Stuff to watch out for

I love how prophetic some of Jesus' teachings were. While he was at the temple in Jerusalem, some of his disciples acted like tourists. Like an omnipotent tour guide, Jesus said the temple would be destroyed. You know what's creepy? The temple was destroyed, just like Jesus said it would be, I think somewhere around 60AD.

Surprised, his followers asked when it was going to happen.

As Jesus often did, he answered indirectly. He warned them a lot of posers would appear, claiming to be Jesus, the one and only Prince of Peace.

Gee, I think there have been Jesus wanna-bes pretty much since he went up to heaven, am I right?

Jesus also advised them not to be frightened if they heard about some war or revolution going on because they had to happen first, and the end would follow eventually.

War, revolution, weren't these words tossed around on the news lately?

Jesus talked about massive earthquakes and various diseases and generally fearful events and also some great big signs from heaven.

Hmm...I'd be willing to bet those "great signs from heaven" he mentioned were probably his second coming, but that's just me. When it comes to apocalyptic prophesy, there's a lot of stuff that has to go down, so I could be wrong about this particular example.

Here's the part that fascinates me. Lots of people say we're in the end of times right now, and while we may be in the middle of a world with a surplus of Jesus-fakers, war-fighters, earthquakes, and diseases, followers of Christ are not being brought into churches or courthouses to be persecuted for our faith.

Please understand that just as the temple was torn down after Jesus said it would be, there were a lot of Christians persecuted for their faith soon after he went to heaven. In many parts of the world, there still are in fact, but I personally feel we're not yet in those dark days Jesus talked about.

Don't get me wrong, we're not far off. At the rate the world is spiraling downward, I wouldn't be surprised if our grandkids saw those days. Just look at how many people believe the Bible is old fashioned.

Jesus said that when we stand trial for our faith, we will be witnesses to the people there also.

As if we weren't already concerned enough about the whole dying for his name thing, we're going to have the added pressure of sharing the good news with our killers.

Yet, Jesus knew we might be a little nervous in that situation so he told us not to worry about making a rock solid defense before it all happens. He's got our backs, and if I had to guess, I'd say our Advocate looks pretty glorious in a suit and tie.

Get this, we're not just going to be arrested because some punk saw our faces on a wanted poster. Our own parents, brothers, relatives and friends will betray us, even to the point of having us killed. Talk about tough love.

Frankly, we'll get to know a lot of haters.

Either Jesus thought his followers had a snazzy hairdo, or he was serious about the whole eternal life thing.

I would guess the latter.

Jesus said Jerusalem would be a pretty sucky place to live during that time, at least until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled.

To demonstrate how important everything he'd said was, Jesus gave them an illustration. Apparently, when fig trees sprout leaves, summer is near. Likewise, when all this stuff goes down, the kingdom of God is close at hand.

You know what? It's going to happen one day.

In the meantime, don't get too involved in the practices and issues of the world. If you spend all your time worrying about the anxieties of life, the coming of the kingdom of God will snap your ankle like a bear trap. If you live on the planet Earth, there's a good chance you'll see it happen.

Be always on the watch, and pray that you might escape what's about to happen, and also that you'll be able to stand before Jesus when that day comes. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I don't want to be ashamed in front of Jesus because I didn't stand firm in the face of adversity to my faith.

I need feedback on this one

A gay friend of mine posted as his Facebook status today, "Sometimes I think the best view of God is from Hell."

My immediate response is to get all theological, and explain that's not possible.

Then, it dawns on me that maybe he's writing that as his status because someone told him he was going to burn in Hell because he's gay. My response to that assumption is just as theological; Hell was never intended for people because it's where Satan and his legion of fallen angels are supposed to go. People send themselves to Hell by willfully believing the deceptions Satan has created, and in so doing, rejecting the grace, mercy, and love of God.

But, somehow, I don't think that's the right response either.

I feel like all I'm left with is this advice, "Do it with gentleness and respect" from somewhere in first or second Peter, and then from a few places, "Whatever you do, do in love."

***

I paused while writing this post to read the Bible. I knew I wasn't going to get an answer fast enough from the comments my followers might give me, so I went to God.

When I stopped reading and came back to my laptop to write, I wasn't quite sure what God was telling me. In both Matthew and Luke, I read the story about how the Pharisees claiming Jesus drove out demons because he himself had a demon. It felt like God was saying I should get all philosophical and church-y with my friend, but I knew that couldn't be what God was saying because the very same chapters pointed out just how useless church people can be. I don't think God would have me explaining the finer points of the Bible to someone who's probably never even heard half the stories I would reference.

Just now however, when I looked down to find the reference for a verse in which Jesus said "whoever is not with us is against us", God showed me what I was looking for.

Please, share your thoughts, whatever they are. I'd love to hear your approach, or discuss any bible verses or parts that would influence how you would respond. Thanks.

Spooky Stuff

Everyone has their own ghost story, regardless of whether they believe in ghosts or not. Even the most doubtful skeptic could tell you about a friend or relative who claims to have encountered a ghost. Even so, not a lot is known about ghosts except that it has been scientifically proven unusual changes in the immediate environment occur some of the time a ghost is said to be doing something. TV shows like Sci-Fi's Ghost Hunters try to explain the presence of alleged ghosts through scientific investigation. While they can't define what a ghost is, they usually show how vulnerable we are, if not to ghosts then to fear.

Me, personally, I don't watch shows like Ghost Hunters because I don't like watching anyone take stupid risks. The risk in my mind isn't "Oh geez, they're stupid going looking for something that if it exists could be kind of scary and maybe even dangerous." I feel they'd be safer if they walked up to a sleeping grizzly and poked it with a stick.

I don't doubt ghosts exist, although let me say they are probably not the souls of the dead coming back to haunt their old hideouts. Of course, from a theological standpoint, it might be possible that's what ghosts are, but I'd rather not try to explain on my own why it could be possible given what the bible says about a person's soul and when exactly the soul goes to heaven or hell after the body dies. I'd be happy to share my thoughts on the matter if someone familiar with scripture would like to debate it with me; I know both David and Emerald could if they wanted.

As for what I think ghosts are, that's an easy one. They're instruments of Satan in his war against God, more than likely, literal demons. Most of the time, hauntings do more to divide a family and destroy a person's faith than they do anything else. They're not just playful annoyances that interfere in the lives of a selected minority.

A few years ago, my grandparents lived in a haunted house. It was out in middle-of-nowhere Virginia and was over a 100 years old. I think someone had told me two people had died in the house, both from old age, but I can only be sure of one. While she was living there, my grandma had encountered a fair bit of paranormal activity, including two human forms.

The first encounter was a knock at the front door one day, and when she answered it, apparently there was a little old lady with creepy red eyes and wild white hair just standing there. My grandma tried talking to her, but she didn't say anything back. Eventually, I think my grandma closed the door and went back to what she was doing, praying as she did so.

The other one happened while she was washing dishes once. There was no one in the house except her and her husband, who was asleep and bed-ridden at the time. From the parlor, her piano began playing. Confused, she went to check it out, and saw a farmer in muddy overalls sitting at the bench playing. Yet, the front door was still shut and locked, and there was no way this man could've gotten inside. My grandma got that same feeling she'd had with the other encounter, so she retreated back into the kitchen. When she left, she asked him to close the lid when he was done.

Cherie's also encountered her own fair share of ghostly phenomena, being that she goes to one of the oldest colleges in the country. From the tours she's given me of the campus, pretty much every other building is haunted. Some of them had suicides, some murders, and some other stuff happen in them. The part that freaks her out though is that one night she was out doing something with one of the clubs she's in, and apparently there was an eerie light flickering in one of the third-floor windows of the most haunted building. I think the building was supposed to empty and locked for the night, so they couldn't explain why there was any light at all.

The color still drains from her face when she talks about it.

It's scary stuff to think about, demons and whatnot. I understand entirely why Cherie is so shook up after her experience, and frankly, if I didn't have Jesus, I'd be cowering just by talking about it.

But, with Jesus, it's not me who cowers. After Satan got pwned, Jesus gave his disciples the authority to overcome whatever Satan can throw at them.

Thus, as a believer in Jesus Christ, I've got a bodyguard. I need not fear any demon.

But that's not why I celebrate. I celebrate because I know I'm going to heaven one day.

Ban on the Disembowling of Goats

I can't imagine what it must've been like to be Jesus when he was confronted by the Pharisees or their agents every day. They thought they knew Scripture better than anyone, but at the same time, they were talking to the dude who might as well have written the book they thought they knew.

I bet, in some ways, it was a lot like when someone writes a flamboyant novel or research paper, and then at an interview about it, the reporters barrage him with questions about what his stance is on whatever based on a single line they lifted out of context and used to describe the entire work.

Or, for a better example, imagine Christina Rossetti sitting in a college-level literature classroom as the students discuss what symbols are at work in Goblin Market. The interpretation of the work is not the same as the intention of the work.

Let me get to the point. While reading Matthew today, I read the part where the Pharisees want to know why Jesus is eating with the tax collectors and sinners. Jesus replied with one of my favorite Bible quotes, "It's not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." The verse that came next surprised me, perhaps because I'm familiar with this story from another gospel where Jesus elaborates more on that point. Here, however, he gives a different explanation than the one I'm familiar with.

He tells the Pharisees to go and research what the Scripture says concerning what God wants, specifically about Him wanting mercy and not sacrifice.

My Bible had a little note on that phrase directing me to Hosea 6:6. Now, I took it upon myself to check it out and see what it meant for myself. Sure, I know what Jesus taught overall, and I've read the Bible enough times I could probably give a convincing answer if someone asked me to explain why God wanted mercy not sacrifice, but I knew deep down that if it were a test question, my essay would be wrong.

I'm okay faking it on a Shakespeare test if I have to, but I don't want to allow myself the same lack of motivation, knowledge, and confidence when it comes to what I believe. My former Shakespeare prof might have been a perfectionist, but God's perfect.

Here's what it means that God wants mercy and not sacrifice, at least my interpretation thereof.

Yeah, sure, God allows us to have ups and downs in life, but even when we're down in the dumps, we have the promise of eternity in heaven with God by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Since we have such a hope, we should praise the Lord, giving him all the credit that's due, cause God's not going to leave us high and dry.

But, we need to be careful not to get too religious and too dependent upon our rituals. When we bury God beneath going to church on Sunday or doing a daily devotion, we lose track of what God wants for us.

Tithing more and slaughtering sheep aren't what brings us close to God. To know God is to imitate God, and God is a loving and merciful God. It stands to reason that God wants us to love and forgive one another, just as he loves and forgives us. He also wants us to acknowledge his presence in our lives.

Sadly, we've all done wrong and broken faith with God. As much in our society today as in that of the Israelites, we've let our leaders and our religion distract us from God's true intentions. We've lusted after people who aren't our partner; we might as well have screwed the most attractive of them.

In order for us to be fruitful, it's necessary that our crimes and wrongdoings come out, even if only through our confession of them. It's easy to forget God knows what we've done wrong, whether or not we want to admit it ourselves.

Every one has one sin they're guilty of, be it befriending the world, burning with sexual passion for the wrong someone, getting hammered at a wild party, feeling a tad homoerotic, or simply forgetting God would help if asked.

We're supposed to stand out from the crowd, living as beacons of light to an otherwise dark world. Because we trust in God and have Jesus as out Lord and Savior, we're supposed to be completely different than who we were before we believed and repented.

Don't let your self-confidence and pride mess you up; if you're not careful, you might forget God did everything in your life, not you.

Know what you believe and don't get lured off the path by a cluster of sweet berries just a step or two away. They're poison. Can't you see the skeletons piled around the bush?

Stop complaining about your so-called hopeless situation. Use the gifts God gave you to make the world a better place, not to get rich quick.

(Psst, I think God's trying to get your attention. You might want to see what he has to say--it looks important.)

Don't worry about whatever religious practice you think usurps them all. It doesn't. What matters is forgiving whoever hurt you the way God forgave you when you hurt Him.

With you in Spirit

With the coming of the internet age, it's not six degrees of separation any more. It's four clicks to Facebook. At first, the internet was limited to computers, but people soon found they wanted to stay up to date with their friends wherever they went. Here, where I live, nearly everyone under the age of 45 has a smart phone, making it possible to have the world in your pocket.

Sometimes, I wonder though, how in a world of global connectivity, can we share our faith and reflect Jesus? I've always been of the mindset that you can't show someone what God has done in your life unless you show them who you are first. It's always been a struggling point for me, like when I would go to a new church or encounter a sidewalk preacher; I had trouble accepting their message--even if I knew it to be biblically sound--if I didn't see their personality and some of who they were at the same time.

For me, it certainly doesn't seem possible to have the same impact on people's lives through an instant message or Facebook wall that you would have in person. I know some people can do it, but it doesn't feel like what I'm good at. The fact I have a follower I've never personally met continues to amaze me.

Even though I don't feel like a great christian light in this world of wires, I try. Whether it's keeping this blog alive, or doing a bible study through texting, or reaching out when I can to pray for believers and nonbelievers alike, I do my best. Naturally, I prefer interacting in person, but that's not always going to be possible for everyone we've ever met.

You know, even though the only way early Christians could bridge the gap was a donkey moseying to the next town, they managed to keep in touch.

Look at Paul, Christianity's very own go-to guy. Because of him, more than half the New Testament shows us how we can love others without seeing them in person. Paul loved the churches so much, he wrote them frequently to encourage and instruct them.

One trick you can use to reach out to your friends and acquaintances whom you wouldn't normally see, is through prayer. Epaphras certainly had the right idea.

Of course, the surplus of technology and ways to communicate should only help you when you're comforting others. We've all had one of those moments when we see a friend is hurting just from the way they wrote that text message. It sounds impossible, and we can't explain it, but somehow, it happens every now and then. If we're able to discern or suspect something might be awry with our closest friends, because maybe their smiley faces are more frowney and tearful, we should offer whatever comforts we can. Don't be limited by 160 characters--that's what elipses are for.

Remember how Jesus said if two people agree upon anything they ask for, it will be done by God the Father? This rule still applies even if said people aren't in the same room. Therefore, we should continue to share our prayer needs with one another even when we're only able to talk in short email conversations.

Although it is possible to spread the good news through virtual mediums, we should make every effort to see one another.

Whatever you do, do it in love.

Feel Good Drag

One of my favorite songs, "Feel Good Drag" by Anberlin, is all about sexual temptation and to some extent, avoiding it altogether. It's hard to seriously analyze the lyrics while headbanging.

However, the song brings up a good point. As enticing as a porn model, stripper, or would-be mistress can be, they're almost always our greatest failure. Of course, I'm speaking on behalf of the guys out there, because I do not know much about women's sexual urges other than they exist and they are in another dimension entirely. That much I have gained from talking to female friends.

It's okay Crystal, go ahead and make a "Jonathan is a lady's man" joke--I could hear one coming as I wrote the above sentence.

Ahem, back on topic, I'm writing about this particular vice because I realized how entrapping a French film I was watching yesterday really was. In case you didn't know, French movies tend to show a lot more skin than most American movies. That's not why I always record them on TV when I find them, but it's something I've had to accept. The movie I was watching wasn't like most French movies, with a few scenes of artful sexuality and/or nudity. Naturally, the sex and nudity was present, but I wish there'd been less.

I should have been clued in early on when the main actress disrobed entirely and the camera angles didn't bother glorifying it the way French movies normally do. Like an hour and something later, came the first sex scene. I was surprised by how raunchy it was, but I shrugged it off as simply artistic license. Regardless of the smutty style the sex scenes were done in, I was prepared to sit through the rest of the movie so I could listen to their accents.

Four sex scenes later, each just as graphic and erotic as the first, I realized I was watching porn with a barely-there storyline. Like, it had just enough romance for me to imagine a French couple watching it together to turn the heat up on a cozy night. It was sweet, but not sweet enough for a guy to get all lovey-dovey. In my opinion, the movie intended to arouse and excite the males in the audience.

Although I liked how easily I understood their French, and I liked where the story line was going (once it got going), I decided today it wasn't worth watching any more of. My future girlfriend/wife does not deserve me looking at such things, and even if I am not obligated to her in any shape or form being that I've possibly never even met her, I am obligated to my God.

One of Jesus' most confusing lessons for me is the one about your hand causing you to sin. Jesus said, if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off because it's better to enter heaven maimed then as a sinner.

That's why I deleted it from my DVR without knowing how the story ended, or if the main character ever got pregnant from her cheating lover so her incapable husband would become the legal guardian to an illegitimate son. Oh well. It was just a feel good drag.

Broken Body

I really wanted to write a really good blog entry today, but I'm sorry if this one isn't up to par. I'm exhausted, like you don't even know how physically exhausted I am. I got something like ten hours of sleep last night, and then slept another four hours over the course of five naps throughout the day. Since it's now 4:30, evening will be starting soon (if it hasn't already) and I'm going to do my best to stay awake until near bedtime.

Why am I so physically exhausted? Well, I'm building a Halo Battle Rifle out of an airsoft gun. It's pretty epic.

But that's not why I'm tired, it's just a part of it. I'm tired because for about four hours yesterday, I was out in the garage making the parts I needed for my battle rifle. Despite the fact I do everything in my power to keep the garage clean enough to work in, my dad does not. In fact, my dad has this horrible tendency to take all the tools he'd dragged out to do whatever with, and then pile them in the first open spot he can find whenever he's finished. And he wonders why he can never find his tools, gosh. He also fills the garage so full of clutter and junk that you cannot walk through it without pulling out at least six stacks of whatever.

Now, it would just be irritating if I could move all that stuff out of the garage, put away his tools, and clear me a place to work without actually draining my energy. However, being that I have Muscular Dystrophy, and get tired quickly when walking or standing, I have to dedicate an entire week to get one morning with the space and tools I need to build, invent, fix or tinker properly. I don't mean it takes me that long to get enough of the garage clean to do my thing. I mean that once I've cleared away a tiny workspace, I've already exhausted at least half my energy for the entire day and by that point, I'm committed to doing what I'd set out to.

So today, I'm exhausted. My legs have been hurting and twitching all day, and I can barely walk, and as I mentioned earlier, I've been unable to stay awake. Apparently I looked so bad last night, my mom decided to make me a huge protein-filled breakfast this morning...she went overboard, not that I'm inappreciative.

But yeah, while I was awake today, I spent the day listening to my favorite Christian rock bands, and playing video games. Mostly, I spent sleeping.

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go sleep again.