Origin of The High- Five, according to How I Met Your Mother

In honor of National High-Five day, I feel it is my civic duty to let you in on a little secret... the origin of the High-Five.. I'll defer to Barney from How I Met Your Mother (a racier, funnier, version of "Friends") to educate you on the High-Five's rich 2000+ year history.

Barney: You can't call her, you have to wait three days to call a woman. That's the rule!

Ted: Barney, that rule is completely played out. Girls know exactly what you're doing. Hey I got a new rule, it's kind of crazy, it's called you like her, you call her

Barney: I'm sorry, can you repeat that? I don't speak "I never get girls" . Jesus waited THREE days to come back to life. It was perfect! If he had only waited ONE day, a lot of people wouldn't have even heard he died. They'd be all, "Hey Jesus, what up?" and Jesus would probably be like, "What up? I DIED yesterday!" and they'd be all, "Uhh, you look pretty alive to me, dude..." and then Jesus would have to explain how he was resurrected, and how it was a miracle, and the dude'd be like "Uhh okay, whatever you say, bro..." And he's not gonna come back on a SATURDAY. Everybody's busy, doing chores, workin' the loom, trimmin' the beard, NO. He waited the perfect number of days, THREE. Plus it's SUNDAY, so everyone's in church already, and they're all in there like "Oh no, Jesus is DEAD", and then BAM! He bursts in the back door, runnin' up the aisle, everyone's totally psyched, and FYI, that's when he invented the high five. That's why we wait three days to call a woman, because that's how long Jesus wants us to wait.... True story

So why did Jesus think it was appropriate to give a High-Five? According to today's standards, people dish out High-Fives when a person does something awesome... so let's see what things Jesus did that were awesome to merit a celebratory High-Five, mmm k?

Do Something Awesome #1- Set a World Record!
Up until the time of Jesus, ain't no body been able to live a perfect life... I mean shoot maybe peeps thought Noah was a "good" person because he listened to God and built and ark, or maybe peeps thought Moses was a "good" person because he helped release the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, or maybe peeps thought King David was legit because he defeated the scary/enormous "Goliath". WRONG. Noah got crunk (crazy + drunk) post chilling in the ark, Moses committed murder and later disobeyed God's instructions, and David committed adultery and aided the murder of some poor brah. So Jesus comes along and is all I'm going to be tempted in every way possible, yet still not sin, aka lead a perfect life!

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.” Hebrews 4:15

"Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever. “ Hebrews 7:26-28


Do Something Awesome #2- Ends Cruelty to Animals! (PETA likes this)Before Jesus, life was pretty crappy. There were 100s of rules that Israelites were commanded to follow (including the 10 commandments). Additionally, the Israelites were told that breaking a rule, or “sinning”, could be punishable by death, AND the sinful act couldn’t be forgiven UNLESS there was the shedding of blood (i.e. sacrificing an innocent, unblemished animal). To complicate matters further, peeps didn’t have the luxury of talking to God whenever they wanted. In fact, only the appointed high priest was allowed to be in the presence of God (located in the Holy Place) ONCE per year to offer animal sacrifices for his own sins and the sins of the community (Hebrews 9: 1-10). So then, Jesus rolls up having lived a perfect life, and is all hey I’ll just thrown down my life as the ultimate sacrifice (i.e. allow peeps to crucify him on wrongful charges), in order to forgive everyone for ALL sins, once and for all. Oh and PS , me doing this will allow you to have a restored relationship with God and you can hablar con Dios anytime you like, 24-7!

“Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant. Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.” Hebrews 7:22-28


Do Something Awesome #3: - Raise Himself From the Dead, sans Magic!Jesus rose from the dead 3 days after he was crucified…if he didn’t we would have a dead savior and he would have been nothing more than a martyr. However, since Christ is living today, the sacrifice he made for us is legit and we can have the promise of eternal inheritance, i.e. heaven because of it. HOORAY!

“He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. “Hebrews 9:12-15

So there you have it! OH AND BTW, I couldn't find a mention of a "High-Five" in the Bible, so Barney may or may not have made that up. In any event, Happy Easter!

Legit Bumper Sticker

Ever since I was a wee lil one, I've been drinking the bumper sticker haterade. I mean really, I don't care to know that you OBX, put hope in YES WE CAN OBAMA 2008, have a BABY ON BOARD, think you're funny- I SEE DEAF PEOPLE, would RATHER BE RUNNING, are PRO-CHOICE, care to STOP GLOBAL WARMING, take pride in the fact that MY KID CAN BEAT UP YOUR HONOR ROLL STUDENT, support anything Bob Barker does- DON'T LITTER: SPAY OR NEUTER, are too lazy to remove your old stickers- GORE/LIEBERMAN '01, or perhaps worst state the obvious- MEAN PEOPLE SUCK. It wasn't until last Wednesday, at the Sunoco on Glebe in Arlington that I actually saw a bumper sticker I loved. The 2005 black VW GTI was sporting a sticker in the rear windshield that read " Don't be a Fool! 1 Corinthians 1:18". Not knowing what this verse said, Kristen and I looked it up in her car Bible:

^“ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

WOW. This is legit. There really are 2 groups of people. Those that think the message of Christianity is utter rubbish and foolishness, and those that think the message of Christianity is live saving. Which camp do you belong to? Do you truly believe there is a God, that he came to earth in the form of a man (Jesus), led a perfect life, was crucified on a cross to take on the punishment we deserve for our sins, and rose from the dead 3 days later so that we could be reconciled to God, forgiven, and granted eternal life? OR do you hold the complete opposite view, thinking the above claims are absolute garbage and a crutch that weak people use to deal with their pathetic life? If you still aren't certain, take a look at the 2 views from a more in-depth perspective:

WORLD VIEW

I will live my life according to these beliefs.

God does NOT exist.

It’s just foolish to think that there is an all knowing God with a cosmic plan.

That an all powerful God brings purpose to the pain and suffering in the world is a comforting thought.

HOWEVER, it is only wishful thinking.

People can do as they please WITHOUT eternal consequences.

The idea that I am deserving of hell because of sin, IS A LIE meant to make me a slave to those in power.

“The more you have, the happier you’ll be.”

Our existence has NO GRAND MEANING OR PURPOSE.

In a world with no God, there is freedom to be who I want to be.

But WITH God, life is an ENDLESS cycle of GUILT and SHAME.

WITHOUT God , everything is fine, It is RIDICULOUS to think I am lost and in need of saving.

*******Now, completely reverse this thinking, literally, and you have*******

CHRISTIAN VIEW:

I am LOST and in NEED of saving.

It is ridiculous to think, everything is fine.

WITHOUT God , Life is an endless cycle of guilt and shame.

But WITH God, there is FREEDOM to be who I want to be.

In a world with No God, our existence has no grand meaning or purpose.

“The more you have, the happier you’ll be”, IS A LIE meant to make me a slave to those in power.

Because of sin, I am DESERVING of hell.

The idea that people can do as they please WITHOUT eternal consequences is only WISHFUL thinking.

It Is comforting though, however ,that an ALL POWERFUL God brings PURPOSE to the PAIN and SUFFERING in the world, That there is an ALL KNOWING God with a cosmic PLAN.

It’s just foolish to think God does NOT exist.

I will live my life according to these beliefs.

So now, we all likely have a good idea of what set of beliefs we align with....but let me ask you this: How did you arrive at your decision for your belief system? Did you gain your beliefs by trusting what your gut was telling you ? Accepting what your parents/friends/significant other told you to be the truth? Having life circumstances turn out in a way that you didn't like or understand? Reading the Bible? Going to church? Studying science? Having a bad experience with a so called "Christian"? Using logic and common sense? I'd like to challenge anyone who reads this to put in time, challenge your beliefs, do research, and seek out the Truth. If you are willing to put in multiple hours to research your next car purchase, (which will only last you 5-10 years), how much time would you be willing to put in to research the possibility of life after death, which would last for all of eternity?


EPILOGUE: The Reverse Thinking power featured above is courtesy of author David D. Dietrich. ( thank you Jayne for sending this to me :) ). Additionally, Jason, the owner of the VW with the sticker, was gracious enough to send me 10+ bumper stickers. If anyone would like one for their room, car, office desk, etc let me know and I'll be sure to get it to you! Finally, I asked some of the women in my Bible study and Kristen what kind of biblical bumper sticker they would have, if forced by gunpoint to sport one. They listed the following:

Wake up!
Romans 13:11

What is truth?
John 18:37

Keep on Keepin' on!
2 Cor 4:18

Saying Goodbye to Drinking

I decided to join my friend Rachel and drink water ONLY between now and April 23 (not incl. Sundays). This means no Gatorade to rehydrate after a 600 calorie Zumba workout, no fresh fruit smoothie to feel healthy after eating a spicy Chick-fil-A sandwich with waffle fires for lunch....no mid-afternoon diet coke, diet mt dew, or caramel macchiato to stay awake in class... no Tuesday night African tea to help unwind during small group... no Thursday night sangria, or makers mark to celebrate an end to a hectic week...and no milk or OJ to wash down Saturday morning pancakes....So why on earth am I imposing something that is so torturous? Welp, because we are in the midst of LENT! [And yes I am a slacker and should have started this a week and a half ago, but alas I was in Costa Rica. ] Today I want to run through a few FAQ about LENT and also give you more info in case you'd like to join Rachel and I in Blood Water Mission.


WHAT IS LENT?
Generally, Lent is a period of fasting and/or repentance observed by Catholics during the 40 days leading up to Easter (March 9-April 23 this year) . This time is viewed as a period of preparation, preparing hearts for what is to come (crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus). An article from a church in San Fransisco summarized it well: Think of it as an annual self-review for your spiritual life : how can I work/pray to overcome sins I've struggled with, what idols are overshadowing my love for God? , in what ways is my commitment to Christ less than wholehearted?, etc.

WHAT DO PEOPLE TYPICALLY DO FOR LENT?
1. Self-Denial/Self Discipline- Make a change in attitudes, words, or lifestyles ... forgoing or sacrificing stuff we really enjoy. "I am giving up chocolate" "I am giving up cursing" , "I am giving up watching tv", etc.

2. Acts of Compassion- Do nice things for the poor and oppressed. Ex. some people may fast once a day, eating 2 meals instead of 3, and then give the money they saved to the poor.

IS LENT BIBLICAL?
No. It isn't in the Bible, it is a tradition started by the Catholic church many years ago. The only issue arises when people observing Lent

1. Incorrectly assume that our actions can somehow earn favor with God
Our works and good deeds are meaningless, and it is only by faith in Jesus that we become reconciled to God:
"..all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags..." Isaiah 64:6 "
"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." Hebrews 11:6

2. Incorrectly assume that personal sacrifices atones for our sins and somehow restores our relationship with God
Only through Jesus can a person be forgiven and reconciled to God...
"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ^" Colossians 1:21-23
"For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" Romans 5:10

IS IT OKAY TO OBSERVE LENT?
Yes! As long as you've got the right motives... Search your heart and ask yourself why you are choosing to do this... are you participating so that you may be granted access to eternal life/heaven ? (won't work) Are you participating to receive praise/attention from others for your religious acts? (God knows the truth) Or are you trying to grow closer to God by becoming more like Christ in the process? (Christ prayed, fasted, helped the poor, made sacrifices, suffered, etc ). Also, keep in mind, we can choose to grow closer to God 365 days a year, and don't have to wait for a particular date and time to do so :) .

HOW DO I PARTICIPATE IN BLOOD WATER'S 40 DAYS OF WATER MISSION?
1. Monday-Saturday drink water ONLY
2. Every time you crave a drink, write down what it would cost you (ex. Tall Skim Caramel Macchiato $3.59)
3. Sunday- FREE DAY . drink anything your lil heart desires
4. April 24 (Easter) - tally up total amount of money you saved by only drinking water during period
5. Donate money you saved to Blood Water Mission to help build clean water wells in Uganda!

http://www.bloodwatermission.com/fortydays.php

I hope you decide to join us!

Georgetown Basketball EPIC FAIL

With school work being relatively light this week, I thought for sure I could kick back tonight and watch the Hoya's secure victory against UConn. WRONG! The game accelerated my anxiety more so than a Management Science assignment involving multiple constraints and parameters. Throughout the game, the lead changed hands multiple times. Then with 4:01 to go, Freeman scored, giving Georgetown the lead 70-69. Tragically, right after that UConn went on a 9-0 streak, and Georgetown MISSED 4 three pointers in a row (any of which would have allowed them to win). I mean really... WTH MATE??? Final score: Georgetown 70, UConn 78. '

Initially, I was disappointed, frustrated and somewhat angry. To make myself feel better I thought, "Well it's a good thing I didn't shell out serious cash for floor seats to the home game against Cuse, because they'll probs choke again". My roommate got pretty tired of my grumbling/complaining so she tried to block out this bad memory by distracting me with American Idol, which worked pretty well. I also was able to calm down when I stopped my "what have you done for me lately attitude" and went back and looked at how Georgetown has performed in the past. How easily I had forgotten how well Georgetown played 4 days earlier against Marquette, or how well they played during any of the other 7 games they had WON in the past month:

STATS:
1/15 @ Rutgers: 74-65 W
1/18 @ Seaton Hall: 80-75 W
1/26 St. Johns : 77-52 W
1/29 @ #13Villanova: 69-66 W
1/31 # 7 Louisville 62-59 W
2/5 Providence : 83-81 W
2/9 @ #17 Syracuse: 64-56 W (First time in 9 years Gtown beat Cuse away)
2/13 Marquette: 69-60 W
(rankings were current when game took place)

After reviewing the stats, I realized that I shouldn't be so quick to lose FAITH in my team. Maybe if the team changed in some way (coach gets fired, starter gets injured) then I would have a legit reason to lose faith. Or maybe if Georgetown wasn't #9 in the country and instead lost frequently to unknown division 1 teams, I would be justified in losing faith.

I think so often we do this in all aspects of our lives. We are all happy when our subordinate is performing well, until he turns in that one crap TPS report and we forget the good work he has done in the past and instead begin to question his future capabilities. Or we are happy with our significant other/ spouse, until that time they forget to say "I love you too" before hanging up, and we forget how they cooked us dinner for Valentines Day a few days ago and instead relabel them as insensitive and unloving. And yea I get it... we lose faith in people because humans are flawed. But what if there was someone who always kept his promises? What if past performance was a 100% indication of future results and there was no variation within that? Surely, we wouldn't doubt this person's capabilities and LOSE FAITH when we were in a time of uncertainty, right? Unfortunately, that isn't the case. If this person is God and we look at how the Israelites complained/doubted God even though He had ALWAYS come through for them in the past, you'll see what I mean...

Complaint: ²² Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. ²³ When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. ²⁴ So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” Exodus 15:22-24

Keep in mind, just days earlier God had come through in huge miraculous was for them...

STATS:
- Freed Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 13)
- Chilled w/ Israelites in the form of cloud to protect them during the day from Egyptians (Exodus 14)
- Chilled w/Israelites in the form of a pillar of fire at night to keep them warm and help destroy Egyptians (Exodus 14)
- Parted the Red Sea so Israelites could cross on dry land, and then closed the Sea so that wall of water crashed down and destroyed their enemies (Exodus 14)

Take away: Don't doubt God's capabilities and dwindle your faith. Unlike the Hoyas, or any other humans, God is perfect and all powerful...if God did it before, He can do it again! Start a prayer journal where you keep track of prayer requests and praises. Then, when having difficulty thinking God may not come through, go back and read some of your old entries and reflect on how He's worked in your life. This will give you courage and comfort. Please note, this is not some health/wealth prosperity gospel where I'm saying that God is some magic genie in a bottle and whatever you wish for he will give you. What I'm saying is the following: when you are going through a hard time, look back on what God has done for you in the past and it will help you to remember his faithfulness and goodness, thereby giving you hope and enabling you to maintain your faith :) .

and yes, I'm still a Georgetown fan. HoyaSaxa!

TACO BELL- Is it Beef?

I really despise the media. My friends often make fun of me because I am never aware of any current news...but why are they so surprised?? They know I don't read the news and I don't watch the news. I think I dislike it so much because it's always slanted, and I don't want to have to do my own research to find out the truth. So alas, I settle for the mantra "it's better to be uninformed, than misinformed" . HOWEVER, my interest was piqued last week when I was on a plane and some broseph in First Class opened up the NYT to and entire 1 page ad from Taco Bell, titled "Thank you for suing us" . Since I happen to love Taco Bell, I decided it would be a worth while venture for me to go all Carmen San Diego on myself and find out the truth. Let's dive right in, shall we? We'll cover the background first...

RUMOR: Taco Bell is deceiving customers by falsely claiming products are beef when they indeed are not beef.

HEARSAY:

AL Law Firm --> Products are ONLY 36% beef, thus not beef
Taco Bell:--------> Meat Product is 88% Beef, 12% Secret Filling
PETA--------------> Congrats to Taco Bell for finally "thinking outside the beef"

TRUTH:

USDA/FTC: Manufacturers can label a product as beef if the product comprises at least 40% beef and is properly labeled as "meat filling" and not just "meat". However, this only applies to manufacturers of meat and not distributors.

LAB RESULTS: In process

VERDICT: ERRONEOUS ON ALL COUNTS! Taco Bell, along with other restaurants, is classified as a distributor and thus exempt from any USDA/FTC regulations. If you're curious of all ingredients in TB's meat product go here. So really, this law firm, which simply wants TB to change it's advertisements from saying "beef" to "meat filling" has no merit. And really, who cares if the mixture isn't all beef. Shoot, I am just happy to know they are actually using beef AT ALL.....Anyone who has eaten TB has surely contemplated that its unnaturally high level of tastiness given it's paltry price is only economically sustainable due to TB using mystery meat of non-cow origin.

MORAL: Never take what you hear to be the truth. Always make sure to do your own research to confirm or deny said truths. Which reminds me, you should also apply this to anytime you go to a church. Today I want to run through a few common "rumors" about the fundamentals of Christianity and examine the truth.

RUMOR #1:You have to be a good person to go to heaven

TRUTH: clearly, not true. The below verse clearly shows we were enemies of God when Christ died for us, so def not good people.

"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 person, though for a good person 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. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" Romans 5:6-10

RUMOR#2 We must earn our way to heaven by doing works (church, nice to poor, 7 sacraments, tithing)

TRUTH: we can't earn our way into heaven. heaven is a gift from God for those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." Romans 9:10-10

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. " Ephesians 2:8-9

RUMOR #3: If you don't go to church you'll go to hell. You are never permanently forgiven and thus must enter purgatory after death to work off your bad deeds.

TRUTH: Once a believer, always a believer, we can't lose our salvation.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. " 1 Peter 1:3-5

Also, I took all the above verses and made it into the below present for my Fashsa... you know 20 hours, glue stick, tweezers, 1 latex glove, NBD.

So yea, whenever you hear a pastor or televangelist say something, always do your own research. Go to the word of God and ask God to reveal His truth to you. It will work because the Word is "is alive and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;" Hebrews 4:12. Peace out homie!

Times When I'm Truly Happy

The above represents my personal Venn Diagram over winter break. Recall that Venn Diagrams usually depict two overlapping circles upon which overlap represents commonalities between the two circles. Now, since there is no overlap in the above diagram, the appropriate inference is that it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to be truly happy unless I am playing Michael Jackson's Wii Dance Game (esp. Smooth Criminal). I mean, why else would one of my best friends and I spend a Friday night in to play it when we had multiple options for going out on the town in NYC? Answer: it is magically entertaining.

Now maybe you agree with the above conclusion, or maybe there is some other circumstance in your life that must happen in order for you to be happy...Think for a minute and try and fill in the following: I will be happy once I __________? ... get a promotion? Get married? Get to go on vacation? Have children? Get a job at a top 500 firm? Enter the 35% income tax bracket? Buy a house? Get a PhD or Masters? .... or something else?

For me, since returning back from winter break, I'll admit the answer has become "get an internship". The MBA program does a good job of brainwashing you the summer before you even start school to believe in the unspoken equation: Internship = Your only shot at a future = Happiness once you turn it into a full time job. This morning, I was so sure that I was on the road to securing an internship, until I got a call from a recruiter at a Company that I had a final round interview at last week. The result: My candidacy status is currently "on hold". Shortly thereafter, I learned that 6 of my classmates got offers at the same Company which is phenomenal news and I couldn't be happier for them! Although I was surprised I didn't get an offer, I was able to avoid feeling disappointed and upset by reflecting on Romans 8:28. This verse helped to remind me that God is sovereign, He understands the big picture, and ultimately things will work out...And just when I thought, ah ha! I'm growing in my faith and starting to understand all there is to know about being a Christian, God showed me an even BIGGER message later tonight, at Frontline Arlington: as Christians contentment shouldn't come from circumstances, instead contentment should be found in Christ (easier said than done). I've organized key points into below because I have to share the awesomeness that was this sermon.



One thing I didn't know....apparently the church of Philippi was under sick-nasty persecution... I'm talking evil. Check this out: Around 61 AD Emperor Nero was notorious for wrapping Christians in animal skins and feeding them to lions in front of a crowd. He also would tie Christians to stakes , light them on fire and mock Christianity saying "let now you be the light to the world". In spite of this all, Paul urged the church of Phillipi to be content. WOWZA.

DISCLAIMER: It's totes okay to grieve and cry when bad things happen. Heck, even Jesus wept when his friends were grieving loss of a loved one (John 11:32-35)...just remember there is contentment to be found that is independent of circumstances.

And on that note, it's time for bed!

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?"