If you pretend to like Jesus, you can eat lunch with the cool kids

You know what really makes me mad? When people walk diagonally across a parking lot. But they also walk really slow. Aware that you are right behind them about to run them over. But not caring. That has nothing to do with what I'm about to talk about. I just don't care for it.

First off, since I've realized that people might actually read this that don't know me, let me say this. 90 percent of the things that I talk about, I am guilty of as well. I hope that no one takes this the wrong way and thinks that I am just slamming religion, church, or other people. Most of the time, I write about problems that I myself are experiencing. I do not think myself to be better than any other person alive. I am not writing to offend anyone. I am not writing to condemn anyone. And I am sharing what I believe.

I was thinking the other day about how often I fail God. My self control is basically non existent. I'm falling into a routine. I hate routines. It's always the same. But it's a routine of failure that makes it even worse. And I hope I'm not the only one that does this because I would feel like a chump, but let's be honest...have you ever caught yourself saying, "well at least I don't sin as much as Sinny Mcgee over there?" I do that when I feel like I'm slipping away more than usual. I guess to make myself feel better about sinning. Whatever the reason, it's stupid. But the funny thing is, I realize that it's stupid. Yet do it anyway. But regardless of whether you think you do or not, it's human nature to compare ourselves to others constantly. I've written a lot about this recently but in regards to worldly things. Think about how often people are comparing themselves spiritually. Well it must be ok to do that because he is. Or I'm a better Christian because I don't do that. We fall into this so bad, that we forget who we are supposed to be striving to live for. It becomes a race to better another person rather than serve God, which is the entire reason we are alive and here in the first place.

Remember the W.W.J.D. bracelets? Those were cool in like 5th grade. But did anyone really ever wear them as a reminder that we are supposed to strive to live like Jesus? Obviously it is impossible to do so, but that's what we should be going for. Basketball players strive to be like Michael Jordan. Golf players strive to be like Tiger. They study his swing, and everything he does in order to attempt and recreate it. So why is it that we often find ourselves looking at other people to guide us other than Jesus. Isn't God a little bit more important than a sport? Which by the way is another way of attempting to better someone for no real reason. But seriously, think about that. Jesus was a fad. You were cooler if you had one of those bracelets. I remember...I was there. I wanted one. But not because it was a reminder to be like Jesus. It was so I could eat lunch with the cool kids.

The thing about looking up to other people is that they will eventually fail. Even pastors will make mistakes and let you down. Pastors are involved in sex scandals, and treasurers or book keepers embezzel money from offerings. No one is perfect, so why should we look up to them for guidance? Not saying having a role model is bad. And also not saying that all preachers are going to make mistakes. I'm just saying that people fail. Jesus didn't fail. He lived a life without sin. A perfect life. Yet I haven't heard anyone saying what would Jesus do in a really long time. It's almost like aiming to be like Jesus was a fad, just like the bracelets. Speaking of fads, remeber pogs? What happened to those? And instead of looking to Him for guidance, we turn to other people. Probably because we can relate to them and see and hear them. But maybe it's just because we forgot. Maybe it's because our competitive nature overshadows it and the first thing that comes to our mind is what would this person do? Or as long as I don't do what he did, I'm ok. Sinning is not ok. No matter who does it. If the pope sins, it's not ok because he's the pope. It's still a sin. And that's what some people are forgetting. Mostly because they see another Christian sin, and believe they can do the same. Like I said before, I do it all the time. Thank God for his compassion and grace. Or we would all be screwed.

Where's the love?

It's 5 in the morning. My shoes are sticky from syrup on the floor at Tourway. My room is a mess. I'm tired, but sleep doesn't like me. Seems like the perfect time to blog it up. I'll start off with my favorite quote. But before you read that, read the post before this. Or just read Jude. It's a whopping 2 pages so you might have to set some time aside, but it is really important in understanding this.

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians..."
-Brennan Manning


Recently, Jesse Morrell graced us with his presence on campus here. First off, I have no problem with evangelists. God put us here to spread his word. What I do have a problem with is the way he goes about it. Secondly, I am not condemning this man. I am simply countering the things he has said with biblical proof for the sake of showing people that his message is false.

Here are some of the things that I personally heard him say

He doesn't sin
Sorority women are whores
You will go to hell if you listen to gangsta rap
If was wrong, God would strike him dead
Women should be silently submissive and learn from men
Homosexuals cannot be saved
If you drink, you will go to hell
If you smoke, you will go to hell

Lets start with number one. He doesn't sin. Really?

-We are all sinners in need of mercy and forgiveness from God (Titus 3:5-7)
-For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)

I'm not judging, I'm simply stating the word. I'm not saying he is going to heaven or hell, I'm just saying that it is impossible to live without sin. The only human capable of that was Jesus. Ever since the fall, sin entered the world. Any man that claims to never sin is clearly oblivious to their lives or the bible for that matter. Regardless of the fact that I do not personally know him or follow his every move, everyone is a sinner.

Oh yea...and this verse...

If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

1 John 1:8-10

And moving on to the whole God striking him down thing...

"Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."
-Luke 4:12

Need I even say more?

If you drink you will go to hell

Ok. There is a very fine line here. Drinking can lead you to a path of sin. It can control your life, become an addiction, and lead to some other bad decisions. Drinking is not a sin. Drunkeness is a sin because you lose self control. Drinking is also a sin if it causes one of your brothers to stumble. Drinking is also a sin if it is against the law (DUI or underage). Drinking is also a sin if you spend your money on that instead of tithing or being a good steward of God's money. So, drinking can lead to a lot of sins. However, there are many parts of the bible that talk about alcohol in a good way. Proverbs 31 says instead of the rulers geting drunk and forgetting the law, to give beer to those who are in perishing and wine to those in anguish so that they will forget their poverty and misery. That is not taken out of context. I read it like, 24 times to make sure that's what it said.

Let's not forget, they drank wine at the last supper. Jesus drank wine. Jesus never sinned.


Let's wrap this up, I'm a little sleepy now

So it wouldn't be a real blog post if I didn't talk about love. Everything i said above can even be disregarded because this is my main point. Love is the key thing this guy is missing. Getting into heaven is not about who sins the least. It's about having a relationship with God. If you live a perfect life, but don't have a real relationship, you are lost. You can't make a list and say don't do these things or you will go to hell. Or vice versa and say do these things and you will go to heaven. It is much more complex than that, but at the same time...simple. God wants a relationship. If he just wanted us to go to hell for sinning, he would not have sent Jesus down to die for us. But now, through Jesus, we can have a true and real relationship with him. And that is all he is asking for. If you have a real relationship, you are forgiven for your sins. There is no formula, mathematics, or bullet points that get you into heaven. Love gets you into heaven.

Also, Morrel had a lack of love. Jesus ate with sinners. He hung out with them. If Jesus were here today, I would bet my life that he wouldn't be going from church to church preaching. He wouldn't hang out with priests, the pope, pastors, and rich people. He would not stand on a street corner or go to a college campus and claim to be a better person and tell everyone they were going to hell. He would be out on the streets showing compassion for the homeless, feeding the poor, clothing the naked, visiting prisons, taking athiests out to dinner, and hanging out with alcoholics. But not to condemn them. Not to strike fear in them to make them change their ways. He would show them that his love for the pope was no greater than his love for a murderer. He would show them that in his eyes, everyon is equal. Jesus showed people grace. He showed them love. Compassion. He showed the lowest people on the totem pole of society that they were loved just as much as the richest man in the world. He showed them that he cared. Morrell told the homosexuals to get out of his sight because they were already lost. That is definitely not love. Paul murdered Christians. Matthew was a tax collecter. Jesus did not walk up to them and say you are going to hell. He showed them love. A love that could only come from God.

Love is more powerful than any combination of words in the world.

My whole point is that people like Morrell, who might think they are doing good, are doing quite the opposite. He is turning people away from Christianity with a lack of love. From what I saw, if I wasn't a believer in God, I wouldn't even consider it anymore after listening to him. Why would I want to be like him? If that's what this religion is all about? Judging and condemning others? I wouldn't want anything to do with that. Even as a believer, I don't even want to associate myself with him and call myself a Christian. It's embarassing. That's why I hate religion. I hate grouping myself into the same catagory as him by saying I'm a Christian. I am not embarassed about my faith. I am a firm believer in God and I am willing to share it with anyone in the world. But I am embarassed to be considered by some to be the same religion as him. Which is why I don't say I am a Christian. I simply say I am a servant of God. Because isn't that the point?

As a believer in God, I am quickly falling faster into a minority because people that call themselves Christians forget how to love others.

Always remember. Showing someone love will do more than anything you can say.

The book of Jude

If you have ever seen an evangelist that preaches fear, and says everyone is going to hell, read this.

4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:

23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

More to come later.

Survival vs. Love

First off, I would like to thank Donald Miller for inspiration. If you don't know who he is, go read Blue Like Jazz. If you've read that, read Searching For God Knows What. Buy them right now.

In the latter book, he proposed a situation where an alien came down from wherever and sat in with us and watched our behavior. This alien has no sense of good and evil, wrong or right. This got me thinking a little bit. What would he observe? Let's put a common situation in...I'm just watching a game of basketball on T.V. with some friends. First, he would probably wonder why we have clothes on. Although he wouldn't know what clothes were, he would probably say more around, strange fabrics covering our bodies. Regardless, he would not understand because he doesn't know that we wear clothes because being naked is considered wrong. Ever since Adam and Eve ate from the tree and realized that it was. Second he would wonder why the two teams were competing. I mentioned this in the last post. No real reason really...just to do it. Just to say I'm better than you. Third, he would wonder why we even care. That's something to think about. Why do we even care if "our team" wins or loses? Why do we pick teams and root for them? We aren't playing. Sometimes we don't even have anything to do with them. Why do I like the Saints? I don't really know...I just do. Then Lebron dunks it and he has a very quizzical look on his face. He then says, "Why did he do that? I thought the objective was just to get it through the hoop. That seemed a little unnecessary (all in perfect English)." The alien thinking objectively. Us thinking entertainmently (I know...not a real word...until now).

Wealth is the next big thing. He would probably notice that humans are the only species on earth that flaunt their wealth. You don't see birds with 5 story nests. Fish don't have heated pools or hot tubs. Granted fish don't have the technology of making hot tubs. But birds could build 5 story nests. There is a show on MTV now that is entirely based on people showing the world how rich they are. "Yea, I live here by myself, but I have 17 cars and 23 bedrooms." He would see a commercial for jewelry and notice that one is 4,000 dollars, while another is 500. They both look the same to him. One just has more gold in it. What's the purpose of wearing it anyway? We are the only species that does more than needed to survive. Way more at that. Especially in the U.S.

That's the huge difference between other animals and us. Other species' sole instinct is to survive. Human's sole instinct is to be loved. (That quote was made up by Matt Barnes and not to be used without the written consent of Matt Barnes)

But we were put here on Earth for more than survival. Our sole purpose is to serve God. If the alien heard us say that, he would have a million other questions. Like why do people have 9 story houses and 5 cars, meanwhile people are being sold into slavery in India, or why coffee farmers in Guatemala, Rwanda, and Ethiopia are receiving less than it costs to grow and harvest? He might ask why people use the church for political or financial gain. Or maybe why a country that was founded on the principles of God has a city nicknamed Sin City.

Or how about this one. Why the U.S. nearly doubles the U.K. for the spot as number one in crime. In the world. The U.S. has the most crimes committed. 14.9 percent more than India.

We are a nation that is falling apart. There is nothing truly logical about anything that we do. We look in all of the wrong places to find love, and never truly get it. It would be confusing to be an alien. Because everything we say we believe in is quickly negated by our actions. If aliens do exist, I know why they don't care to visit.

Competing for love

Have you noticed that everything in life is a competition? We are constantly trying to make ourselves feel important and love by bettering the next person. Everyone does it, whether you think you do or not. I do. A lot. Without even thinking about it.

Think about it. Take a game of football for instance. The two teams are competing to see who is better. Why? I have no idea. I guess just to say our team is better than yours. TV shows. Reality shows. People competing against each other. The funniest thing is that people are using TV shows of people competing to compete against other shows of people competing for better ratings. You might have to read that one twice. In a group of friends, everyone is trying to top the stories of the others in hopes that theirs will be the best. On myspace and facebook, people spend hours taking that perfect picture from that perfect angle that makes you look the best. Everyone looking for approval. Everyone looking to make themselves look better than someone else.

My favorite form of competing is in a game called World of Warcraft. I never got into it myself, but it's fun to make fun of. People dedicate their lives to this game, pay a monthly fee, and don't stop playing. What is the main goal? To have a better character than everyone else. There is no prize. There is no end to the game. The only thing you get is a sense of love and approval from others. From a computer game? Are you serious? Are you so deprived of love and attention that you slave over a computer game just to better someone else?

Why did you just buy that new shirt? To look good. Why do you have to look good? To look better than the person next to you. Why do you have to look better than the person next to you? If you don't know the answer to that, here it is...because it makes you feel loved. Someone saying, hey I like that shirt, will make you feel a certain small amount of love. That maybe someone cares about you. Why did you buy that really nice car? Uhhh...it get's good gas mileage? Really? I drive a 92 and it gets 35 on the highway.

Now now, before you take offense there is nothing wrong with buying nice things. There is nothing wrong with having a new car or a new shirt. However, there is something wrong with using those things to get your fix of the "feel goods". Your source of love comes from God. That is, if you let it. The world can offer you nothing compared to the way God can make you feel. His love is unconditional and unlimited. When that shirt goes out of style in two months, the love from others will stop. When that car breaks down, the love will stop. When Warcraft fades out, no one will care that you are a level 70 night elf with magic aura blasting arrows (if you play WoW, I'm sorry...I have no idea) But God's love will never end. And that's the problem with competing for love. You don't always win when you set your heart on worldly things. But with God, you don't have to compete. It's there no matter what.

I hate cliché metaphors

I hate cliché metaphors. But right now this one is fitting. You never know what you had until it's gone. And before I start, I realize that he is not gone for good. But who knows the next time I see him.

My first friend in Florence, my mentor, my crutch, has left for basic training in the air force. I don't really know for sure how long he will be gone, or what he is doing after, but I know it will be a really long time before I see him again. When he first informed me he was leaving, it didn't really hit me. It actually didn't hit me until he left. A little late for that. Thanks a lot, feelings.

He was the first person to actually talk to me when I moved here. We started hanging out, and just never stopped. We would stay up late, play poker, and sit out on the porch for hours and just talk about life. For an entire semester, we literally played poker every single night. But I never got sick of it. It never got old. That same semester, my girlfriend broke up with me. I was living by myself, but it didn't feel like it. Jimmy was there almost 24/7. He was great at making me completely forget about everything going on and just have fun. I knew, and still know, that anytime I needed him, I could call him and he would be there. He was my seat partner on the bus for 3 years, and marched right next to me.

Jimmy taught me more than anyone else alive right now. The biggest thing he taught me was how to grow up, but still be immature and have fun. He taught me the right times to do both. He taught me how to figure things out on my own rather than ask questions all the time. He taught me how to love playing drums rather than just play them for fun. Without him, I don't know where I would be in life right now. Probably trying to find someone else to lean on and get me through life. But he was there when he knew I needed him. And he let me do things on my own when he knew I could. He taught me how to lead. He taught me how to take whatever is thrown at you and make the best of it. He taught me how to trust. He taught me how to be a friend.

But I never had a chance to thank him for any of that. Because I didn't really put it into perspective until now. Even if I did, he would shrug it off like it was nothing. Because Jimmy never looked to glorify himself, just to help me grow. But I hope he somehow gets on a computer and reads this sometime. Because for some reason, I express my feelings in a blog that anyone can read better than I would in person.

I guess the main thing I'm trying to say is that I knew Jimmy was a great friend. I just never realized how much he has shown me until now. I pray that we don't part ways and stop talking. Hold on to the friends you have now. You never know when you won't have them in your life anymore.