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

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

Spotted: Levite giving his seconds to Mr. Benjamin. Oh L, did you not realize the consequences of your sin? You may have saved yourself, but wife number 2 to death you sent and so many rules it seems you've bent. So on the stoop the next day is where she stayed, and on the back of a donkey to Ephraim she laid. Did you really think she had any chance of survival? And why in 12 pieces did you cut her upon arrival? To the Israelites you claimed of death you escaped, but why no mention of sacraficing your mate? Oh it seems like a mess you've helped create, by giving your second wife as bait...

Yes, I realize this is April Fool's Day.. but the story you are about to read is 100% from the bible. It is full of selfishness, cowardness, unfaithfulness, and sexual promiscuity. The first time I came across this passage, my jaw dropped... was this really happening??? I mean sure it happens in the real world all the time today, but I mean really, these people are in the Old Testament... A Levite is a descendent of one of the greatest prophets of the OT, Moses AND Levites were chosen by God to be allowed to be an intermediary between God and the Israelites (remember there was separation from God before Jesus)… so doesn’t that mean by default he would be a good an faithful servant, someone who was always faithful to God, who didn't fall prey to sin? Well, as you will see as you read the disturbing story below, that is far from the truth. The Levite was troubled by sin, just like you and I are, but is what he did really that far fetched? I mean sure he did hand his second wife over to men to be raped AND then he later lied about what actually happened to make himself seem like the victim/hero….but the choice was ultimately either himself or her… and if he would so easily give up his concubine for such an act, how much more quickly would he have given her up if the men said “come out so that we may kill you?”. If you were in the same situation as the Levite, and the only choice was you or your spouse, what would you do? I’m sure the answer is an obvious yes and you are probably offended that I even asked it… but seriously think about it, would you really give yourself over to be raped/killed? So maybe you would give yourself, but the only reason you would is because of your deep love and care for your spouse. And who knows, maybe the Levite only had marginal affection for the woman in the form of lust and he didn’t think she was good. Romans 5:7 says it best “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.” NOW go back and imagine the person you like least or possible hate in this life. Would you die for them? Of course not. BUT WAIT! You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6,8). You guys when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of Christ! (Romans 5:10) Now if that isn’t love I don’t know what is. Jesus has already done all the work needed for us to have a relationship with God and have eternal life, but the ball is in our court…we have free will.. it's like receiving a free gift, we can either accept the gift or reject it.. it's that simple. But enough rambling, read the passage for yourself. Below is the majority of Judges 19-20. DISTURBING PARTS ARE IN RED!

Now a Levite took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. But she was unfaithful to him. She left him. After she had been there four months, her husband went to Bethlehem to persuade her to return and is successful. Levite takes concubine to return to Ephraim. During journey back they decide to rest for the night in Gibeah (home of the Benjamites) and an old man agrees to let them stay at his place for the night.

22While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him." 23The owner of the house went outside and said to them, "No, my friends, don't be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don't do this disgraceful thing. 24 Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But to this man, don't do such a disgraceful thing." 25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. 26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight. 27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said to her, "Get up; let's go." But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home. 29 When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it said, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!"

…2The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand soldiers armed with swords. 3 Then the Israelites said, "Tell us how this awful thing happened." 4 So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, said, "I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. 5 During the night the men of Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died. …

P.S. this event set in motion a civil war amongst the Israelites. 400,000 Israelites rally against their own people (the Benjamites) and killed over 100,000 men, women, and children. Eeek.

MATZAH! it's flat.. it's crunchy. it's delicious?!

MATZAH! It's flat, it's crunchy,... it's DELICIOUS! Oh wait, I think that in that episode Kramer was talking about Junior Mints ... Anyways, matzah isn't something people normally request to eat. However, if you are Jewish, chances are this week you have been eating only matzah and staying away from bread, cake, sweets, or anything else containing leaven. Although it's not the best tasting food, it's eaten during the celebration of Passover. Passover is a time to celebrate how God delivered the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. [Passover itself refers to the time when the Angel of Death "passed over" the homes covered in lamb's blood (Israelites) and went to all Egyptian homes sans blood to slew the first-born son as a punishment for not allowing the Israelites to be released from slavery. (Exodus 12)] Matzah is eaten because unleavened bread was eaten right before the actual Passover in Egypt (Exodus 12:15).

This week at church, a Jewish man named Steve from Jews for Jesus came to talk about Passover. He went through a whole demonstration of a Passover Sader, and it was very informative and awesome. My biggest takeaway from his demonstration was the soverignty of God. From the beginning of time, God knew everything that was going to happen, and because of his foreknoweldge he was able to weave in sublte hints, and foreshadow the coming of Jesus. It may appear obvious to some, subtle to others, or not at all to some blink folk. Let's take a look at some events during the actual Passover and some traditions during the Passover Sader. Decide for yourself if these items blatantly point to Jesus Christ as the Messiah/God.

Two main things of note:

1.) The Matzah Tosh- Jews are divded as to what they think the 3 coming to 1 symbolizes. Some think it represents the 3 Patriarchs of Israel (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), while others think it represents a 3 fold divison of worship (Priests, Levites, rest of Israel). However, does it really make sense for Isaac or a Levite to be broken, buried, and brought back? Not really.....
2.) The Lamb Bone- Jews ceased performing animal sacrifices entirely after the Temple was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70 . But how do Jews TODAY atone for sin if they don't believe Jesus was the once and for all sacrifice for our sins? Hmmmmmm

I hope this has found you well, and I would like to encourage you to actually watch the whole video of the Passover Sader, pretty cool stuff. I left a lot of things out becasue I know how ADD ya'll can be.

The TRUTH about Cadbury Cream Eggs

There was a period of time when I honest to goodness thought that Cadbury Cream Eggs were real eggs covered in chocolate. I remember seeing the commercials as a wee lil one. A bunny appeared on screen with a basket of Cadbury Cream Eggs, clucking like a chicken. Clearly, Schweppes couldn’t afford to buy lots of air-time for the commercial, so they had to get the message across quickly, using subtle hints. I remember feeling like a total Gumshoe when I put the puzzle together and realized that Schweppes was just tricking kids into eating eggs, GROSS. I decided to stay far away from said wolf in sheep’s clothing. I didn’t learn the actual truth until I witnessed someone on my school bus eat a Cadbury Cream Egg. I remember being surprised that there was no lingering rotten egg smell on the bus, and the person didn’t keel over from salmonella poisoning. BTW, I was in high school at the time. Have you ever been in a similar situation where you thought you knew exactly what something was, and based on what you thought was the truth, you rejected it, called it sick nasty, and stayed away completely? Believe it or not, there was actually a period of time when I also had a misconception of Christianity. I thought I knew the truth, decided I didn’t like it, and stayed away. Then, one day the Truth was revealed to me. Perhaps the biggest misconception I previously had was that Christianity was similar to all other religions in that there was some formula an individual could follow (i.e. doing good works) to get to heaven. OOPS! Christianity is DISTINCT from all other religions in that it is the only religion in which an individual can’t get to heaven by his own works, but instead can get there by the work already done by God (Jesus). This past Sunday, Todd Philips, the pastor of Frontline, did a phenomenal job of touching on said Truth in a sermon that is part of a series that will cover the three days of Jesus's death/resurrection. Real quick, let's take a look at the day of Jesus's death (on a Friday). Details are below:

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. ..... And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom… The earth shook and the rocks split….When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"” (Matthew 27: 45,50-51,54)

Our focus will be on what happened immediately after Jesus died. You’ll notice that the curtain of the temple or veil ripped from top to bottom. Before we proceed, we must first remember that the Temple was the centerpiece of Jewish religious life. It was the place where animal sacrifices were made daily to atone for sins, and also the place where God resided. God’s physical presence resided in a room known as the Holy of Holies. No one was allowed to enter this room. There was a curtain/veil in front of the Holy of Holies that physically separated people from the presence of God. (This served to remind people that man was separated from God by sin (Isaiah 59:1-2)). However, once a year ONLY, a high priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies to offer the sin offering (Hebrews 9:7, Leviticus 16:11). So there was a massively impenetrable curtain (6 stories high, 4 inches thick, intricately woven), yet the moment Jesus died, it tore in half from top to bottom. This action explains the fundamental Truths about Christianity which the chart below summarizes.


The veil was torn and now through Jesus we can no longer be separated from God, but can have a relationship with God that is real and personal. Ya’ll, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, do you see that? (Romans 5:8) It’s not from anything we did. It was all God’s work. That’s why Christians often refer to Christ’s work on the cross as a gift. It’s not something we deserve, we can’t earn it, we can’t pay for it. We simply accept it or reject it. If you profess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9).

Like what you read? If so, maybe you should come check out Frontline this Sunday at 5:30pm in person or online as my summary was nearly verbatim what was preached. The series continues over the next two weeks. This Sunday will be talking about the 2nd day, (Saturday, which was the Passover), and next Sunday will be talking about the 3rd and final day, (the Ressurection). In the meantime, stay away from those dreadful Cadbury Cream Eggs.

More Than Meets The Eye

Sometimes to see the true value of something, we have to look beyond the surface. A perfect example of this can be found during a visit to the US Mint. Let’s pretend you live in Costa Rica (we can dream can’t we?!). You speak no English, but decide to visit America during your vacation. Now look at the coins above and tell me their monetary value, READY GO!!!! Oh, what’s that? You can see a mountain man with a bow tie, two girlie men with braids and bows in their hair, a torch, an olive tree, an eagle, and two architecturally symmetrical buildings and they don’t clearly inform you of the coin value? Hmm, that’s kind of odd. Well it turns out US coins are one of the only monetary units in the world that don’t have the numerical value on the coins. (Go ahead, take a second to scrounge around in your pockets to confirm this. No I didn't photoshop the pics). Now just because the coins don’t numerically show $.01, $.05, $0.1, and $.25 that doesn’t make the coins worthless, does it? Of course not. You, as a Costa Rican, can easily find out the value by simply asking someone to read/translate the English on the coins. Bueno.

Sometimes to see the true value of something, we have to look beyond the surface. Today, I wanted to examine one of the most significant events in all of history and see if there really is any value beyond our initial impressions. I’m talking about Jesus dying on the cross. Sure, on the surface, it really doesn’t seem significant at all. After all, it was very common for people (mainly criminals) to be crucified on a cross. In fact, there were 2 other people that were crucified at the same time as Jesus…. So who cares, right? Well actually, there is more to it, and it involves asking someone from that time. Although we can’t time travel and ask someone from the time of Jesus we can still get the insight we need from the Bible. Let’s look at two facts and see why they are valuable:


So now we know that animal sacrifices were necessary for a person to experience forgiveness of sins. The innocent, blemish-free animal died in place of the sinner. This only temporarily forgave sins, and thus had to be offered over and over (Hebrews 10:4). You guys, this was foreshadowing and illustrating what Jesus was going to do. Jesus was the ultimate end-all-be all sacrificial substitute. His death on the cross was a sufficient payment to forgive all our sins---past, present, and future. We were separated from God because of our sin, and deserved death, but Christ took on our punishment so that we may have a restored relationship with God and experience eternal life.

“Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

"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." (Hebrews 7:27)

I’ll leave ya’ll with a quote from the pastor of a church I went to in North Carolina “Rather than being never-satisfied, Jesus accepts you fully, as you are. The Messiah’s salvation was not that if you could be good enough for long enough then He would save you. Jesus’ salvation was an announcement of His acceptance of us based on the work He would do for us: He would live the life we were supposed to live and die the death we had deserved to die, in our place, so that if we would just accept it we would be immediately and fully forgiven and accepted. “ – J.D. Greear.

Journey to Abercrombie & Fitch / Synagogue

This past weekend I went shopping for the first time since last summer. It had been so long that I momentarily forgot which stores I frequent. To refresh my memory, I decided to walk around and see what caught my attention. When we were approaching Abercrombie and Fitch, my Mom asked me if I wanted to go in, and I proceeded to give her the I’m not going to dignify that with a response eye stare that conveyed the unspoken “Mom seriously, does it look like it’s 1995 and I’m a pre-teen?!” thought in my mind. We continued walking past the store, when something from the window caught my eye. Dangit! If you have never been in A&F before, consider yourself blessed. Sure, its fine if you are an oblivious 11-17 year old, can tolerate the blaring techno remix of Black Eyed Peas I Gotta Feeling, and enjoy paying an absurd premium for a paper thin shirt just because it has a cute little moose logo in the upper left corner. As a 20 something though, it’s not the best way to spend your time. My experience in the store was so cliche and stereotypical that I have to share it with you. I found an item to try on and after two failed attempts of asking customers to open a dressing room, I found a sales associate. The sale associate escorted me to the fitting room area and I got in line. In front of me was the token 15 year old girl with at least 20 items in her hand. This same girl also took an eternity in the fitting room only to reappear with 0 items in her hand, leaving behind a dressing room that looked as if a Tornado had swept through. Also in front of me, was the token teenage couple who was PDA-ing like whoa. Behind me, was the token Mom holding several pairs of jeans and calling out to her son who was in another part of the store. After about a 10 minute wait, a dressing room freed up. I tried on my item and exited said dressing room in an impressive 90 seconds.

Post dressing room, I headed towards the check-out as quickly as possible thinking “the faster I walk and check-out the less likely one of my friends will see me here”. After I got in line, I realized that my logic was irrational because the only friend that would see me here would be a friend that is also shopping here…. if that happened, we would both agree to not tell other people that we saw each other here, PHEW. The line moved quickly, but in the mean time I watched 3 preteens in front of me giggling uncontrollably as they handed their coins and crumpled dollar bills to the cashier to pay for 1 pair of male boxers. TSK TSK TSK. My turn was next and I handed my item to the cashier (The cashier likely had her mom drop her off at work because she didn’t even look old enough to be driving a motor vehicle!). The cashier rang up my item and proceeded to put it in the LARGEST bag available. Yes, I realize most patrons of A&F always request the EXTRA LARGE bag even when they buy perfume, and yes I also realize I was with my Mom which might make me look younger, but seriously do I really strike you as the type of person that wants to be walking around Tyson’s with a bag showcasing a half-naked man??!?!? (Needless to say I left the bag at the front of the store and put my purchased item into my purse.) Before leaving the store, I decided to report the one UNUSUAL thing that I noticed during my time in the store:

Me: I think your store’s profit margins are in jeopardy. In my dressing room there were at least 4 security buttons loose on the floor. You really should have someone monitoring the fitting room area.
Cashier: haha oh really?! Well we are low on staff
Me (in my head): Really? I would think refolding an already folded shirt should be a job duty that comes SECOND to monitoring and preventing theft.
My Mom: (reverting back to defensive/protective mom from the 90s): Yeah, and one more thing! The dressing room is like a pig sty!”

We decided to put our good Samaritan deed to rest and exited the store. If only, A&F realized, that I, once a regular patron now a visitor, was actually trying to help them and not make them irritated. Now, suppose instead of going into A&F and living in the 21st century, we lived in the time of Jesus, and walked into a synagogue one day. What would that experience be like? How would people react if a visitor walked in and tried to help out the people in the synagogue? First, let's brush up on our knowledge of synagogues:


So as you can see from the chart above, if you waltzed into a synagogue, you would experience something similar to a church service in the sense that it was a place to teach and learn scripture. On the Sabbath, a service would start with singing of Psalms, transition to a reading from the Torah, switch to a reading from the prophets, and then culminate with a sermon. Local teachers gave sermons and on occasion a visitor/guest teacher would preach. Attendees were Pharisees, aka middle class Jews that had a reputation of self righteousness. Pharisees were obsessed with rituals, laws, and outward symbols of faith such as circumcision. Almost all of them grew up memorizing the entire Torah (first five books of the Old Testament) by the time they were 12. Although they were gifted at rote memorization, they didn’t appear to have any kind of relationship with God or understanding of what the scriptures actually meant.

So now imagine if you can, that you are in your hometown of Nazareth at the synagogue on the Sabbath, and a guest speaker is giving the sermon. This guest speaker is someone that grew up in your neighborhood. Someone whose father Joseph was neither royalty nor of priestly decent, but instead a measly lower-class craftsman. Someone that is a carpenter by trade. Someone you haven’t seen in a few years, yet have heard news about him receiving praise in nearby towns (Capernaum being one of them) for healing a paralytic, healing a blind man, etc. Someone that has yet to perform any miracles in your and his hometown of Nazareth. Well that’s exactly what happens in Luke 4.

“Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:14-21)

Keep in mind, any other teacher before Jesus, would have started a sermon on a messianic prophecy by saying something along the lines of “And SOME DAY this will happen, not TODAY’. After saying he has fulfilled the Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 61, Jesus continues to preach to his hometown, telling the people how they won’t accept him, and reminding them of the fact that God has imparted blessings upon non-Jews in the past. Now let’s see how the people react.

"All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way." (Luke 4:28-30)

YOU GUYS, WE KNOW JESUS IS GOD BECAUSE HE CLAIMED TO BE GOD! This passage makes it so blatantly obvious that Jesus claimed to be God. If he had just got up and said “I am God” the Pharisees would dismiss him as ignorant. The Pharisees knew the Old Testament Messianic prophecies inside and out and were always on the look out for the Messiah. The Pharisees tried to kill Jesus because they mistakenly were expecting the Messiah to be an actual Roman king and and were angry at the fact that Jesus was saying he would bring salvation for everyone and not just themselves (Jews). But alas, Jesus was trying to help them. He was bringing the 'good news' they and their ancestors had been waiting for.

Who DAT says he's perfect?

It's true though isn't it? I mean yes, figure skating is impressive. Triple salchows and quadruple axles are something I am 99.9% positive I will never be able to do in my life, and I'm okay with that. But that being said, there is something unsettling to me about watching a 'sport' that is so subjective. I like the idea that there is the potential for a skater in theory to achieve a perfect score, but I also dislike the fact that often times there is no clear winner. It's basically up to the discretion of some Canadians and Russians who in the past have been known to accept bribes and try and fix the outcome.

Football isn't like that. It's black and white. There are no ties (well almost never). There are no style points awarded to the Saints for the way Drew Brees spirals the football. There were no technical points awarded to the Steelers for the way Santonio Holmes magically lept into the air , caught the ball, and gracefully landed his tiptoes into the end-zone during the 2009 Superbowl. Scoring is instead very systematic, clear, and for the most part objective. Six points for a touch down, two for a safety, three for a field goal, etc.

This past year in football was particularly exciting because the Saints won their first ever Super Bowl. Although the Saints did walk away as champions, they did not have a perfect season. Overall, the Saints record for 2009-2010 was 13-3; 3-0. The only team in the NFL to have a perfect season was the 1972 Miami Dolphins who went 17-0. (14 regular season, 3 post season). The New England Patriots came close to matching this in 2007 when they went 16-0 in the regular season. However, the Patriots fell short when they lost to the Giants in the super bowl 14-17. The NFL has been around for 44 years, and only one team has had a 'perfect' season. WOW. That's pretty crazy. It must be pretty hard to achieve. But is that really perfect? Yes, the Patriots had a perfect regular season in the sense that they won all 16 games, but if we look at the individual games, was each game truly "without flaw or blemish, free from error" ?! I think the answer is a resounding HAILLLLLLL NO.

Okay, so maybe all 16 games weren't perfect, but was at least one game perfect? Was there at least one game when the Patriots had 100% completions, 100% for rushing, no turnovers, no false stars, no interceptions, no holding flags, and 0 points scored by the other team?! Hmmm, so no perfect game, but maybe there was a perfect player during one of the games? Someone who recorded perfect stats related to their particular position, and with no mistakes or turnovers of any kind? Sounds a little more plausible, but again probably very unlikely. So I think we can all agree it's really really tough to be perfect within four 15 minute quarters, even if when we use the term "perfect' we don't truly mean without error, but simply performing better relative to the surroundings.

Now think to your own life for a second. What do you think is the longest amount of time you have gone and remained "perfect' in a literal sense of being without flaw, blemish, or defect. Perfect in a sense where you did only things that were pleasing to God and nothing displeasing. Before you settle on an amount of time, remember that things considered displeasing to God , or more succinctly known as sin, aren't just major things such as murder or adultery. Failing to be perfect, could be as simple as stealing a pen from the office to use for personal use...or using a file sharing software to illegally download music...or watching free episodes of How I Met Your Mother from a sketchy non cbs.com or hulu.com website....or taking credit for when you receive a promotion, score a goal in soccer, negotiate a job offer, or complete a marathon...or being envious of your neighbors car, designer jeans, handbag, house, iphone, vacation home...or loving your parents, boyfriend/girlfriend , spouse, house, car, money, or anything else more so than you love God...or having lustful thoughts about someone....or cursing (it still counts if you do it in your head)....or speeding or any other form of breaking laws set in place by the government...or gossiping...or putting yourself before others...etc.

Okay, so what's the number you came up with?! Assuming we are talking about non-sleeping time, I think we'd all come up with around 5-10 minutes if we're being perfectly honest. Now what if I told you there was someone who came to this earth who was able to be perfect for a whole hour. What if I told you there was someone who led a perfect life for a whole day? What if I told you there was someone who led a perfect life for a whole week? What if I told you there was someone who led a perfect life for a whole month? What if I told you there was someone who led a perfect life for a whole year? What if I told you there was someone who led a perfect life for a whole lifetime?

You guys, the point is there was such a person! Jesus Christ roamed around on the earth for 33 years, and led a perfect life. He never sinned once, in-spite of the fact that he was tempted for 40 days and nights in the dessert by the devil. Jesus Christ was fully man, but he also had to be fully God. There is really no other logical or rational explanation for such a impossible task.

"He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth" (1 Peter 2:22)

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15)

"Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? " -Jesus (John 8:46)

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God " (2 Corinthians 5:21).

"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).... "I and the Father are one" - Jesus (John 10:33)

"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9)

"Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation..." (Hebrews 5:8-9)

Hopefully now, you realize we have just unveiled another reason why we know Jesus was God. We know Jesus was God because he led a perfect life . Who DAT was perfect? JESUS.

SPOILER ALERT: In a future post, I will address why it was so important that Jesus was perfect. If you would like to have a hint as to what we will discuss check out the verse below:

"When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the LORD to fulfill a special vow as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable" (Leviticus 22:21).

New Year's Resolution FAIL.

We've all done it. Whether we admit it or not. You start off January first with this mindset that “This is going to be the year! “ You're going to change, improve, be healthy, be disciplined, be flawless. Then February rolls around and you’re the same unchanged person as before, only a few pounds heavier and a few days older :/.

I think that the reason why I was never able to read through the whole Bible was mainly because I started out with an unrealistic goal. "I'm going to read the Bible every single day for 365 days and read the Bible in 1 year!” While this is definitely something great to strive for, ultimately you are going to break it. It might come when you go on vacation, hit the snooze button on your alarm, receive a call from a lover asking you to dinner, forget to bring your Bible when traveling, get sick, etc. What's worse, is that your mind makes you feel so guilty and bad about yourself that you end up doing more harm than good to yourself and you quit altogether. If you're having a hard time following me, think back to when you've made a resolution to lose weight. You tell yourself you are only going to eat 1,200 calories a day and work out three times a week. Well Monday and Tuesday you absolutely are crushing it, until Wednesday rolls along and you feel like a rabbit. You're sick of munching on celery sticks, carrots, and putting your chicken over a bed of spinach instead of over warm sour cream and chive mashed potatoes. You decide you have earned the right to 'cheat' a little so you go to the cupboard where the beloved double stuffed Oreos are patiently waiting to reward you for your YTD success. You pop one in your mouth. HEAVEN!!!! It's like you experience the taste of an Oreo for the first time. Who would have thought 48 hours would be enough to forget how delectable the cream is and how it is the perfect complement to the crunch and chocolaty goodness of the cookie part. Okay, time to pour some milk to wash my mouth and then I will be done with my reward. You pour the milk and take two sips. You see the empty glass and your economical/humanitarian self kicks in "now self, you can't waste that milk, milk is expensive! And besides, there are plenty of starving kids in Africa , you can't just put this to waste". Drinking the milk by itself is not an option when you see the tiny black specks floating in the milk, remnants of your 1 double stuffed Oreo. You go back to the cupboard rationalizing that you will only have 2-3 more so you can finish the milk and avoid being given the nickname "Pro-Hunger Garbage Loving Child Hater”. You end up eating 4 more. SHOOT. The milk is gone, but you forget about your humanitarian achievement and enter the mode of guilt/disappointment. I completely blew it. What was I thinking? I was doing sooooo good! UGH. I feel sick. I already ruined this whole day, might as well eat some more. [NOTE: I have no idea why our mind thinks that a 200+ calorie slip/indulgence is justification for 'rationalizing' that the day is shot and giving us a license to eat more and turn it into a binge.] Half a sleeve later you shove the Oreos back in the cupboard, tell yourself you will set your alarm 30 minutes early to get in an extra/unplanned workout to make up for aforementioned snafu. Welp, the next morning rolls along, and you do not go to the gym. You are abnormally hungry, and decide to forgo oatmeal (what you were supposed to have) and opt for a bagel instead. Next thing you know Thursday is shot too, and you decide that the whole week is shot, and you will start again next Monday. Another week roles by and you hop on the scale, only to see that your weight is now 2lbs more than before you started the diet. For a while, you tell yourself it’s water weight, and eat a few more Oreos to forget about the 3 numbers on the scale. By the end of the month, you completely abandon your ‘diet’ and decide to focus on more important things in life, such as oh I don’t know People Magazine.

I’m writing today to share with you my secrets for how I was able to read the entire Bible. I wouldn’t say it was necessarily hard to do. Whereas dieting is as simple as “eat less, exercise more”, reading the Bible is as simple as “Read from left to right. Flip page. Repeat”. Even though we know these truths, we are always looking ways to make things easier and be more efficient. Unfortunately, I can’t speak to how to lose weight, (I have tried to lose 5lbs before and failed). However, I can speak to how to read the Bible. Below are 10 things that helped me read the Bible. In true dieting fashion: results may vary. My example is not typical of most people.

#1 Set a Reasonable Goal and Don't Stress When You Get Off Track.
It will take you 67 hours to read the whole Bible. Yes, I did this calculation before I started and I originally thought it would take me 2 weeks and 2 days to read the whole thing ( 2 minutes per page X 2,000 pages = 4,000 minutes. 4,000 minutes / 60 minutes = 66 hours. 66 hours/ 4 hours a day of reading = 16 days to read the bible). However, it took me four months to read the whole Bible. To help me not feel overwhelmed with the greatness of the task I would narrow my focus. Instead of thinking “I have 1,800 pages left” I would think “Only 20 more pages until I am done with Exodus." There will be days when you don't read the Bible and that's okay. You don't have a goal revolving around a time frame, you have a goal revolving around completing the whole Bible.

#2 Read In Order Genesis-Revelation
Clearly, this isn’t the only way to approach reading the Bible. Reading from Genesis-Revelation isn’t in exact chronological order, but it’s pretty darn close. I believe you can’t fully grasp the New Testament and the need for Christ without first reading the Old Testament.

#3 Get Comfy!
I think a lot of times when I would try to read the Bible I would stop pre-maturely simply because I was uncomfortable. Find a place to sit that is comfortable has good light, allow you to stretch out your legs so you can rest the Bible on your legs verses trying to hold up the book with your wrists. I used a couch in my living room.

#4 Pray
Praying before you start to read is critical. The Bible is complicated. There are a lot of hard to pronounce words. The historical events of the bible took place over 2,000 years ago in a culture that is drastically different than today’s culture, which can make it hard to understand. AND, there are all sorts of different types of literature such as history, law, poetry, songs, wisdom literature, prophecy, personal letters, and apocalyptic literature. “Trying to read the Bible on your own would be like trying to learn Calculus with just a textbook” -Todd Philips.
Followers of Christ have the privilege of having direct access to the writer of the text (God), because the Holy Spirit dwells inside us. Praying will enable the Holy Spirit to guide us, convict us, and reveal truth to us as we read (1Corinthians:10-11; John 14:26). If you are just checking out Christianity, I would recommend praying to God asking Him to reveal himself to you while you read . “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29). I at first was leery of this, but the days I prayed before I read, I got so much more out of the Bible!

#5 Take Your Time
There is no need to rush. The Bible isn’t going anywhere or changing anytime soon.

#6 Allow Time For Review & Questioning
As with anything, you will be more likely to push a piece of information into your long term memory the more you review it. After finishing a book in the Old Testament, I would often read or listen to John Piper’s sermons on that particular book. The Old Testament reads like a story, and it was helpful to learn themes, and life applications from Piper. I would constantly ask questions. Often times, when I would get stuck on something, I would use my roommate’s Bible commentary by MacArthur as one point of reference.

#7 Talk To Someone About What You Just Read Probably one of my favorite steps! Every Tuesday, on the way to small group, I would summarize what I had read recently. My friend was amazing, she was so knowledge about the bible because she has read the whole thing several times. We had fun talking about Baal worship, King Nebuchadnezzar, Elisha, the Holy of Holy places, levitical law, and many other topics.

#8 Keep Track Of Your Progress
I used Google Calendar. I would create an event for the day I started a particular book and then update the event with an end date once I finished it. It was helpful to have a visual to see my progress. If you’d prefer to use a poster with a thermometer where you color in your progress a la Jump Rope For Your Heart style, by all means do it!

#9 Tell Someone About Your Ultimate Goal
There were periods of time where I went a day or a few days without reading the Bible at all. What really helped me get back into the Word, was talking to my friends that knew of my goal. Every so often, they would casually ask me where I was in the Bible. Sometimes my answer would be the same as the last time they asked me. However, most of the time, I couldn’t’ wait to tell them where I was so they could hear of my progress!

#10 Have Fun
Reading the Bible shouldn’t be thought of as a chore, or something you dread doing. Reading the Bible should be something you look forward to. Yes there were some slow parts, cough cough [genealogies throughout the first 9 chapters of Chronicles] cough cough, but overall it’s a thrilling, exciting, and an adventurous read. And, huge bonus, you get a small glimpse of how awesome the creator of the universe is!

If you think you are up for the challenge, let me know and we can make a thermometer chart together!