Slutty Slutty Slutty!

Have you ever gone into a clothing store, held up garments and found yourself wondering , "Is this a tube top or a skirt?" "Is this a dress or a shirt?", "I have never seen denim underwear before... wait maybe it's shorts?" ? This past weekend I was in Forever 21 trying on an ambiguous garment that could have easily been a dress or skirt. Upon asking the sales associate whether or not my ambiguous garment was a shirt or a dress she looked at me as if I was crazy for asking, rolled her eyes, smacked the gum in her mouth, and sass-fully said, "obvi a shirt". In my defense, this was a fair question, because the store is notorious for having clothes that are very short, very revealing, and not exactly modest. Nonetheless, I was happy to have my answer, and proceeded to the checkout confident that I wouldn't be that girl who wears jeans underneath a dress because she thinks the year is 1997 and also thinks the French have a good sense of fashion. After the sales clerk rang up my shirt and a pair of skinny jeans, she shoveled the items along with the receipt into a yellow plastic bag, and slid the bag across the counter for me to grab. The bottom of the yellow plastic bag was now in my sight, and I noticed there was some black text at the bottom of the bag. That's odd I thought. I picked up the bag and to my UTTER SHOCK I saw "JOHN 3:16". I had to do a double take. It just seemed bizarre coming from a store where a good 1/3 of the products could be labeled "slutty slutty slutty" in the same way Michael Kors labeled a scantily clad outfit on Project Runway. But there it was!!!!! A bible verse from John chapter 3 verse 16! Only the most well known and recognized verses in the entire bible! A verse that, in as little as 25 words sums up Christianity in a nutshell (or at least does a better job than any other verse on it's own.) Clearly the owner of Forever 21 wouldn't waste time, money, and effort to put John 3:16 on every bag unless he thought it was SUPER important for people to know about it, so let's get to it!

JOHN 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

What the verse says
- God exists
- God loves the world (i.e everyone!)
- God sacrificed his only Son, aka Jesus

- If you believe that Jesus is the son of God, you will have eternal life (i.e. go to heaven).
- Looks like there is only ONE way presented as a way to get to heaven
- If you don't believe in Jesus, ultimately you will perish. yikes!

What the verse does NOT say
- going to church every Sunday will get you to heaven
- being a good person will get you to heaven
- as long as you believe in "a God" , you will be golden

Now, wait just a minute. What did I ever do to make God decide that I will perish if I don't believe in Him ? And why did God have to send Jesus to die for me, what do I need saving from?! These were the exact thoughts that went through my head the first time I was presented with this verse, almost 4 years ago when my small group was studying the gospel of John. The answer is longer than a simple sentence or two, so I will save the answers to these questions for my next post. In the mean time, you can pop into Forever 21 next time you're at the mall and take a look at the bag, or if that's not your thing, go to In-and-Out Burger in CA, order a soda, and look at the bottom rim of the cup.

DISCLAIMER: I am not hear to pass judgment on the owner of Forever 21 or the store itself. I happen to enjoy Forever 21 and have found several good trendy yet classy items. Sometimes I just put titles up because I know it will grab your attention and get you to read ;).

I'm a little clay pot, short and stout!

Where does your mind go when you hear the word "clay"? For me, I think back to 10th grade crafts class (which by the way was the most stressful/hard class in all of high school, harder than any AP science or math class simply becuase I am terrible at ARTS and CRAFTS. ) I always knew my craftyness was bad, but it was reaffirmed when I brought home a basket I had weaved in crafts class out of rafia, and my parents ended up using it as a receptacle for old newspapers that needed to be thrown away, instead of hanging it on a wall to display the magnicance and intricacies of the weaving as suggested by the teacher to myself and my classmates. Problems only magnified for me when we moved to the art room to make our own clay pots. Around the same time, I had the misfortune to trip over a line while backpeddling during basketball practice the week before the championship game and breaking my right (dominant hand) wrist. Although I was in a cast/sling, I managed to use my left hand to whip up a lopsided clay pot, with top sides folded out to give the illusion of flower petals and a fun lavendar glaze covering it to help prevent cracks. So perhaps you don't have the same thoughts as I do, haha. Maybe you think about clay from a functional standpoint, such as clay can be used as soil fertility for plants or as a vessel. Regardless, did you know that the original Hebrew word that is translated as the "dust" that Adam was created from actually means clay, making God the first "potter," ? "Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." (Isaiah 64:8) and "The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life ... I too was formed from a piece of clay." (Job 33:4,6). Pretty cool, right?!

Today I want to share with you all my friend Rachel S's favorite devotional. Devotionals are things us Christian folk read on a daily basis (although doesn't always happen) to provide encouragment, remind of us biblical truth, and help us focus on God. As you may already have figured out, this devoltional talks about clay! I hope this finds you well!

Devotional

God calls us clay pots. And true to the name most of us sport cracks, carefully glued back together. We are oh so sturdy, yet oh so fragile. Why would God entrust clay pots with the light of His love? We try to fulfill His purposes but we get cracked and broken. Yet His strategy is clear... He knows our weaknesses yet He chose clay pots anyway. He tells us why... "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Don't be ashamed of the cracks in your life... don't be afraid to show how God has mended you. This is the testimony to the watching world. Our God fixes broken pieces! If you are broken today because of circumstances in your life, or because of choices you wish you had made differently, don't stay in pieces on the floor. If you know you have disappointed God in your walk or in your talk tell Him you are sorry. God will forgive you, pick you up and mend you. Changed lives, lives lived in the power of the Holy Spirit, demonstrate that it is His power at work in us. This is our hope...this is the hope we hold out to a needy world.

Father God, Thank you that You use cracked pots to demonstrate Your love and power. Forgive me today for the guilt trips and the pity parties and help me to tap into the power that changes lives. Thank you that You put Your Spirit in me so that Your amazing power can be visible! Shine through my cracks today, Lord so that others can see who You are. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Questions: Do you need to change your thinking and accept the cracks in your life as the very places Jesus can shine through? Invite Him into those places today.

Spotted: Stephen Baldwin baptizing Spencer Pratt in a Costa Rican jungle river

Yes, that’s right. Spencer Pratt (most known for his role on The Hills as the jerk boyfriend/fiancé/and now husband of Heidi Montague) was baptized on national television by self proclaimed born-again Christian Stephen Baldwin. WHAT?! This act was first seen Monday June 1, 2009 when the show “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” debuted drawing in approximately 6.4 million viewers. According to Wikipedia the show is “about celebrities live in jungle conditions with few comforts and have to earn human essentials”. Now, you are probably wondering why on earth did Pratt choose to do this?! … maybe it was to make his wife Heidi happy … maybe it was for publicity…. maybe it was to “be washed clean of his filth” as he stated moments before getting dunked in the river… or maybe it was for some other reason. I don’t know Spencer’s heart, only God does, so I won’t try and figure out what his true motivation was. However, I would like to clear up two common myths about baptism and also share why many believers choose to get baptized.

Myth #1: Baptism will wash away sins (or as Pratt stated “clean you of your filth”.)

Truth: The act of baptism does not save us or wash away our sins. Only the blood of Christ cleanses us from sin. 1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. "

Myth #2: Getting baptized allows a person to go to heaven.

Truth: The only requirement for getting to heaven is to believe that Jesus is your personal Lord and savior. (John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:8-9). Baptism is not a requirement for salvation, it is simply the outward testimony of a believer's inward faith. Romans 6:3-4 says “Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." You are "crucified" (standing upright in water), you are "buried" (immersed into the water), and you are "resurrected into life" (raised out of the water). See also Corinthians 12:13.

Why do believers choose to get baptized?

#1 Cuz all the cool kids are doing it!!!!
And by cool kids, I mean Jesus. "At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan." Mark 1:9
#2 Cuz Jesus told us to!
Jesus’s love language is obedience, and following his commands shows our love for Him (Jesus said "If you love me, you will obey what I command. " John 14:15) Jesus also said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20.
#3 Cuz it shows you are a believer!
In the OT, Jewish people would get circumcised (ouch) as an outward symbol of their faith, whereas Christians get baptized as an outward symbol of their faith! Acts 18:8"...many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized."

CONFESSION: I have not been baptized, YET. I am hoping to do so before I leave DC. Details to follow soon.

Mullets and Other Fun Ideas by Mike O'Brien

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITTEN BY MY FRIEND MIKE O'BRIEN. THIS IS THE SITE'S FIRST GUEST BLOG. ALL I DID WAS ADD A PIC OF UNCLE JESSE AND POST.

The other day I was walking to work and I saw a guy with an incredible mullet (a hairstyle characterized by short hair on the sides and long hair on top and in the back). According to Mullet Junky, as reputable a source one finds on such things, this was an Animal. This sight nearly distracted me to the point where I almost tripped on a curb. In that humbling moment, I remembered a question someone asked at a Bible Study a few years ago:

Q: I want to get a mullet, and some of my Christian friends say it's not cool, what did Moses say

A: Your friends are right, Leviticus 19:27 reads, "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head..."

Q: Are you kidding me, are you sure this isn't one of those Old Testament Laws that got replaced by the New Covenant?

A: I'm sure, 1 Corinthians 11:14-15

That is as straightforward as biblical law gets. The Old Testament says it (no short hair on the sides), the New Testament confirms it (no long hair at all) - God disapproves of mullets. However, few items are so straight-forward in the Old Testament. The casual reader may find a prohibition in the Old Testament to which there is no counter prohibition in the New Testament (such as getting a tattoo, Leviticus 19:28), and ask whether it still applies.
The bible discusses God making covenants or promises with different people at different times. There are five covenants described throughout the Bible:

#1. Noah, Genesis 9:1-17, explained here in detail. In short, God rewards Noah’s faithfulness and promises not to flood the world again.

#2. Abraham, explained here in detail. Including that God will extend the forgiveness and engagement to everyone else…someday. Genesis 18:18, Genesis 22:18.

#3. Moses, Exodus chapters 19-34, explained here in detail. God provides a plethora of regulations (one of which is the subject of this post), and then promises to be merciful and gracious while He forgives iniquity, transgression and sin. Exodus 34:6-7.

#4. David, 2 Samuel 7:12-17, explained here in detail. Basically, God is a establishing a throne from the heirs of David which will last forever.

In each of these covenants, there were certain standards of behavior that accompanied the promise. To enjoy the promise the covenant holder had to have faith in God. The standards of behavior were reflections of whether that faith was present. It is important to note that there was no requirement for perfection, since, if there was, there would be no need for God’s grace which is the common theme throughout these passages.

#5. New Covenant By the time of the new covenant, a bifurcation existed between church law (which governed conduct of believers) and civil law (which provided remedies for private and public disputes among mostly everyone). Romans 13. So, Paul recognized that there was a general moral obligation to obey the law (there are obviously conflicts between church and civil law, but that is a topic for another day). This event narrows the discussion to restrictions on personal conduct instead of prohibitions on public behavior.

To begin, in the Old Testament Jeremiah predicts that the “old covenant” personal conduct will not be around forever, 31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. 33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Jeremiah 31:31-34 (my emphasis). Luke 22:20 explains, “In the same way, after the supper (Jesus) took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” Some scholarly dispute agrees as to whether the new covenant began at the moment Christ died or at Pentecost. Regardless, we are certainly in a new covenant time now, and Hebrews 8:13 explains, “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.”

Therefore, the Old Testament restrictions on behavior have passed. But note how all of the promises of God explained above have been fulfilled (or are currently in progress, such as not flooding the world, the availability of forgiveness of sins, etc.). That brings me back to the original question about getting a tattoo. The important inquiry is not whether one can get a tattoo, but why one would want to. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says that as believers we are to honor God with our body. If one is getting a tattoo to glorify God, then it wouldn’t be considered sinful. However, if one is getting a tattoo for some other reason (to spite one’s parents, etc.) then it could be considered sinful.

"I'm swine flu serious"

You know something is a big deal when 1.) your Mom sends you an email chain entitled "Breaking News- Celebrity Swine Flu Fatality", that includes a picture of a lifeless, Kermit the Frog laying amidst a muddy pig pen, and a one line text in blue Courier font reading "And we all know who gave it to him" and 2.) a random dude at one of the classiest, most fun, low-key, entertaining, and delicious weddings I've been to in a while, decides to crack a joke and show his commitment to getting drinks after the open bar closed by exclaiming "I'm swine flu serious! I've got everyone's drinks covered". Now I realize, this topic is a bit stale, and that the whole swine flu scare was so 2 months ago, but let's travel back in time to our state of mind when we first heard about swine flu. For me, I remember I was on gchat sometime in April, and my friend sent me a news link about people in Mexico dying from "swine flu" and how it could very easily spread to the U.S. if proper precautions weren't taken. I kind of forgot about it until a few days later when the U.S. declared a public health emergency over swine flu after there were 20 cases diagnosed in the U.S.. Shortly after this, travelers were shown on TV carrying face masks on their business/personal trips to Mexico, and stories such as "Only pig in Afghanistan locked up... to protect country from swine flu " made headline news. For a while people panicked, myself included, and I will admit that I fell prey to the http://www.doihaveswineflu.org/website whose name implied a self-assured way to detect if you had symptoms of swine flu. I remember my mind momentarily wandered to the "what if" mentality. What if it were to become a pandemic, what if it were to kill massive amounts of people, and I was one of those people?

I thought to myself, well of course it would really stink to die and miss out on all the things that life has to offer between the age of 26-78 such as marriage, kids, mastering drums on rock band, grandchildren, playing bingo, etc. And although it would be really sad to die, I am not afraid of death. If I was to die in the next 5 minutes, the next 5 days, or the next 5 years, I am 100% certain that I will be in heaven with the God of this universe because I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior. And what's even cooler and reassuring is that I can't under any circumstance lose my salvation. In essence, I have eternal security. Let's briefly look at the Bible (i.e. word of God) and go straight into the truth and the amazing promises that are given to believers regarding their eternal security. Note, when I say 'believers' I am referring to Christians- i.e. someone who has, by faith, received and fully trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior (John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5:1). Once saved, always saved. Here's why:

1.) Christ died once for ALL sins (past, present, future). You can't do anything to screw up your salvation because let's be real here people. God is omniscient . He knows about the sins you are going to commit 10 minutes from now, and 10 years from now. That is why God's grace is so AMAZING. God, being the all knowing genius that he is, knows our thoughts before we speak them (Psalm 139:2-4), knows all the hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30) , and knows every darn tuten bad thing we will ever do, yet is choosing to love us in spite of ourselves. He loved us so much he sent Christ to die, once, for all sins (Romans 5:6-8, Romans 6:10, 1 Peter 3:18) Wow, that is really nice of him!

2.) Nothing can separate us from Christ's love
Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

John 10:28-29 "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand."

3.) God keeps our salvation in a safe place for us. You can't lose something you aren't holding. Yes, I have lost countless cell phones, wallets, and receipts in my day, but thank God I am not in charge of holding on to my salvation.

1 Peter 1:3-5 "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—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."

4.) The Holy Spirit seals us. God gives the Holy Spirit to every believer when he/she gets saved as a down payment of His promise to take us to heaven and give us our inheritance

Ephesians 1:12-14 "in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

2 Corinthians 1:22 "set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come"

And that, my friend(s), is why I am able to go to bed every night at peace, and not fear death.

I like it, I like it a lot!

It's 2015. Matt Lauer still works for the today show and its that time of year again for "Where in the World is Matt Lauer" (not to be confused Where in the World is Carmen San Diego, one of the many nerdy games I enjoyed as a child). This morning, Matt Lauer has traveled to Liberia. But what's the occasion?! The camera zooms in on Lauer and it becomes apparent that the locals in the background are building a well. "Folks, what we are witnessing behind me is the LAST well being put in Liberia". Lauer walks over to the well site, where 10 gringos between age 18-40 are standing smiling and waving at the camera. Lauer approaches the leader of the gringos, introduces him as the founder of theLASTWell saying "Todd, in 2009, there were 1.8 million people in Liberia that did not have access to clean, safe, water to drink and now there are enough functional wells with enough clean water for the entire nation... this is unbelievable... rarely do charities have specific missions with specific end dates, much less achieve the specific goal in less than a decade, is there anything you'd like to say? ". Todd shrugs, then smiles, and simply replies " We encouraged people in their 20s, to help change the world, and we did it all in the name of Jesus."

WOW. That was my reaction when Todd Philips, the teaching pastor of Frontline (McLean Bible's service for young adults between 18-40), shared the vision of theLASTWell during a fundraiser for folks preparing to climb Mount Whitney. As you probably have already inferred, the mission of theLASTWell is "to provide safe, affordable drinking water to the entire nation of Liberia and preach the message of Jesus Christ to those we serve". The cost of this project is estimated between $10MM-$15MM. Now, it would be relatively easy to contact a Fortune 500 company to get the money, but that would defeat the purpose of TheLASTWell, which is to inform and empower young evangelical adults across America to come together in order to accomplish amazing feats of service for Jesus. If you want even more granularity, new wells can be built for $5,000 and dysfunctional wells can be fixed for $2,500-$3,000. (Living Water International is the organization that actually builds the wells). And it get's even more exciting hearing that a donation of only $1 is enough to provide clean water to 1 child in Liberia for an entire year.

So the question remains, how does theLASTWell raise $10MM-$15MM?! Already in the works are numerous hikes throughout the entire world, including climbing the tallest mountain peak on every continent. If you are interested in climbing Kilimanjaro in August 2009, or interested in climbing another mountain in the future, or donating money, please visit http://www.thelastwell.org/ Oh, and the picture is from July 2008 on the top of Mt. Elbrus, the first hike completed.

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." - John 4:13-14

Silly Obama, tricks are for kids!

So Obama's latest "peace" plan is to divide Jerusalem into two and make the holy city the capital of a Palestinian state. Now I am TOTALLY ignorant when it comes to world news, so I don't feel educated enough to comment on why this is a bad idea from a political perspective. But I do know what the Bible tells us about Israel. (btw Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and yes I had to look that up because I didn't know that because I only read news on finance.yahoo.com).

#1 Jerusalem is part of the land that God promised to Israel. God tells Abraham” To your descendants I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7), “For all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever” (Genesis 13:15), and “To your descendants I have given this land.” (Genesis 15:18). In fact, Israel currently possesses only a fraction of the land God has promised. "Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates — all the Hittite country — to the Great Sea on the west." (Joshua 1:4) and " On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- he land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."" (Genesis 15:18-22).

Translation: Based on today’s geography, land that is rightfully Jewish peoples is all of the land modern Israel currently possesses, plus all of the land of the Palestinians (the West Bank and Gaza), plus some of Egypt and Syria, plus all of Jordan, plus some of Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

#2 God promised and gave the land originally to Jews (descendants of Isaac and Jacob) not to Arabs (descendants of Ishmael). In Genesis 17:18-22 Abraham asks if Ishmael can receive the blessing to inhereit the land, God specifically says "no" and that it will be Isaac instead. Also, in Genesis 35:10-12 God says to Jacob Isaac's son, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel." So he named him Israel. And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you."

Biblically speaking, Israel has a right to exist as a nation in its own land that God gave to the descendants of Jacob, grandson of Abraham. At the same time, Israel should seek peace and display respect for its Arab neighbors. Psalms 122:6 says“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure.”

#3 Don’t mess with God’s chosen people!
God to Abraham: "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Genesis 12: 3.

Hopefully you have learned something new because I definitely did in researching this topic. For an interesting perspective on why Obama's plan will cause conflict and not peace go here.

Pop Quiz Hot Shot!

POP QUIZ HOT SHOT.. there's a bomb on the bus. Wait, it's not 1994, and Keanu Reeves is no longer an A list celebrity so people probably don't remember this reference, failblog.org! Anyways, I just ate a delicious cupcake from cakelove that Alison got me for my birthday, and I feel the need to exercise instead of just going to bed immediately, so here I am working out my metatarsals. Below I'll present a list of sayings and you have to decide whether or not it comes from the bible, then we'll review and see how you do, READY OK (no i was never a cheerleader, but Alison was and she helped me look up some of the bible verses!)

Statement #1: God helps those who help themselves
Statement #2: Everything happens for a reason
Statement #3: Jesus didn't come to bring peace, he came to bring a sword.
Statement #4: The truth will set you free.
Statement #5 : Being a Christian will bring you health, wealth, and happiness.
Statement #6: Joesph, one of Jacob's 12 sons, who was sold into slavery by his brothers, was known for his faithfulness, and eventually became 2nd in command in Egypt behind Pharaoh, was part of the bloodline of Christ.
Statement #7: Jesus died once for all sins, past present and future.
Statement #8: The new testament states to follow only 9 of the 10 commandments.
Statement #9: God will never give you more than you can handle.
Statement #10: Those who honor their father and mother will be rewarded with long life.

***************************ANSWERS BELOW******************************************************************

Explanations: For the sake of your own attention span, I've kept this brief. If you want more details, just ask me =)
Statement #1: Not in Bible.
This is actually a quote from Ben Franklin and it appeared in Poor Richard's Almanac in 1757. In fact the Bible teaches the opposite. God helps the helpless! Isaiah 25:4 declares, "For You have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat..." Romans 5:6 tells us, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."
Statement #2: Not explicitly in the Bible.
Original author of this quote is unknown. The bible does talk about how God has overall plans and purposes though. ex. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Statement #3: Yes in the Bible.
The verse below indicates that following Jesus in his original Jewish society may not bring peace to a family, but may "split" it up, the precise function of a metaphorical sword. Matthew 10:34-36 (Jesus talking) "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.For I have come to turn 'a man against his father,a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her motherinlaw—a man's enemies will be the members of his own household."
Statement #4: Yes in the Bible.
John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Statement #5: Not in Bible.
The bible no where promises heath or wealth. The bible tells us that 11 of the 12 disciples were persecuted for their faith and eventually martyred for their belief in Jesus. Additionally, look at what 1 Corinthians 4:9-13 says about the apostles: For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored. To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the off scouring of all things until now.
Statement #6: No.
Judah, the son of Jacob that convinced his brothers to sell their brother Jacob into slavery, is in the direct bloodline of Christ. Matthew 1:-1-3 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah...
Statement #7: Yes in the Bible.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit...
Romans 6:10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all...
Psalm 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. [regarding past sin. also note: think about this statement. He didn't say north from south, because if you go north long enough you eventually will end up going south. but if you go east, and keep going east, you will still always be going east]
Hebrews 10:10-12, 14 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. ...because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
Statement #8: Yes.
In reading John chapter 9 we see that Jesus himself is working on the Sabbath effectively making the Keep Holy the Sabbath i.e. don't do work , hereby null and void.
Statement #9: Not explicitly in the bible.
No where does the bible directly say that God will not give you more than you can handle in terms of suffering. Often times 1 Corinthians 10:13 gets misquoted, but this verse tells us that God will not let us be tempted beyond our ability but will provide a way of escape so that we can withstand the temptation without giving into sin. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Statement #10: Yes in the Bible.
Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.




Answer Key: 1:no, 2:no, 3:yes, 4:yes, 5: no, 6:no, 7:yes, 8:yes, 9:no, 10: yes

Mmmm, Yeah... I'm Gonna Need You To Come In On Saturday, mmm K?!

It's a Friday afternoon. You've shut down your computer, and start heading for the exit, when you run into your boss (think deer in headlights look) and he asks you to come into his office for a minute, ugh. Your boss explains there is a last minute project that needs to be done before Monday and asks if you would be willing to come in tomorrow (Saturday), work from 9:00am -9:00pm, and in return get paid $1,000. Although you will have to cancel all your Saturday plans, you decide to accept your boss's offer because you could really use the extra money in these economically unstable times. So the next morning you show up bright and early, work your butt off for 12 hours straight, and get your assignment done promptly at 8:59pm. Although exhausted and worn out, you are content. You feel accomplished. You worked hard, and earned the money. You start doing the victory "i'm the man" dance while waiting for the elevator, when suddenly your co-worker Bob appears out of no where. You ask Bob what he's doing here on a Saturday. Bob says the boss called him last minute and asked him to come in at 8:00pm and work for an hour to help on a last minute project. Bob also reveals that your boss offered to pay Bob $1,000 for his work. WTH (heck). Bob continues to talk saying how generous he thinks your boss is and how grateful he is for such a sweet opportunity, but you don't hear Bob. You are angry. What once left you feeling content, now leaves you feeling disgruntled. You feel robbed, schooled, played, juked. You are jealous of the generosity displayed towards Bob and are thinking "IT'S JUST NOT FAIR" . To make matters worse, Bob says that the boss actually also had people come in at 12:00pm, 3:00pm, and 6:00pm and paid them $1,000 also. GOO! You contact your boss expressing your anger with his unfair treatment saying `Bob worked only one hour, and you have made him equal to me who has worked all day'. Your boss says "Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to Bob as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' So the last will be first, and the first last."

Now what if I told you that the above illustration is exactly what the kingdom of heaven is like. What if I told you that some people will spend most of their life being devoted to God and will have the same reward (eternal life/heaven) as those who come to God later on in their life?! In fact, what you just read is a modern day version of 'the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard' from Matthew 20:1-16. Jesus often spoke in parables so that it would be easy to understand his message. What I take away from this parable is

#1 Getting to heaven is not based on merit, but rather on God's grace/generosity. God's love for us disregards our levels of obedience, performance, or achievement. He loves us no matter how long we have been working (i.e starting at 9am, 12pm, 3pm, etc) God is generous in opening the doors of his kingdom to all who will enter, both those who have labored a life-time for him and those who come at the last hour. [Note: even though our works don't change God's love for us or affect our status in heaven, someone who does have a personal relationship with God and loves God would follow his commands and be obedient to Him as a way to show love for God ]

#2 God is sovereign. He created the world! He created you and I ! He is the ultimate ruler who owns everything. He can bless who he wants and often blesses those most undeserving , in our example Bob (can we say "grace"?! )

#3 Go on brush your shoulder off! Don't begrudge God's generosity to others! Instead of grumbling about blessings we didn't receive and felt were owed to us, and instead of getting jealous when we see grace being given to others, such as Bob, we should be content with what we have (1 Timothy 6:6, Hebrews 13:5)

And finally, if you would like to read the actual story from the bible, you may do so below !
Matthew 20:1-16
1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to them he said, `You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. 5 Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, `Why do you stand here idle all day?' 7 They said to him, `Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, `You go into the vineyard too.' 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, `Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, 12 saying, `These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of them, `Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first last."

How Good is Good Enough- Part II

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

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

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

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

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

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

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