out the power of his grilled cheesus and throws up prayer requests to God on three separate occasions. All three requests come true. The funny thing is, the ways Finn chooses to pray is EXACTLY how we often times pray to God. See below, and ask yourself which bargaining strategy you have used before.

Strategy #1: You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours

Finn says: Super delicious, let us win our football game, for Arty. If you let us win, I will make sure we honor you this week in Glee club.

We say: Lord, if you get me a promotion, I will pay 10% to the church! Lord, if you give me a raise/spouse/relief from current trial , I will promise to read the Bible daily WINK WINK. Lord, if you get me a better job and more vacation time, I will promise to commit to a mission trip!

Strategy #2: You owe me

Finn says: Considering that I've dedicated a week of my life to you, please allow me to touch Rachel's boobs.

We say: Lord, you know I am in a small group, I go to church every week, and I'm abstaining from drunkenness among other things... hook me up brah! I've worked hard, put in my time, and I have earned/deserve X.

Strategy #3: I can evangelize better if You give me X

Finn says: I need a favor. Make me the starting quarterback . Think about it, I can deliver your message more powerfully if I am the most popular guy in school.

We say: If I had a smart phone, I could communicate with people more easily and work on witnessing /relationships. If I had a new car with comfortable seating more people would ride with me and I could casually pop in some Hillsong or Andy Stanley.

A few months ago, John McGowen highlighted that these prayer strategies will never work because they falsely assume the following:


So instead of trying to negotiate with God, perhaps a better strategy is to say "God have mercy on me", and do so with humility and genuine faith trusting in who God is. Look at how it worked for a blind guy in Jericho...

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus, was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. Mark 10:46-50.

You see the difference? It's not about coming to God solely to get what we want, it's about having faith and trusting in who God is and what He is capable of (Hebrews 11:6).

Friend Request

This is an all too familiar image. Someone requests to be your "friend". But what does it really mean? What level of friendship will actually come out if you decide to confirm this request? I think the friendship has the potential to develop into one of the following hierarchical categories:

Facebook Friend:

The bottom of the barrel. Maybe you've actually met this person before, but maybe you haven't (they trick you into accepting because you have 34 mutual friends in common). You get just enough information about him via his status messages, photos, and wall posts to superficially stay in touch with him. Maybe you'll poke him every now and then just to spice things up a bit, but communication with him is very limited.

Gchat/BBM Contact:
Communication is a result of availability and convenience. You're bored at work/home. You need an opinion on what to eat for lunch, where to go to get your tires fixed, or what to do on Friday night. The other person complies because talking about the latest Groupon for kayaking is far more appealing than working on those dreaded TPS reports. Both parties derive immediate gratification, entertainment, and utility from the conversation but there is no specific intentionality.

Email Buddy:
Communication stems from genuine interest. This requires conscious premeditated effort. An idea comes into your head that says "hey, I want to catch up with this person". Life updates can be exchanged without the commitment to carving out time to meet in person.

In-Person Friend:
Communication is not enough. You want to spend time with this person because you have established at least one common interest.

Phone/Skype Best Friend:
Reserved for only your closest relationships. You have so much to say to this person that you can't resort to online or SMS methods for fear of early onset of carpel tunnel syndrome. You realize you just hung out with him yesterday and will see him tomorrow, but you can't wait until then to catch up with him, you need to talk to him NOW. In many cases you have known this person for a long time and you have reached a level of comfort that eliminates awkward silences.

So where do your friends fall into place? Are you satisfied with the current standings? Maybe you want someone to become an in-person friend, but you're stuck at gchat due to distance or time constraints. So maybe you try to realign your priorities and increase your effort. And many times this will work, but sometimes it won't simply because the other party is content with the current relationship level and has no desire to upgrade. But what if I told you there was a relationship out there where the other party was willing to go to the highest level possible and it was simply up to us to decide if we wanted that? I'm talking about a relationship with God ya'll. We have the opportunity to fall head over heals in love with God if we want to, or simply leave it on a level that's equivalent with being just 'facebook friends'. Real quick let's explore the various levels of relationship available...

Potter and clay:
You are aware that your life is molded, shaped, and sometimes broken by a higher power. Limited communication if any. (Isaiah 64:8, Jeremiah 18:1-6)

Shepherd and sheep:
You feel provided for, watched over, and cared about. Sheep are content with this feeling and either don't know or can't comprehend that there is the potential for a deeper relationship (i.e. true intimacy). (John10:11, Psalm 23:1-6)

Master and servant:
You feel committed to obey, but the relationship is mainly about receiving instructions and carrying them out. (Matthew 6:24)

Father and child:
More intimate than master/servant. You have an understanding of God's fatherly love and care, and feel "at home" with God. (Isaiah 49:15, Zephaniah 3:17)

Friends:
Companions in a shared mission. You know what's on God's heart and He knows what's on your heart. You can be yourself without feeling judged. You confide in God because you trust Him. There is maturity and intimacy. (John 15:13-15, James 2:23)

Bridegroom and bride (lovers):
Head over heals in love. Can't stop thinking about Him. Always looking for ways to demonstrate your love for Him via any of God's love languages (obedience, words of affirmation, acts of service, gifts, quality time). High levels of intimacy. (Isaiah 62:5, Philippians 3:8, Psalm 42:1)

So now asking the same question again...where does your relationship with God stand? What level are you at? Are you satisfied with that level? If not, what can you do to get to the level you desire?

MORTAL KOMBAT. KA-POW!

The first time I played Mortal Kombat as a kid I hated it, but probably not for the reasons you would guess. I mean sure it wasn’t My Little Ponies, but my brother and I had an understanding where I would play video games with him and in return he would watch Nickelodeon/Disney channel with me. And yes, the whole violent aspect of the game (fight against an opponent until one player dies) was unappealing, but what really bothered me was that I was TERRIBLE at the game. I’m an uber competitive person and I just remember feeling so frustrated because I didn’t know how to actually play the game. Sure I would manage to sneak in a lucky punch or kick here or there, or try and push multiple buttons at the same time hoping for some kind of miracle. But the result was always the same. I would usually deplete anywhere from 5-10% of my bros life before he would finish me fatality style. It wasn’t fun… until one day when I discovered a little thing called the instruction manual… CHA CHING! This was what I had been missing. I had been trying to rely on my gut/instincts when all along a winning strategy was already laid out nicely for me. The manual listed pros/cons of each character and detailed instructions on how to execute special moves. And yes, post discovering this gold mine, 66% of the time I was able to dominate my brother all the time.

I think this is true for other aspects of my life. Often times I use to tell myself that I just wanted to have peace… but the problem was I didn’t really know how to achieve that. And yes I would try things that I instinctively thought would bring peace, (listen to some Bob Marley, take a warm bubble bath, or have a glass of wine) but it was never lasting. It wasn’t until I entered a relationship with God, and used the Bible as my instruction manual, that I was able to get peace. Real quick, I want to share both my MK strategies for domination and my Biblical strategies that will guarantee peace.

#1. Choose the right team- The most important step. Without the right selection, you’re screwed.

• MK: Raiden. Hands down the best character. He is a thunder god who has the most moves, including the ability to surprise the opponent via Teleportation (down, down up).
• Peace: In order to have access to peace, you need to have a relationship with God. (It doesn’t come from positive thinking or repeating affirming mantras). Once you choose team God, He sends his Holy Spirit to dwell inside you that will allow peace to develop within you (John 14:27). We don’t have a guarantee that our circumstances will change or improve, but we can enter his peace because he has already provided a way through Jesus's work done on the cross. (John 16:33)

#2. Master the key moves- Okay, so it isn't enough to just choose a team and then take a back seat to victory. You gotta use the moves and put in some effort.

• MK: In addition to teleportation, Raiden can perform Lightening (Back, Down, Forward, Low Punch) and Torpedo (Back, Back, Forward) on an opponent.
• Peace: PRAYER. We can overcome battles with stress and fear about the future by communicating with God via prayer and telling him everything that’s causing us unrest (Philippians 4:6-7) . Heck, Jesus even promises to carry our burdens for us, and give us rest from the things that are weighing us down ! (Matthew 11:28-30)

#3. Eliminate the enemy – It’s not truly over until this step is taken care of.

• MK: Turn opponent into dust/bones via Raiden's finishing move (Forward, Back, Back, Back, Low Punch)
• Peace: Silence the devil using scripture. Satan is always going to try and plant negative thoughts in our head to cause anxiety. We can successfully train our mind to realize these lies by using scripture to remind us of God’s truth.

So hopefully now you see that peace is possible. We will still be in a battle while on earth that’s for sure, but if we put on the full armor of God daily we can be victorious. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite passages explaining this.

"Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. " Ephesians 6:10-18

RAINBOWS!! FLIPPY FLOPPIN GOOD TIME

I ain't talking flippy floppies, even though those are legit and everyone should own a pair. I'm talking about rainbows that appear after it rains. Take a minute and watch this video. This broseph spots a double rainbow and expresses his utter confusion/joy/surprise and even cries at the end of the video. I PROMISE YOU THAT YOU WILL LAUGH. I RARELY LAUGH OUT LOUD YET I WAS ON THE GROUND ROLLING. No joke. Best part is at the end.


Now, go back, watch it again, but this time only listen to the audio, and don't look at the video. You will laugh harder. I think it's only fair to try and answer this poor man's question, wouldn't you agree. I mean just listen to him " 'WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? OHHHH.. OMG... OHHHHHH... OH GOSH... IT'S SO BRIGHT... OMG IT'S SO BRIGHT AND VIVID... OHHH OHHH... OHHHH IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL... " This guy, plain and simple, just got caught up in the glory of God and was mesmerized. He probably didn't realize it, but that's what happened. (Special thanks to Krissy's mom for making this profound statement). Let's check out the origin of rainbows and get this guy some answers, shall we?

RAINBOW (ORIGIN): Created by God post-Flood. The Flood wiped out the entire world except Noah's Ark.

Genesis 9:8-17 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."

WHAT IT MEANS

1.) God's faithfulness- Ya'll, when God makes a promise, you can be 100% assured He will keep it. Beloved, don't you realize that Noah's Ark took place in 2500 B.C., meaning that God has stayed true to His word and not wiped out all of creation with a flood for nearly 4,500 years!

2.) God's grace- When God made this promise to Noah, Noah's sons, and all their descendants yet to come (i.e. each one of us!) it wasn't because of anything they did. Remember they were straight up chillin in an Ark with lots of animals for 370 days, and that's it. Granted God told them to go in the Ark, and they listened, but I'm sure anyone would listen to GOD when He tells you to go into the Ark in order to live!! (techinically Noah did have faith in that he believed God's warning of the coming flood). But still. The alternative of experiencing God's wrath as He takes out all of creation with one fell swoop in the form of a massive flood doesn't sound too appealing. You see, God decided to show favor on them/us not because they/we deserve it, but rather because God loves us, hence Grace.

BONUS TIP/SECRET
You can escape God's wrath sans boat! - Okay so we don't have an Ark readily at our disposal as a safe haven to hide from experiencing God's wrath. And we know that God is holy, righteous, has a hatred for sin, and won't allow sin to go unpunished forever. I would say we are up a creek without a paddle. However, let's remember that Jesus Christ came to this earth, was fully God/man, and died for our sins SO THAT we may no longer be under God's wrath. We can seek shelter and refuge in Jesus, we don't need no stinkin’ boat! Boat shoes however, are optional for fun/freedom.

Thank you for your time, and as always, stay classy.

Team Edward or Team Jacob?

In addition to celebrating Amurrrica this past weekend, I was exposed to the awesomeness that is the Twilight saga. Although I was initially opposed (sci fi/fantasy aren't really my thang), about halfway through the 2nd movie (there are 3 total so far), I was completely hooked. Bella, the main character, is in a bit of a conundrum. You see, there are two "men" that are madly in love with her, Edward who is a blood sucking vampire, and Jacob who occasionally transforms into a wear wolf... This whole love triangle comes to a head in the third movie when Bella is forced to choose Edward or Jacob. I won't spoil the movie and tell you who she picks, but I know I had a REALLY hard time deciding who I would have picked. So in lieu of doing a pro-con-pro on each of them (this is not Greek rush), I'd do what any other girl would do in the midst of having 2 men proclaim their love for you, a comparison chart!

Keep in mind, both men are quality and both have proven on numerous occasions that they will do ANYTHING to protect Belle and keep her safe. Their love for her is legit no doubt... So it's a tough call.. it's not a simple black and white decision.. it's more grey...So we must boil it down to the nitty-gritty...what is more important at the end of the day? Could you deal with a man who is wearing jorts all the time in return for having a warm body that will prevent you from getting hypothermia? Or could you forgoe being able to hang out/frolic in the sun if in return you could have endless quality time with your man? I JUST DON'T KNOW!!!! Now, let's say you are faced with another decision in which someone has professed His love for you and you must choose whether you want to get this relationship going, or whether you want to just end things before they begin. I'm talking about a relationship with God ya'll. Let's real quick do a comparison showing the side effects associated with each option.

So without God you can maintain your pride...i.e. the love of your own excellence. Without God you can say: "I'm in control of my life". " I accomplished x". " I was able to do y all on my own". "I am highly intelligent and can figure out everything." I am strong on my own and don't need help". For some people, that has a ton of weight. If you don't think you value pride, think of the last time you refused to admit to someone that they were right and you were wrong, when it was painfully obvious to everyone involved how dead wrong you were.

But with God, what do we get? Everything! Okay, well maybe we don't get the promise of health, wealth, and prosperity (note: we don't get this promise with Team No God either)... but who cares! Will you still need wealth if you can have joy regardless of your circumstances? (Because ultimately isn't happiness the only reason we strive for wealth to begin with?) And yes it would nice to always be in top-health and never have to face bad times, but the reality is that ALL people suffer, whether Christian or not... So wouldn't it be nice if we were able to have supernatural strength during these trials to make them more manageable? And yes, it would be nice to be successful and prosper, but if we don't, wouldn't it be nice knowing that we constantly have peace from the Holy Spirit that dwells inside every believer?

So what's it going to be.. Edward or Jacob? God or no God? Over the next few posts, I'm going to try and address each SIDE EFFECT for Team God and hopefully by the end the decision for God or not for God will be much easier than the decision for Ed v Jake.

Feedback needed. H-E-L-P!

Hello! Thank you for checking out this blog. Whether you've read an entire post before, or just read the first paragraph of a post, or if this is you're first time visiting the site, I'd love to hear from you! Please let me know your thoughts on the following:

1.) What topics would you like to see me write about?

2.) How can I make your experience more enjoyable?
- are the charts helpful or do you ignore them?
- are the blogs too long, too short, etc?
- is it easy to naviagate and search for a particular topic?

3.) Other feedback (good or bad) and/or suggestions for improvement?

Please leave feedback in the form of comments. If you have a more serious matter, and you want to meet me by the monkey bars after school lets out, I will respectfully decline such an invitation. However, I would be more than happy to entertain and address anything on your mind. Please don't hesitate to email me at chessy.soccoli@gmail.com. Thanks in advance for your help.

LOCK IT UP!

[sigh] “Janice, I apologize to you if I don't seem real eager to jump into a forced awkward intimate situation that people like to call dating. I don't like the feeling. You're sitting there, you're wondering do I have food on my face, am I eating, am I talking too much, are they talking enough, am I interested I'm not really interested, should I play like I'm interested but I'm not that interested but I think she might be interested but do I want to be interested but now she's not interested? So all of the sudden I'm getting, I'm starting to get interested... "-Jeremy (Wedding Crashers 2005).

While yes, Jeremy does make some excellent points about the initial phases of dating, I think we can all agree that things become much more enjoyable once we actually enter into an official relationship. Walls come down, feelings get revealed, and magical moments happen. Although each relationship is distinctly unique, people express love in similar ways…via Words of Affirmation, Physical Touch, Quality Time, Acts of Service, or Gifts. Think about your current or past relationships..how has a person showed they loved you? Maybe your significant other would express their love via words/phrases...sending a text to say "I love you" or writing a card that says "you're gorgeous" or writing on your facebook wall "I'm so lucky to have landed someone as wonderful as you". Maybe your significant other would randomly give you a hug for no reason, massage your shoulders without being asked, or kiss your forehead when you were feeling under the weather. Maybe your significant other spends an abnormal amount of time with you even when there is nothing in it for them (watching ESPN, going to the chick flick you wanted to see, coming to your soccer game, or going shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond for a shower curtain). Maybe your significant other is unusually eager to carry your luggage, do your laundry, or cook you dinner. Or Maybe your significant other brings you home a souvenir whenever he goes away on business, sends flowers to your office "just because", or stops by Sbucks on the way home from the gym, and surprises you with your favorite latte.

Now let's assume all of the above is in the context of a marriage.. and let's also assume that in this marriage there was a 100% guarantee that your spouse would never leave you or divorce you. (In theory, this is what marriage should be, but the divorce rate is over 50%, *sigh*). Regardless of what you do, say, or don't do or say, your spouse will always love you the same amount (i.e. unconditional love). If this was the case, would your behavior towards your spouse change? Well I certainly hope not!!!!!!! When you love someone, you want to do things that please them, so in all likelihood you will continue expressing your love via one of the 5 aforementioned love languages. Now don’t get me wrong, there will be times when you get lazy and slack off because you know the relationship is covered in grace and even if you choose not to take out the trash even though your spouse asked, forget to bring home her favorite pizza when you leave the office, or end a phone conversation prematurely before saying “I love you honey”, your spouse will still love you the same and remain married to you.

Now let’s take it one step further. Knowing that your spouse would NEVER leave you or stop loving you, would you see that as your ticket to be a rebel without a cause and do ‘bad things”? For instance, if you knew your wife would forgive you, would you sleep with your secretary or your wife's best friend. ? If you knew your husband would forgive you, would you allow another man to take you out to dinner, buy you jewelry, and let you live with him 3 days a week in his beach house in South Beach? OH HAILLLLL NO. Yes, you might from time to time subconsciously show your love less, but you would never in a million years want to do something that you KNEW would severely hurt or cause pain to your spouse.

So if we can agree that when in a relationship in which we love someone, we would try and do things to please them and also try to avoid things that would hurt them even though our actions would not affect the status of the relationship... then why is it so hard to believe that a Christian would act similarly in a relationship with God? Look. Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship with God. God loves us unconditionally in spite of ourselves and this will never change. We know this because he has given us a free gift we don't deserve. (Romans 5:6-10) He sent Jesus to die for our sins (past, present, and future), so that we may, if we choose, be forgiven, no longer be separated from God, and spend eternity with God in heaven. (Ephesians 2:1-10) (John 3:16) Once we accept this free gift of salvation, we can be 100% certain that nothing we say or do will take this away from us. So if we have accepted this free gift, it follows that we have entered into a relationship with Jesus/God (1 Peter 1:3-5). If we are in a relationship with God, and we know that He loves us, then we will love him back in return (1 John 4:19). If we love Him, we are going to do things that will please him and avoid doing things we know will hurt him. Do you now see that even though we are technically under no requirement to follow the 10 commandments, and we are technically not obligated to pray, go to church, give to the poor, or read the Bible in order to earn our way into heaven, we as Christians will still try our best to avoid sin and strive for righteousness? Let me put it this way... God’s love language ain’t gifts or physical touch…GOD'S LOVE LANGUAGE IS OBEDIENCE YA'LL! If you love me, you'll obey my commandments. (John 14:15)… so let’s try and do things that please him, mmm k?

I’ll leave you with this thought provoking question. Where does your relationship with God stand? (Have you had a DTR (define the relationship)with God? Is God even on your radar? Are you interested but not sure God is? Are you in a relationship with God but are taking Him for granted? ) If you haven’t had a DTR with God, maybe it’s about high time you should.

p.s. if you are curious to what your love language is go here.

McDreamy is a hero.....NOT!

If you didn't see the Grey's Anatomy finale, odds are pretty good you at least heard someone blabbing on about it... "Oh gurrrrrrrrrl it was so good! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! I was tearing up yo! It was deep. deep" In case your curious, here is a quick recap: Mr. Clark, aka crazy broseph (upper left) walked into Seattle Grace hospital looking for Derek Shepard (center pic). No this broesph wasn't in love with McDreamy as most men and women are... he was looking to get revenge. According to Mr. Clark, Dr. Shepard is the reason his wife died. The episode is spent following Mr. Clark as he goes on a shooting rampage taking out main characters left and right, pausing in between rounds to casually asking Christina Yang how he might get to the Chief's office (i.e. where Derek is). Long story short, Mr. Clark shoots Derek, Derek yelps in pain, Meredith (wifey) is le sad. Shortly after, Meredith does some strategery with Christina, and they come to the conclusion that the only way for Derek's life to be saved is for Christiana to perform surgery on Derek ASAP. Christina does and Derek ends up surviving. Some of the other main characters were not so lucky. Now... let me ax you a question. Who is the hero in this case? Who actually saved Derek's life?

A.) Meredith- wife
B.) Avery- assistant surgeon
C.) Christina- surgeon
D.) Derek - patient

If you're a hopeless romantic, maybe you'd choose A, Meredith... after all Meredith did kiss Derek before surgery and maybe that's what gave him the strength to fight for his life while unconscious. Or maybe you're actually in touch with reality and chose B, Avery...after all Avery removed the EKG machine from Derek's body, which tricked Mr. Clark into thinking Derek died and led Mr. Clark to leave the OR. Or perhaps you chose C, Christina... after all, Christina performed surgery to remove the bullet, Christina stopped Derek's blood loss, Christina repaired Derek's heart, and Christina's work enabled Derek's body to function on it's own again. Welp, the right answer is Christina. If you picked A, or B, I'm sorry to say but you are the weakest link. goodbye. Derek needed heart surgery in order to live. He didn't need a kiss to live and he didn't need Avery's wit to live. Christina provided him with what he needed in order to live. Now we didn't talk about option D, Derek, mainly because i'm 99.999% positive no one would choose the patient. But wait... if Derek never consented to have surgery (he was conscious at one point), the surgery wouldn't have taken place, and without surgery Derek would have bled to death. So did Derek in fact save his own life? No Tom Foolery, no! Derek just made a choice. Derek put forth no effort, he simply agreed to let Christina do the work necessary to save him. Thus, although Derek's consenting was necessary for his life to get saved, he didn't actually save his own life... do you see the difference?

You see, as ridiculous as it would be to say that Derek saved his own life, and Christina’s surgery was not necessary, it is way more ridiculous for someone to say that a person could save their own life in a sense of putting in effort and taking action as a means to earn a way into heaven. If you recall from prior posts, we talked about how it was through Jesus that we can have a relationship with God and the promise of eternal life. If we try and tell ourselves that we can do it all on our own, not only are we wrong and prideful, we are also diminishing the amazing work that Jesus already did for us…I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! Galatians 2:21. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s a quick reminder of what Christ did and why it's important:

So now, all we need to do is consent (ie accept based on faith). And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Heb 11:6) Don’t let anyone or any place mislead you about Christianity. It’s not about what we do. It’s about what God has done on our behalf. We got into an accident and we woke up in an ambulance and the EMT told us that our life was being saved. If we choose to say no, the EMT will remove life support and we will die. If we choose to say yes we will live. Saying yes means we can spend eternity with God in heaven. I hear there will be no more suffering ,no more pain, and no more tears, so how could you not want that?

Oh and by the way, you might be wondering, “Well if I don’t have to go to church, follow the ten commandments, give to the poor, or be nice to my neighbor in order to get to heaven, then why should I bother to try and do any of these things? “. We’ll answer this question in our next post.

Stars!!! They are just like us!

Stars! They are just like us! They multi -task! (hold dog, walk, sip frappuccino) They drink Coke while wrapped in fur! They wear sunglasses to hide the shame of buying paper towels from CVS! They push Target carts without the aid of bodyguards! They act disappointed when realizing water from a Starbucks' cup tastes like water from the faucet! Yes, at first glance it might appear that we are very similar to celebrities... they walk, have emotions, eat, drink, are human....but aside from that they are nothing like us. Think about it... when is the last time you went shopping at Dolce and Gabanna and the owner not only booted everyone else out so you could have the store to yourself, but also begged you to accept the hottest $20,000 dress as a free gift? When is the last time you made $250,000 over the course of a 1.5 hour long concert? When is the last time you were able to sell a bottle of water that you had a sip of for $600 to an adoring fan? Yea... didn't think so. So we can agree that celebrities, although human, are different from us in that they have gobs of money, are known by millions, and as a result can exhibit a tremendous amount of power and influence.

Now, let's pretend for a second that US Weekly existed 2,000 years ago (hand painted on papyrus of course). The clear 'celebrity' of the time would be Jesus. I can just imagine the ad now.... Jesus, He's just like us! He sleeps on a cushion! He weeps when a loved one dies! He eats dinner with close friends! He prays to God the Father! He wears sandals!

Well yea when you put it that way, it appears Jesus was a human just like us... which he was ! However, once we really look into the matter we realize He is not like us in the sense that He was also fully God. We know He was God because He was able to conquer death! The celebrities mentioned above are impressive in the power they can exert...but it's not SUPER NATURAL power... it's power generated from money/fame...Okay, well maybe they do have some super natural power (re: Tiger Woods crushing a golf ball with the delicate swing of arms and hips, Michael Phelps ripping through the pool like a shark), but not this kind of power... Think about it. Jesus was DEAD. The roman soldier (an enemy) testified to this and it was proven when His side was pierced...then a period of 72 hours passed and Jesus ROSE from the dead. Not even the best doctor in the world could restore a patients life if they were dead for only 5 minutes. Jesus did this all without any help, without any EKG machines, without any drugs. Jesus was able to do it because He is God. He has power over death. Yes, he voluntarily chose to sacrifice himself on the cross and take on the punishment that we all deserve for our sins (death). But, He rose from the dead 3 days later and was seen walking around by over 500 witnesses. Folks, if this was some fabrication/conspiracy by Jesus's disciples they wouldn't have chosen Mary Magdalene as the person to find the tomb empty. They instead would have chosen a man because women weren't respected back in the day (i.e. women weren't allowed to serve as legal witnesses in Jewish courts of law).

The resurrection is essential to the Christian faith and here's why. Christ raising himself from the dead shows Jesus was God. If Jesus is God then it follows that He must have led a perfect life. If Jesus led a perfect life than his voluntarily death on the cross was a sufficient payment for our sins. (remember in the OT, animal sacrifices had to be without defect/blemish). If Jesus's death paid the penalty for our sins, then we have the option to no longer be separated from God. (remember Adam/Eve disobeying God in the garden caused us to be separated from God). If we are no longer separated from God, we can have a relationship with God. If we have a relationship with God we have acknowledged that Jesus is God, he died for our sins, and rose from the dead. He is our personal Lord and Savior. Once we acknowledge this we can be 100% confident that when we die, we will go to heaven and spend eternity with God. We will spend eternity with God not because of what we did, but because of what Christ did on our behalf. I'll leave you with this verse.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23

If for some reason you still think Jesus may have survived the crucifixion and not actually died the first time read this. If you would like to see evidence outside the Bible for the ressurection go here or here. Finally, if you want more biblical context around the ressurection go here.

Fairy Tale: The Atheist & the Bear

During a walk in the woods...

Atheist: What majestic trees!What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!

(rustling in the bushes)

Atheist turns and sees 7-foot grizzly bear charging toward him.

Atheist runs up the path, looks over his shoulder, and sees bear closing in on him. He looks over his shoulder again, and the bear is even closer. He trips and falls to the ground.He rolls over to pick himself up but sees that the bear is right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw & raising his right paw to strike him.

Atheist: OH MY GOD!

(TIME STOPS. BEAR FREEZES. FOREST GOES SILENT. A bright light shines upon the atheist and a voice comes out of the sky.)

Voice out of the sky: You deny my existence for all these years, teach others I don't exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?

Atheist: It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the BEAR a Christian?

Voice out of the sky: Very well, said the voice.

(Light goes out. The sounds of the forest resumes).

And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head & spoke:
Bear: Lord bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord, Amen.

THE END.

(The fable you just read is from an email chain my Mom sent me this morning. Thanks Mom!)

MORAL OF THE STORY: Christian's aren't good people. There is no such thing as a good person. "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Although as a Christian one might try to sin less as a way to show his/her love for God, inevitably we will fail. Even Paul, the author of the majority of the New Testament, a seemingly 'good' person towards the latter part of his life, admitted to struggling with his own sinful nature... "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing." (Romans 7:19). The only difference between Christians and non-Christians is that Christians recognize their sinful nature and need for a Savior. Christians aren't sinless, they are just forgiven. It's never too late to start a relationship with Jesus. Regardless of what you've done in the past, you can come always come to Jesus....

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Matthew 9:9-13

DISCLAIMER: I am not in any way suggesting/authorizing the Bear to eat the atheist. Even though we are forgiven as Christians and have assurance that we will go to heaven regardless of our deeds, we should still strive towards becoming like Christ, and in doing so love others as a means to help advance the gospel.

Thank you for your time.

Brownie Husband FAIL.

If you haven't yet watched SNL clip "Brownie husband" take a minute to do so. Okay, so the harder you laughed means the more you can relate to it. True story. But on some level, whether married or still single, we can all relate. We all want to find a mate or have a spouse that will satisfy our every need, make us feel loved, tell us we look nice, always there for us, etc. Basically we want someone that will love us unconditionally. Someone who will still love us even when he sees our worst side of us, even when we are not wearing makeup, even when we do something that hurts him, and even when we ignore him as we are trying to meet our own selfish needs. Well, I hate to break it to you, but that will not be found in a boyfriend, husband, or brownie huband for that matter, even if the brownie husband is with nuts. (I'm not saying that I hate men and marriage is worthless, I actually enjoy men and support marriage. ) All I'm saying is that, yes God designed us to we desire, yearn for, and crave to be loved unconditionally, but he also designed the universe so that the only place where we can get this uncondtional love from is God himself through Jesus Christ. My good college friend, known to many as Anne Betts from CA, just forwarded me this wonderful letter that fits perfectly with the subject at hand. Read it. Print it out. Refer back to it when necessary. It's a keeper.

Title: A father's love letter by Tami Auda.

My Beloved Daughter, You are my joy and delight!1 I love you! You are my workmanship2, made in my image.3 I formed your body, soul, mind, spirit, personality, and talents in your mother’s womb.4 I even know how many hairs are on your head.5 I sculpted you from nothing into something.6 I ordained your days and wrote them in my book, even before you were born.7 I can’t stop thinking about you. I think about you more than the grains of the sand on the seashore.8 I know you inside and out, I even know what you are thinking. You’re never out of my sight. I know what you’re going to say before you speak. I am behind you, ahead of you, and my hand is gently upon you.9 It doesn’t matter where you go, whether as high as the heavens, or as deep as the earth goes, my Spirit and presence is there with you.10 Daughter, I chose you to be my own before the world was even made.11 I determined when and where you’d be born and live.12 I am your perfect father13 and I lavish my love upon you.14 I have much more for you than your earthly father.15 I only have good things and gifts for you.16 I will provide all you need.17 I have good plans and hopes for your future18 and I want to show you great and marvelous things.19 Trust in me and delight in me, and I will give you the desires of your heart.20 I can do anything! — far more than you can ever imagine or guess or ask in your wildest dreams!21

I hear you when you call out to me, and I will save you.22 I am your Father who comes alongside you and comforts you when you go through hard times.23 When you are brokenhearted, I’m right there.24 I will carry you in my bosom and hug you close to me.25 One day, I’ll wipe every tear from your eyes, and there won’t be any more pain.26 I’ll calm you with my love and sing to you joyfully.27 When you’re afraid or anxious, don’t panic! I’m with you! You don’t need to be afraid because I am your Father God. I’ll give you strength and I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, and keep a firm grip on you.28 Don’t be afraid — I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine! When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end — because I am God, your personal God.29 I personally created you for my glory.30 I am also your greatest encourager. I will give you confidence and put a fresh heart in you.31

I love you in the same way I love my son, Jesus.32 I have shown my great love for you through him.33 In fact, he is the exact representation of my essence and being.34 He came to earth to love you, not condemn you or point out all the wrong you’ve done.35 He personally became a human being, and entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all.36 He did that by dying on a cross, clearing away your sins, and reconciling you to me.37 This is the ultimate expression of my love for you.38 You can have a fresh start by being united with me — and being created new.39

I gave you my son, Jesus, as a gift.40 If you receive him, you receive me41 and nothing will ever separate us.42 There’s a big party in heaven when a life is rescued like this!43 Will you be my child, my daughter?44 I won’t disappoint you.45 I’ve always loved you, and will never stop loving you,46 for you are my special treasure.47