I Survived the End of The World 2011

What were you doing at 6:00pm this past Saturday May 21, 2011? I was with two of my close girlfriends at Johnny Rockets. We had heard about Harold Camping's prediction that the world was going to end, and so we decided to delight in some of life's simple pleasures one last time. They got strawberry shakes while I nibbled on sliders and enjoyed an ice cold Root Beer. We also made sure to contact our boyfriends via text to say our goodbyes, "heart you. see you in heaven!". We were clearly JOKING, at least in part. Are we confident we are going to heaven? Yes. Did we really believe the world was going to end while we were at Johnny Rockets? No. And here's why.

Not only has this man WRONGLY predicted that judgment day would occur May 21, 1988, September 7, 1994, and May 21, 2011, but also the Bible very plainly states that it is impossible for anyone to know when Jesus will come back for a second time.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Matthew 24: 36-44

So even if we can't predict the very moment when Jesus comes back, are there at least signs that will signal that it's getting closer to that time? YES. There are 3 signs that come to mind. Note: this is not an exhaustive list, I am sure there are tons more in the Bible and even signs to come that we will not recognize or know.

Sign #1 Dramatic increase in natural disasters, famine, & warfare
The disciples asked Jesus for a sign to know when Jesus would come back at the end of the age. Jesus answered, saying: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." Matthew 24:4-8

Sign #2 Rebuilding of Jewish temple in Jerusalem
The Bible states that the end of times will occur in a temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:4). Note the original temple of the Lord was built in 966 BC by King Solomon and destroyed in 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar. The temple was rebuilt in 520BC by Zerubbabel but later destroyed in 70AD by the Roman empire. The temple has not been rebuilt in Jerusalem since it's destruction in 70AD and would thus need to be rebuilt for the end time events listed in the scriptures to take place.

Sign #3: Use of one-world currency
When the Antichrist comes it is believed that he will establish his world government and have control over all commerce. Some suggest that this could be revealed in the form of enacting a one-world currency. "The beast also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name" Revelation 13:16-17

It is very clear that at least two if not all three of these signs have yet to happen. Some might think sign #1 is already underway with the recent surge in tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and tornadoes. However, I don't think we've seen all that is to come.

So do you see how foolish it was for Harold to attempt to predict the end of the world? What's perhaps more troubling, is this guy won't even admit defeat. Since his failed prediction, Harold Camping has once again revised his statement claiming that the rapture happened "spiritually" on May 21, 2011 and insisted that the true judgement day would be on October 20, 2011. I will be the first to admit, when I heard the terms rapture, judgement and second coming, the details were a little fuzzy. I went ahead and compiled a summary of events that will happen during the end of times. Note, no one is certain of the timing, execution, or order in which these events will happen.



In conclusion, I think Harold should stop using FUZZY math to predict the end of times and instead focus on more important things like oh I don't know loving God, loving people, and sharing the gospel. Oh, and I also pray that trucker hats don't come back in style. Thank you and good night.

Osama bin Laden's Dead- Do We Need a Photo?

Nearly 10 years after the 9-11 attacks on the US, Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind this horrendous terrorist attack, is DEAD. Navy Seals were responsible for this incredible feat, and Americans wasted no time celebrating…only minutes after Obama’s announcement, citizens were found outside the White House celebrating while others chose to virtually celebrate, posting Facebook status messages such as “Ding-dong the witch is dead” , “Bin Laden is dead….SUCKA” and perhaps my favorite “ F-Yea America!” . Since the release of this “good” news, Americans have been debating whether or not the government should release photographs of bin Laden’s dead body. Today, however, President Obama affirmatively decided to NOT release the photos, stating that people who don’t believe Osama is dead wouldn’t be convinced by gruesome photos either, and besides there is no need to gloat over this victory.

At this point, unless Osama’s body shows up on national television with him holding a Wall Street Journal and rebuking America for their hasty conclusions, I think it’s safe to say he’s a goner. For once, I tend to agree with Obama. There comes a point when you just have to except that there will always be skeptics who refuse to believe the truth and there is no level of evidence that will ever satisfy them. Heck this was even the case 2,000 years ago when Jesus resurrected from the dead. This time, we didn’t have the president of the U.S. telling us the news, we had GOD telling us the "good news" via the Bible.

Unless Jesus’s dead body was discovered, no one could say with any level of certainty that the resurrection didn’t happen. Because of this, skeptics instead suggest that Jesus’s body was not found because His disciples stole and hid the body. Now to me, this is perhaps more ridiculous than the theory that Osama bin Laden isn’t in fact dead. Why might you ask? Whelp, several reasons. First, and perhaps most important, it’s highly likely that the disciples were completely confused and had no idea that Jesus was going to rise from the dead three days later. I mean sure, Jesus told them at least THREE times that he would die and then resurrect, but based on their reactions , it seems like they never really understood what was going on. Let’s take a peak at their reactions below:




Based on their reactions, do YOU think the disciples had a full understanding of what was going to happen to Jesus? Clearly they didn’t! Take for instance the third time Jesus is like 'um hey guys just wanted to let you know I have to suffer greatly and die', the disciples decide to change the subject and ask who will have what royal positions when Jesus enters His earthly kingdom… really??? If the disciples really knew what was going on they would be filled with sorrow and weeping, but alas they had misconstrued Jesus, his teachings, and Old Testament prophecy; they believed that Jesus was going to be a military leader/ king who would reign over the nations and they wanted to position themselves so that they would receive a sweet position when this all came to fruition.

So yea, given that the disciples were clueless, the chance that the disciples on Saturday were like “hey man whatchu got going on, ahh nothing bro, sweet well uh you wanna go try and steal Jesus out of the tomb to keep this whole hoax going on, count me in bro.” is close to ZERO. Also keep in mind many years later each one of the disciples died TERRIBLE deaths because of their passion for Christianity… it’s one thing to be willing to die for what you believe in, but to be willing to be beaten, whipped, and become a martyr for something you KNOW to be an absolute lie is very unlikely.

What’s more, there was an entire GUARD of Roman soldiers guarding the tomb, and there is no way a couple of fisherman and tax collectors could overpower them. I think Stan Campbell explained it best in his book Jesus The Empty Tomb: Inside the Mysteries of the Bible: New Perspectives on Ancient Truths:

“Could Christ's followers have taken the body? It would have been difficult. Roman soldiers found guilty of leaving their posts were generally put to death. And it was common knowledge that the penalty for breaking a Roman seal was execution. Disciples bent on body-snatching would have first have had to overpower the battle-tested Roman soldiers, then break the Roman seal. Yet even if they succeeded they would face a final challenge: moving aside the two-ton stone door that covered the entrance to the rock tomb." (pg. 64)

So what do YOU think? What kind of proof do you require to believe that Osama is in fact dead and Jesus did in fact rise from the dead?

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.