We Need a Little Easter

Humility is the quality of being modest and respectful. Humility is widely seen as a virtue in many religious traditions, being connected with notions of selflessness. Notions such as submitting to God and legitimate authority, recognizing virtues and talents that others possess, particularly those greater than your own, and giving due honor and, when required, obedience.


Why am I posting about humility today?

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of a 46 day period of prayer and fasting commonly referred to as the period/season of Lent. That's right, you may have heard about Advent, the season leading up to Christmas, so here is another one for you, Lent, the season leading up to Easter.

Surely you have heard someone say, "I'm giving that up for Lent". What does this have to do with humility?

The whole point of the season is to humble yourself in preparation for Easter, not the bunny kind of Easter (although I do enjoy white chocolate bunnies and those delicious chocolaty eggs) but the Christ's resurrection from the dead kind of Easter! So in this post, I would like to challenge you to give something up this Lenten Season.

What should you give up? To answer that question we need to re-visit the idea of humility. Is there something in your life that is preventing you from being humble? Is there something your holding onto that is blocking your obedience to God and legitimate authority? The important thing to notice here is I am not asking if you are depending on something, rather than God. Most would say, I am giving up soft drinks or donuts, that is not the point, in fact I would argue you could easily take pride in the fact you skipped out on the Baconator Creme Filled Doughnut. But rather, is there something that doesn't benefit you that can be let go. Maybe take a look at the following areas:

• Finances - maybe God has been asking you to be obedient here, give to that charity, sponsor that child, be a better steward of what you have by not spending frivolously.
• Time - maybe you can read our Bible and Pray instead of watching that show tonight, or listen to God instead of music on the way into work.
• Thoughts - maybe make a conscious decision to think and focus on God instead of how cool it would be if you had a flat screen TV.
• Stuff - yes, stuff, maybe you can help out the least of these with stuff but instead of asking you to get rid of what you have, I'd say just get one of what ever it is and give it to someone else so they can enjoy it.
• Food/Beverage - again, I know this is a common area but instead of stopping it, share it with someone who doesn't have it.

Obviously, this is just food for thought. Let me know if you gave something up this season or plan to.

"As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on thing and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you."
- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

"True humility does not know that it is humble. If it did, it would be proud from the contemplation of so fine a virtue."
- Martin Luther

A Day Without Sin

What? Are you telling me it is possible to live without sin? During my college days, my wife and I had enjoyed dinner with an older couple. They were great people and were deeply grounded in the Wesleyan tradition^[1]. I was reminded of this when my wife brought it up at small group last week. The gentleman talked about theology and specifically the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification or Christian perfection^[2]. He told me that he has gone for at least a year without sin in his life, that he had been sanctified entirely. At the time, as a college kid I thought, this guy is crazy! Knowing myself, and my peers, I could not imagine going a day without sin.

A couple years ago, eleven years after that discussion, while reading through my Bible, this concept hit me smack in the face. If I am in Christ and walk in the Spirit, I am free from the power of sin and death (Romans 8:2). I am a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Sin now becomes a conscious choice because we are children of God, heirs to His throne (Romans 8:17), and counted as righteous before God ( Isaiah 53:11; Romans 4:5). Why does this need to be possible? As Christ followers we strive to be like Christ (Philippians 3:10). That would be our Goal. If that goal is impossible, then why even try? If we can't reach perfection until death, isn't that what baptism is for (Romans 6:4). Die to sin and this world to rise up new in the Kingdom of God. I am curious what you think about this? Is it possible to go a day without sin? Leave me a comment below. 

[1] Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology is the system of Christian theology of Methodism taught by John Wesley. At its heart, the theology of John Wesley stressed the life of Christian holiness: to love God with all one’s heart, mind, soul and strength and to love one’s neighbor as oneself.

[2] Perfection is the process of sanctification which is both an instantaneous and a progressive work of grace. It may also be called entire sanctification, in which the heart of the believer is cleansed from inbred sin by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Christian perfection, according to Wesley, is “purity of intention, dedicating all the life to God” and “the mind which was in Christ, enabling us to walk as Christ walked.” It is "loving God with all our heart, and our neighbor as ourselves". It is “a restoration not only to the favor, but likewise to the image of God,” our “being filled with the fullness of God.”.

Like Buying a Gun?!

Last week I was engaged by a co-worker concerning the topic of the "Gift of Tongues." If you don't know what I mean by that statement, don't feel bad. It has been interpreted by many the Christian and other people to mean different things and besides, it is not the point I am trying to make with this post, I will reserve that one for a post all its own.

I understand a little of this persons background because I attended the church he grew up in for almost a decade. I simply told him, my definition of this gift and his were most likely different. I was a little floored by his answer. He said, "I don't know, doesn't the Bible talk about tongues a whole lot.. isn't it in Acts or something, I just know it is in there more than once?" 

Why was this shocking/concerning/saddening?
1) I was not trying to discredit or saying I didn't believe in this gift.
2) He initiated the conversation knowing I have a Christian Ministries degree and am a youth pastor. Not that this makes me smart or wise but you can assume some knowledge of the Bible itself (well hopefully).
3) Why are we talking about this topic when there is so much more you need to start with (The reason for this post)?
4) This is most likely the same response most other "Christians" would give me. I know this from the Barna polls that say only 39% or Americans in his age group strongly agree that the Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches and an even lower percentage actually read it.

So in my mind I picture that scene from Indiana Jones where the ninja sword guy jumps out and flails around his steel and Indy simply reaches in his coat pulls out a revolver and shoots him dead. Then there is the old adage, "never bring a knife to a gun fight." Then I had to check myself at the door because the difference here is I don't want to shoot anyone dead but my hope is that I could simply encourage people to buy a gun. My response to him was simply this. Here is a list of places in the Bible that refer to tongues and/or other languages. Read them and compare them to your experiences.

With that advice, will he come to the same conclusion as me? I hope but I don't really know for sure.. and it really isn't important. What is important is simply taking time with God's word. Reading your Bible not because you have to but because you want to!

Back before guns, I assume the saying was, "never bring a fist to a sword fight."  How do I know this: "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires" (Hebrews 4: 12).

What can I do to help you read Bible? This is important. You let me know.

Changing Times

I woke up this morning with a song in my heart. This hasn't happened in a while so I decided to write it down.

Verse One:
I'll take time for you, Lord, I'll take time for you;
I'll seek your will, yes, I will seek your will for me.
Thank you for your grace you poured out in love.

Not sure how it got there in the wee early hours but I imagine it had something to do with the movie I watched before going to bed. The movie was called "Time Changer." I have no idea how to accurately describe the movie for you other than it was the best worst movie I have seen ever. I won't go into detail so as not to spoil it for any of you brave enough to watch it but the basic idea of the whole thing is: Good Values do not matter when taught apart from Christ Himself! It is the authority of Christ that is important when doing something righteous or right. This isn't a new idea, I have heard it from many great minds, and not so great ones like my own. Yet, this truth never ceases to frustrate me. I mean it is part (1/3) of the reason I began this blog to begin with. It is Christ who saves and Christ who has done the work and He needs to be in the center and verbalized as such in everything we teach.

Where does my frustration lie? With over 80% of Americans stating they are followers of Christ, myself included, I have to question by what criteria are we using? I can only hope it includes but is not limited to the following:

• Our lives and our ministries must aspire to wholehearted devotion to God through worship, through prayer and through studying, memorizing, meditating upon, obeying, and teaching His Word
  (Ezra 7:10).
• All Christians are “priests,” according to 1 Peter 2:5-9, empowered through the Holy Spirit to worship God and be workers in the church and the world.

I believe these things mentioned above and even more that are not mentioned but I know I don't always live like it myself. I am a party to the dis-affected generations of today. I have grown up with and seen in life and in the media so many acts of sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, not to mention, death and violent acts of hatred that even I have become "soft" meaning, I see it as normal in society and accepted and OK as long as I am not participating in it. Is it really OK? Really!? (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5; Colossians 3:5)

When are we going to change the times? One of the biggest things I have witnessed in my and seemingly future generations is the lack of a backbone, the lack of authority over anything. Workers unions are dying out and new ones are not starting. Protesting means standing around for 20 hours with a sign and taking no real action to do anything. We all feel like it is not worth it because we can't change things anyway, we have no power. It is often just not worth the fight for fear of alienation of the masses and limited results and it is justified because the world is broken and we should not have expectations of others or anything else for that matter. We shouldn't tell people how they should to live. 

Verse Two:
Take my time from me, Take my time from me;
bend me and break me help me to see your will for me.
Thank you for your grace, and for your mercy.

Yeah, your right fellow follower of Christ, I should not tell you how to live, in fact, it is not my business is it? I can barely get it right myself, but I know what I must strive for and I hope to do a better job of it. And I hope you don't take my word for it, I hope you take these words instead: 2 Timothy 3:16 - "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right."  God’s grace through Jesus Christ is our foundation for our salvation, our life in Christ and our ministry, both individually and as churches (2 Corinthians 9:8). Grace will lead to works, and result in fruit in people’s lives (Ephesians 2:8-10). There is a balance between God’s grace and man’s responsibility. Both the sovereign grace of God and the solemn responsibility of man to trust, obey and serve God as taught in the scripture. (Philippians 2:12-13).  1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 - "Finally, dear brothers and sisters,a we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.  Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. Never harm or cheat a Christian brother in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before.  God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives.  Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you."

I know this is a strange post, this is just how my mind works sometimes. I also know it is long, but in my defense I have not posted in a while. Watch the movie and you will gain either understanding, more sleep, or gouge your eyes out while getting through it. That being said, I loved it. hehe.

Why Does Church Matter?

Let me start with saying this topic deals with wise decision making. Often times I am asked what does the Bible say about going to church? There are a lot of things the Bible doesn't talk about and these things require us to make wise decisions when it comes to our own lives. I have heard it argued that the reason the Bible doesn't say much about the believers need for church is due to the fact it was assumed in their lives that they would be going. Not to mention the work of the apostles was to spread the gospel and they did so by going into an area and establishing a church or body of believers. I think that should add to the importance and emphasis even if Jesus didn't say to follow me you must go to church. That being said, Paul or Barnabas when writing to the Hebrews states, "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." (Heb. 10:25).

Now let me offer to you the top three reasons why I hope you are attending church somewhere.

First, reading your Bible takes discipline and although I know you understand the culture of the Greek and Hebrew worlds and their mindset at the estimated time period each book of the Old and New Testaments were written, and I am sure you knew the canon or rule of scripture is that there are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New, and even though I am sure you know all the ins and outs of propitiation of sin and the hermeneutical gap, it never hurts to have someone else offer you some insight and help you apply it to your life (Heb. 4:12). Now where could a person go to have someone do that for them? Church!

Second, there is something I learned from the gang mentality in Baltimore as I was growing up. The bigger the gang the more "friends" you have to watch your back and when attacked, the more guns you have to shoot. Well I don't want you to do that but it is important to have friends that believe in the same things you do and to spend time with those friends and it just so happens there is a place you can do that each week (Eph. 6:12). I know most of you may want to get in check church off the list and go home to have a steak dinner or whatever you have in the old crock pot, but I encourage you to hang around and talk to people before or after the service times. If you find this difficult, find a church that has small groups and join one.

Finally, What is the best way to learn lessons about real life Christians and share in their hurts and successes? We need other people to be a part of our lives and cry with us and rejoice with us. My favorite poet of all time is John Donne. I have a book of his poems on my shelf but the one that most of us know speaks to this post directly and I would not, could not, do it any credit to summarize it, so enjoy:

"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness....No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

Thanks Dr. Brown for introducing me to this great poet and others while playing Simon and Garfunkel on your guitar.

To everyone else, find a church and go to it! Stop making excuses for why you can always get to your job or sports event on time but can't manage to wake up on a Sunday morning. Heck, my church has a second service that doesn't even start until 11AM and others have services on Saturday nights, not to mention those that have small groups going on throughout the week or Wednesday night services. Oh, I hear you whiners crying about someone at church hurt you and blah blah blah.. it happens to all of us and that is good if you were hurt because that means you were close enough to them for it to matter. Work it out! Do you think the same thing won't happen in your relationship with Christ or your spouse? You can't just run away, sometimes you have to face the problems. OK. I am done my rant.

Basic 12: Adam and Eve were real people - Gen. 3:20; 5:1; 1 Tim. 2:13

To The Pain

I am not sure if I had mentioned previously that my home group is studying the book of Ecclesiastes. It has been a great study so far and I am continually amazed at how much wisdom Solomon had and how much he shared that we far too often do not follow. One of the things I have reflected on the most because of personal and other circumstances not my own, is the problem of pain or existence of suffering in a world created and predetermined by an almighty God. I mean after all, "If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy, and if He were almighty He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both."^[1]

So to this I say, "to the pain." You know what I mean? No? "I'll explain. And I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you wart-hog-faced buffoon." ^[2] God's goodness is often something I hate. It is the reason He had to give his "very good" creation freedom to operate on their own consent. Without this freedom, people would say that God is not good. For instance, if your parents told you what to do and how to act and followed you around and told you every decision to make and you had to do it without question. You would at some point begin to detest that situation. So it is up to God's creation to make wise decisions and do right and seek the will of their master. Where has this got us? Well.. in a world of rebellion because we are too stupid, stubborn, or ignorant to follow His will. With this said, pain is not in rebuttal of God's goodness and omnipotence, rather is a way for God to deal with or accommodate the freedom and our rebellion. To put it simple, we are good creatures inclined to do evil things because of our fallen nature. Our world is broken!

But Why God? Why the pain? The short answer is, pain hurts. Pain causes us to change our thinking and refines our faith. Pastor Tommy Nelson on the study we are doing asks the question, "Name two situations or circumstances that have changed your life and made you who you are today? All of you most likely refer to a painful situation that happened to you or a time when you were hurt by something or someone."  This is an area where "Evangelical" Christians need to be careful. We must not candy coat the Gospel message to be understood that, once you are in Christ, all of your pain and suffering will go away. The reality is, that Christ asks us to take up our cross and the Christian life often means to suffer more. This is why religions with lases fair, every road leads to Heaven beliefs are possible and Christian churches are filled with people who do not know Christ or what the Bible says about anything. It is hard! It is another relationship with the Creator of the universe you now have to maintain and most of us can't even remember to feed our hermit crabs.  

I like the way Lewis puts it in his book, "Pain hurts. That is what the word means. I am only trying to show that the old Christian doctrine of being made perfect through suffering is not incredible. To prove it palatable is beyond my design." ^[1]  So what is the real problem of pain? The real problem comes with how we deal with it. It can shape you and make you rely upon God. It can shake you and empty your selfishness and stubbornness. Or, there is the possibility, the horrific possibility, that it could lead to refusal of God and unrepentant rebellion, thus send you straight to Hell.

What are we to make of all of this and how should we respond? We need to look at pain through the eternal lens that Heaven is our home.  "Your place in heaven will seem to be made for you alone, because you were made for it." ^[1] My wife recently downloaded an album from the artist Steven Curtis Chapman. The entire album is basically a lament and observed grief in him dealing with the accidental death of his little daughter. The response to pretty much every song is that Heaven is our real home and one day we will all be there with our Father. 

Jesus Will Meet You There ^[3]

When you think you've hit the bottom and the bottom gives way
And you fall into a darkness no words can explain
And you don't know how you make it out alive, Jesus will meet you there.

When the doctor says, "I'm sorry, we don't know what else to do."
And you're looking at your family wondering how they'll make it through...
Whatever road this life takes you down, Jesus will meet you there.

(Chorus)
He knows the way to wherever you are; He knows the way to the depths of your heart
He knows the way cuz he's already been; Where you're going; Jesus will meet you there.

When the jury says, "Guilty," and the prison doors close
When the one you love says nothing, just packs up and goes
When the sunlight comes and your world's still dark,
Jesus will meet you there.

When you've failed again and all your second chances have been used
And the heavy weight of guilt and shame is crushing down on you...
And all you have is one last cry for help Jesus will meet you there.

(Chorus)

When you realize the dreams you've had for your child won't come true
When the phone rings in the middle of the night with tragic news...
Whatever valley you must walk through, Jesus will meet you there.

He will meet you there. Jesus will meet you there...

This song speaks to so many things that are going on right now, the Ecclesiastes study, and the peoples lives around me. So I will leave you with a quote from my favorite cult classic, "That is what 'to the pain' means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever."^[2]

[1] C.S. Lewis: The Problem of Pain

[2] The Princess Bride

[3] Steven Curtis Chapman Lyrics

I Meant What I Said and I Said What I Meant

OK. My post from yesterday was a little harsh and I was wrong for two reasons: 1) I posted strictly out of emotion, because it had been bothering my mind for a couple days and 2) there is a possibility that it could be misinterpreted that I personally dislike the woman and the fact she was taking her daughter with her. I also understand that the post may have been controversial since everyone doesn't believe the same things I do. That being said, perhaps I should take a more logical approach to this subject. 

To begin with this blog is called "Organic Christian" so if you are not a Christian and are not grounded in the Bible, you may not agree with a lot of things that will be discussed on here. My intent is to help fellow Christians in their walk with Christ and simply state the basics as stated in God's word. I will not apologize for this because it is not just the gate to Heaven that is small but the path as well (Matthew 7:14). 

I doubt any of my readers were offended by the post but, If you are a Jehovah's Witness, please understand that I am not against you as an individual. When I was 16, I studied with a Jehovah's Witness friend in high school for a couple of months, but felt that too much of the Bible was being interpreted for me by the Watchtower Magazine and all my questions could not be answered. I only wanted to study the Bible, since even he agreed that it was God's word (2 Timothy 3:16).

As a Jehovah's Witness you have been taught from the Bible and the Watchtower organization. You are convinced that what you believe is the truth. As an organic Christian, I believe in the Trinity as descibed in the creeds of the early church fathers, while you are taught the Trinity is a demonic doctrine and that Christendom is an apostate group preaching a false gospel. You have also been taught you are in "The Truth" and the Watchtower organization is the true channel of God’s revelation to His church on earth.

I admire your fervent study of the Bible and wish that all of Christendom had the same approach and studied as much as you and even had similar habit of allowing God's word to hold a high place in their faith development. This is what I enjoyed most about studying with my friend, he was passionate about faith development. The only problem was, he wasn't encouraged to dig deeper than what the Watchtower had provided. He only read their version of the Bible and used their resources. Reading of other versions was not banned or anything but not encouraged either. This is the sad part because I know that if my friend would have used additional historical resources and more accurate translations of scripture, he may have been able to abandon his membership card (yes, I saw the card) and see the reality that is the true Gospel or Good News that tells who Christ really is. 

Quote from the Watchtower Magazine:
"Jehovah's channel of communication can help all who greatly desire to understand the wisdom of God in the Bible." 

So here are my questions and I am sure I have more, but off the top of my head:
1) Why has "the channel of communication" found it neccesary to alter the translation of the Bible?
2) Have you checked the documentation from the Watchtower Magazine? Is it really "the truth" or something created by some guys in Brooklyn? 
3) Why has it made false prophecies?

If a group claims to be the prophet of God, but takes verses out of context, makes false prophecies, misquotes authorities, and mistranslates the Bible, can it still be considered credible? Further, if I ever do any of these things on my own blog, I pray that some reader keeps me accountable and offers correction, especially with regard to scripture context. You know who you are and I am sure you won't have a problem with this. Thanks guys. 

Finally, this religion is what I call a bait and switch religion. They do use the Bible and teach similar things that Christians also teach. They do have strong study and family beliefs. Overall they seek holiness just like I do. But once you are in, you come to find out that there are some basic Christian beliefs that they don't believe, even so they claim to be a Christian religion just like us.  I really wasn't going to go into apologetics on here but perhaps their is a need. Hmmm. Click in next week as we explore another popular religion and find out why I don't believe it either.  My hope is found in Christ alone (Galatians 6:12). Amen?

Basic 11: Jesus is God - John 1:1,14; 10:30-33; 20:28; Col. 2:9; Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 1:8

Zombie Finale

Zombie Week: Glad it is Over

He Has Risen!!

The last real zombie I am going to post about is my favorite one of them all. There are many reasons He is my favorite but, given this most recent holiday and inspiration for this post, the fact that He is the only one that did not die again and won't be dying anytime soon is what makes Him awesome (well at least one thing). Yup, you guessed it, my zombie is none other than Jesus.

Now before you label me as ignorant and guilty of apostasy, please keep in mind I am not making light of the Easter holiday in any way unless you focus on the bunny, candy, and eggs. Please don't think I am just joking and have drifted from my core beliefs. This blog is about organic Christianity, basics are what I am all about. So here goes.

Jesus steps onto the scene and dies a gruesome death on the cross while bearing all of our sins on Himself (John 12:23). Three days after He died, as promised, we find a tomb open and Jesus not inside of it
(Matthew 27:63, 28:5-6). Death has been conquered in this final story for the last time and now we can all live forever (a mighty long time let me tell ya) as a free gift from our savior (2 Timothy 1:10). Zombie Jesus took some time to be with people before heading to sit at the right hand of the Father as an intercessor for us and our prayers and preparer of our homes in Heaven. Thank you Jesus for all of this.

The reason you got together with your family and had a ham dinner or opted for the Chinese buffet or ignored all your friend's invites and sat home alone wallowing in self pity or you were just too far from home and people where you live don't celebrate Easter the same way is because Jesus rose from the grave and now offers eternal life to us all (Revelation 22:2).So for all you zombie movie loving fans out there, I still think those zombies are cool but real zombies are even greater. "Argh.. BRAINS!" something you hear from a pirate zombie.

Basic 10: Jesus rose from the dead in His physical body - John 2:19-21

Dude What Reeks?

Zombie Week: Part 3 Buddy Zombie  (John 11:1-44)

I understand you may be tired of the real life zombie stories so rest assured I only have two more. Today we find ourselves with Jesus hearing the news that a friend of His had died and He was too busy and it was too dangerous to go to him. Jesus decides to use this opportunity to show the people and the disciples His real power and purpose. Four days after his buddy Lazarus had been buried, Jesus goes back to the town. Lazarus' sisters are quite upset that Jesus didn't come earlier because at this point the body was stinky and there was no returning. People, why do you insist on making Jesus angry?! So, Lazarus gets the privilege of not only being a real life zombie but a real life mummy as well. Jesus has them open up the tomb and says, "Lazarus come out!" Out walks a very stinky guy, which may have been normal for Lazarus, no wonder they kept so much perfume in the house (John 12:3). One last note, like the others, Lazarus was just like he was before, just a little more stinky and we can assume he died again someday to put that tomb to good use.

There is Something Dead about this Girl

Zombie Week: Part 2 Zombie Girl
(Matthew 9:18-19, 23-25; Mark 5:22-24, 35-43; Luke 8:41-42, 49-56)

Today we find Jesus in the synagogue (in case you didn't know, Jesus was Jewish and followed all the customs) and the leader of the synagogue, Jairus, pleads with Jesus at His feet to please come to his house so his daughter can live. Jesus goes to his house and hears the funeral music playing, apparently the friends and family didn't have as much faith as Jairus. Jesus tells them all that the girls is just sleeping and they laugh at him. Jesus gets angry and sends the crowd away. Once they all leave, he takes the parents and his three disciple in and proceeds to tell the girl in her own language, "Talitha koum" or "get up girl." The girl immediately gets up and starts eating her parents brains... NOT! She does get up and start walking around like a normal 12 year old girl. Jesus told them all not to tell anyone, so it is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke... no wonder John was the disciple that Jesus loved... LOL. Sorry zombie fans, once again a real zombie is just like she was before she died the first time and once again she most likely would die again some day.

Find out more about Jewish customs:
Jewish Customs and Traditions: Festivals, the Synagogue and the Course of Life (Exhibition Guide)

Zombie Week: Part 1 Zombie Boy

Yes, I am going to devote this entire week after Easter to zombies because I think they are that cool, and at least one is awesome.

Zombie Boy (Luke 7:11-17)
OK. When I say zombie most people, including myself, think of those movies I shouldn't have been watching when I was a kid like "Dawn of the Dead." Because of the Hollywood glamor we far too often don't recognize that zombies are real. WHAT! Yes, zombies are for real. One day Jesus is walking along the road and he sees a funeral procession. There is a widow with a dead son on his way to be buried. Jesus sees this widow and has compassion on her. Without regard to all the time, money, and resources that went into this funeral, Jesus touches the coffin and says, "Get up boy." The boy gets up and says, "BRAINS! ARR!" Well, not really, but he was talking about something, we are not told what. For the most part, contrary to our portrayal of zombies in the movies, zombies in real life are no different than they were when they were alive the first time. And I think it is safe to assume that real zombies eventually died again later in life.

What is so Great About the Bible?

So last weekend while in the hotel room before bed, I ended up watching a crazy thriller type movie called The Vanishing¹ mostly because Kiefer Sutherland was in it and it attracted me because I always liked him as an actor.

=== SPOILER ALERT! ===
Anyway, the movie ends with the bad guy getting the same punishment as his victim did a few years ago when he murdered her. The male and female good guys are together again and live happily ever after. This is how Hollywood worked at one time, the endings of books and other screen plays were edited to have happy endings or the viewers did not enjoy it as much. We didn't want movies to be too much like real life and bad things happen to good guys. Incidentally, the original Vanishing had the bad guy getting away with it all.
=== END ALERT! ===

This makes me appreciate the Bible even more and one thing that makes it true in my eyes. The Bible does not have infallible heroes. All of the "Good Guys" did not so good things. The apostles abandoned Christ (Matthew 26:69-70), Paul persecuted (Acts 26:15), John the Baptist, Thomas, and Abraham doubted, Solomon is worshiping idols (1 Kings 11:7), Jacob is deceptive, Moses is angered, and David... David has adultery, lust, and murder in his list. Wow! Adam and Eve disobeying at the beginning (Genesis 3:6) and John is worshiping angels at the end (Revelation 22:8).

If someone asks one reason you believe the Bible, ask them to sit down and write a story about themselves. Read it out loud and highlight all the bad things they put in it they have done. Most likely the bad things will be left out. The Bible is honest and real and I love it!

[1] This movie does not necessarily represent the feelings or views of this blogger nor is this an endorsement in any way; however, I do endorse the Bible as the Holy Word of God and think it should be read instead of watching this movie late at night before bed.

Basic 9: The Bible is the Word of God - 2 Peter 1:21, 2 Tim. 3:16