Is Faith Without Action Really Faith?

"Fire!"

If I were to yell "Fire!" and you did not immediately grab your kids and get out of the building, I might have to surmise that you might not believe me.  Crazy, I know.  But if you truly believed me, you would take action.  You would show incredible urgency based on your faith that what I said was true and the repercussions if you did not move fast.  If you sat there and said, "Oh, I believe you.  I totally do."  I would think you were nuts ... or a fire retardant Super-Hero, I suppose.

"Hello?  The building is on fire!  Aren't you coming?"

And what about our faith in Jesus and what that means?  He said to take up our cross daily.  He said to go out and make more disciples.  He said be His hands and feet.  If we say, "Yes, I believe that Jesus is my Lord and Savior", but we take no action that shows that we believe it ... we just sit there, going to church on Sunday, admit that we are Christians only if we HAVE to ... If we aren't sacrificing every day, telling everyone we know about Jesus, serving others constantly, helping the "least of these" ... what is God to surmise?  That we believe in Jesus?  Or that we believe in the IDEA of Jesus, but not so much the following His lead, the sacrifice, and the dying to self.  

NOTE:  God doesn't need to "surmise".  He already knows.  He knows what's in our hearts and couldn't care less about the words we say, our bumper stickers, how we vote, or any of our other superficial "works".

I don't mean to step on any toes, but ... Oh forget that.  I absolutely mean to step on toes.  Starting with my own.

I am not a true Christian - not in biblical terms.  Not by Jesus' standards.  By this world's terms?  Sure, but I have this sneaking suspicion that the world's terms don't matter an iota in the end.

I am not a true Christian.  I am this crazy hybrid between a worldly, American-dream, buy-the-latest-gadget, help-mostly-when-it's-convenient, give-from-my-surplus-not-from-the-muscle idiot ... and a Christian.  I got to this point where I "feel" like I'm doing enough, and I stopped there.  But God didn't ask me to follow Him only to have me make a mockery of what He means by "Follow".  And I'm convicted about it.  He wants me to imitate Him.  At least imitate Paul, or Mother Theresa ... or SOMEONE resembling Christ.

"Ah, don't be so rough on yourself, Greg!" you say.  Forget that talk, though.  That's what got us here in the first place.  "You're not THAT bad."  Make that statement enough times over enough generations and you start believing white is black and up is down and ... bad is okay.  We can't be trusted with what is Christlike.  Only Christ can gauge that.  And I come up way short.

ASIDE:  Don't take this as worry that I'm not saved.  I'm saved, for certain.  And the positive of this conundrum is that I realize I'm in a conundrum and I don't like it ... because I know HE doesn't like it.  I want to be the man He's created me to be.  And I'm not.

If I were a real Christian, you'd see me talking to everyone about Jesus and about the incredible gift of grace He offers us all.  In this world, that would get me labeled a single-minded - well - Christian.  Couldn't have that.

If I were a real Christian, you wouldn't see me resting in my comfortable home on the weekends while millions are starving, sick, down-hearted, desperate for God.  You'd see me out there, being God's hands and feet with every spare moment.

If I were a real Christian, I'd live on only what my family needs, and give the rest of my funds, time, heart to those most in need.  Is it giving - really - if I don't even feel it?  Or is it real giving and real sacrifice when it bites a bit (if not a lot)?

But I'm not.

Jesus is yelling "Fire!" at the top of His lungs throughout the Gospels, and I am sitting here saying, "Yep, I know for sure there is a fire.  Uh-huh." but I'm sort of meandering around, not too fast ... you know, at MY pace.  I don't want to be this way.  God - please light a fire under me.

I need to pray on this.  I think we all do.

Dress For Success

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication ...  

Ephesians 6:13-20

This world and its opinions, perspectives, and obtuse logic is relentless in its pursuit to alter our world view.  If we take a step back from it, we can see clearly that none of it has any basis ... like standing in thin air while making an argument that you are standing on solid ground.  But without protecting yourself from this onslaught of ideas ... without checking back with the source of ACTUAL truth, it can be convincing.  Especially when it is hammered into your head over and over and over ... and over.  I believe that is called brainwashing and without the "reset button" that we have in the Bible, we can be easily lead astray.  And the devil grins his menacing, triumphant grin.  It gives me goose bumps thinking how long the enemy was manipulating my mind, looking on with his evil smirk.  "I've got that one fooled."

We must protect ourselves from this.  Whether it's TV shows, commercials manipulating us into believing we can be whole if we just buy this product, movies portraying some made up truth as though it is 100% true ... the flood of lies is torrential.  

We must put on the Whole Armor of God.  But what does it mean to put on this Armor?  I will tell you that I believe I know, through studies and hearing from those educated on the subject.  Although, feel free to correct me if I am off in my understanding:

1. We must first STAND FIRM.  To fight the current, you must stand firm and not be moved by every "what if".  I'm not saying that you should ignore arguments.  I am saying that you should peel back the layers of those arguments to determine how grounded they are in reality.  You will find, if they are not biblically based, they almost never have substantive, objective truth behind them.
2. The BELT OF TRUTH.  A belt "holds up".  The Truth comes from our Creator - the only one who can legitimately state the Truth.  He's the only credible source.  Fight to hold up the Truth.  It's all that matters.
3. The BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Protect your heart.  It says this throughout the Gospels.  This stands for the righteousness that is credited to us when we believe in Jesus Christ as the one who saved us from sin ... from ourselves.  We can't be righteous on our own, through our own good works.  By accepting Christ's righteousness, we can keep our hearts strong and pure for God.  
4. SHOES FOR YOUR FEET ... READINESS.  Are you ready to answer for the hope that you have?  Blind faith is no way to live.  Know, be ready, and speak with confidence.  We have the Truth to tell.  And it's the best news in history.  
5. The SHIELD OF FAITH.  The shield not only defends the body from evil darts, but also the Armor itself.  It protects the waist, the chest, the arms and legs, and the head, and we should have it "above all".  A soldier skilled in fighting off the enemy uses the shield to block the enemy's darts no matter what direction they come from.  But when the shield is down, everything is exposed.  We must keep our guard up.
6. The HELMET OF SALVATION.  Protect your mind, and the knowledge that you are saved.  The enemy wants to break down your confidence that you are.  Don't let that doubt and uncertainty in.  Re-read the gospel - often - and know that there is nothing you might have done, and nothing you can do to lose your salvation.  Be repentant, and constantly move toward Christlikeness, but never doubt for a moment that you are not saved.
7. The SWORD OF THE SPIRIT.  God's Word.  When asked about the weapon he found of most value, George Washington brought out his Bible.  While it is defensive in nature like the balance of the armor, it is the only offensive piece of armor.  We are to defend our faith as in battle.  And don't think for a moment that their is not a battle going on.
8. And finally ... ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION.  The greatest weapon to fight off the enemy is prayer.  Prayer of supplication is a prayer to God asking for His help.  Ask for His help and you will receive it.  "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them."  Mark 11:23  

What You Don't Know WILL Hurt You

Non-believers think that Christians are all lead by blind faith.  That despite solid science, logic ... reason ... they believe these crazy fairy tales.

Equally, as a young Christian (in spiritual terms), I've found that many life-long Christians are under the impression that Atheists and Agnostics are fully aware of all sides of the "faith" argument, and based on that complete data, they have made a decision to reject the idea that God is real, and that Jesus is His only son, and belief in Him is the only path to Heaven.

Now, this may be the case with an infinitesimally small percentage of them, while the vast majority suffer from pure ignorance.  That sounds harsh, but hear me out.  I know this is the case because I was one of the ignorant for decades.

When I say, "young Christian", I mean that I did not (a) realize and (b) accept the Truth until only a few years ago.  But 4-5 years ago, I set my sites on determining how some highly intelligent people I knew could believe the myths and fairy tales of the Bible.  Why would they subject themselves to ridicule?  Surely they couldn't be that brainwashed, could they?

Most know the arguments against such blind faith:

• If there is a God who apparently cares, why is there suffering in the world?  He must be either cruel, or He simply doesn't exist.
• Jesus was probably just a nice guy with some good advice, nothing more.  Heck, I hear that he really never even claimed to be the Son of God.  The early Christians just made that up.
• Christians believe in God and Jesus because they're not very smart, or because their parents and grandparents believed it and they never questioned it themselves, or because they don't understand science, ...

The list goes on.  

But the flaw in the argument is two-fold:

1. If you ask a true Christian about their faith, you'll learn quickly that it is anything but blind.
2. The naysayers of faith and, specifically, Christianity think they truly have all the data ... but they do not.  

There is a practice that has been studied for thousands of years called "Apologetics".  You've likely heard the word and just dismissed it, assuming it was a way for Christians to apologize.  Nope.  Actually, it's a study of the completely logical and rational answers to the "arguments" I brought up above, and many other arguments just like them.  It's the knowledge not just of God's existence, but who He is, why He is, where He is, and His character.  It's solid, factual, and historical support for Jesus and his deity.  

We as a people ALL used to know all of this.

We all had that data.  But now many of us don't.  

We don't have that data because it's been taken out of the public square.  In an effort to ensure we did not offend anyone who didn't like the Truth or agree with the Truth, we eradicated Truth from every public place, and were left to figure out why we exist, how this whole thing started, what our purpose is, and so on without the most obvious and logical answers.  Answers that had factual backing.  

It's as though we were arguing about how automobiles run.  Let's assume that the idea of gasoline-powered combustion engines somehow offended some sub-group in our society, so we completely stopped teaching kids that cars ran on combustion engines in schools.  Phew - thank goodness we're not offending that sub-group anymore.  But now, time has passed, generations have come and gone, and there is this group of millions of people throughout the world who insist that there is this magical mechanical marvel under the hood that is fed by gas, lubricated with oil, uses electricity to start, controls many recurring explosions and, well, makes the car go.  

"Ridiculous!" the non-believers say.  "I say it's a large bear under the hood that can run at incredible speeds.  Yeah, that's it.  That's why you hear the growling sound.  And that is the only acceptable theory we'll teach in schools."  Not knowing that, if you teach just one theory, kids will grow up believing that is the truth.  

When the believers attempt to explain the ACTUAL Truth (about combustion engines), the non-believers freak.  "No!  None of that talk in our public schools and Universities!  Stop being so intolerant!"  Translation:  "I don't want to hear it and I don't want to know it.  I am pretty sure I know about your 'theory' and I'm not buying it".  

"But ..." the believers say again.  But the non-believers scowl and sneer, and make sarcastic, arrogant jokes.  THINKING they are quite smart - above these idiotic Combust-istians.  But they never actually study the facts outside of what they want to believe.  

I use the term "ignorant arrogance" in another of my blog entries entitled "A Skeptic's Epiphany".  I am referring to myself when using the term, before I researched the subject extensively.  Before this, I knew a lot about science, math, physics and so on.  Straight A's - it came naturally to me.  But - in essence - I knew the "non-believer" data set only.  In retrospect, I had no idea about the other data ... because it was never really even exposed to me or offered to me as a theory, so I could make a decision on what was actually true.  And leaving that data out, I learned what this new limited data set was telling me.  But then it hit me that I may not know everything ... yeah, crazy talk.

So, I started out (begrudgingly at first) studying.  Honestly, I was embarrassed that I was even looking into this hogwash.  But the more I studied, the more I learned what I never knew.  Turns out, it's a combination of the data that paints the whole picture.

I was convinced that I had all of the information ... that my conclusions were solid.  But we all know from the CSI type shows, 8 pieces of evidence can make it seem quite obvious what the truth is, until you add a 9th and 10th piece of evidence, which completely changes the picture from back to white.

So, here's the deal.  Here's why I'm writing this.  

After having looked into it, I now have all the data.  And to be clear, all of the data is important - science, physics ... AND the truth of the Bible.  And it points quite directly at God and His Son Jesus.  Period.  

I'm not asking you to take my word for it.  I AM asking that you look into it FULLY.  

If these silly believers are right, we're talking about an eternity of joy (starting here and now on Earth, then continuing on past physical death) versus an eternity of pain, desperation, suffering ... If these silly Christians are right, then this matters, doesn't it?  More directly - can you think of anything that matters more?  And you only have until your body dies.

Heavy material going into the weekend, I know.  But I tell you that it does not need to be hard.  Simply look into it, study, ask questions ... hard, blunt questions.  Then once you start seeing the picture more clearly, accept the gift.  That is what is being offered ... to ALL people.

• We are ALL sinners.  The only measure for good and bad is God's measure.  So, "I'm a pretty good person" doesn't cut it.  Sorry.
• We can not "good" ourselves onto God's good side.  That's not how it works.  And besides, we could never live up to His standards for "good".  Only one person has done that in history - Jesus.  
• Jesus died for all those sins.  Sins of the past, present and future. He was sacrificed to pay the price ... because a price HAD to be paid.  God is a good and fair judge.
• And here is the good news:  Jesus offers the gift of grace and forgiveness for all of those sins if you simply accept Him into your life and acknowledge that you need Him to save you from yourself and from this world.  

Study, learn ... and once you know, accept.  

It's been the best decision of my life, and it will be the same for you.  Trust me.  

Correction - trust Him.

NOW Women and Machismo Men: This One's for You

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.  Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband" Ephesians 5:22-33

This is pure and strong wisdom from none other than our Creator.  Why is it so important that we understand it as a whole?  Because too many on both sides of the fence have taken it the wrong way and used it as a stick with which to beat the other over the head.

• Women read words like "submit" and "respect" and they cringe.  They cringe because (1) they are not absorbing this scripture as a whole, but only concentrating on part of it and (2) the world has convinced them that it means something else entirely ... namely that women are somehow lesser and that they must bow to the all-powerful male.  Not so.  Not so in the least.  
• Men, throughout history, have taken that same sub-segment of the whole and thought, "Yeah!  I'm pretty awesome!  She should serve me!  And me?  I've got no responsibilities or obligations!  So - get to it woman!"  I speak tongue in cheek here, but this is serious.  Use of this scripture in this way is not only 100% wrong, it is the diametric opposite of what God is instructing of men with respect to their wives.

Take a moment and read this scripture in its entirety and think it through.

Let's start with what it means for husbands.  God says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ...".  How did Christ love the church?  He sacrificed Himself.  He lowered Himself, humbled Himself, was humiliated and beaten, and He ultimately died for the Church.  In short, God asks us to put our male egos aside and serve our wives.  Protect them, treat them as our equal ... our own body, because we are one flesh, not two individuals anymore.  Are you willing to submit to your wife's need for communication, compromise, and - most importantly - sacrifice of your own desires to fulfill hers?  That is what God is asking here.

Now, the wives.  God says, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior."  Forget what the National Organization for Women has brainwashed everyone into believing for just a moment and listen to this logic:  Men need to feel respected.  As though they are of great worth.  They need this respect unconditionally, just as much as a woman needs unconditional love.  And he needs this especially so from his wife, the one he's committed himself to protect, to love, to die for, if need be. Understanding that this male need is not as self-evident to a woman as it is to men, God asks wives to simply do it without question even though ythey may not understand why.  God made us very differently.  This is by design - a beautiful design.  Just know - coming from a male author - that men need this respect so desperately, and God asks you - his wife - to simply submit to this need.  To provide it without question and without caveats of, "well, as soon as he ..."

Here's the thing about "unconditional".  It comes without conditions.  Thanks Captain Obvious.  But despite how obvious that is, we still say things like, "He hasn't earned my respect!" and "I'll start treating her right as soon as she shows me a little respect!"  When you take a step back, you can see how ridiculous these statements sound.  They sound ridiculous because they are, in fact, ridiculous ... and counter-productive to actually getting you what you need.

According to Dr. Emerson Eggerich's book, "Love & Respect" (I highly recommend you read it, study it and commit to knowing its biblically-based truth), you can be on an Energizing Cycle or a Crazy Cycle.

• The Energizing Cycle is when he is loving her in the way she needs to be loved ... serving her, caring more about her needs than his own, and not worrying so much about what he's getting out of it.  And she is giving him the respect he desperately needs ... acting like he somehow hung the moon, allowing him to make the final family decisions, telling him how thankful he is for working so hard for the family, and so on ... and not worrying so much about what she's getting out of it.  This is a selfless cycle where both are serving the other in the way they need to be served.  This is easy to picture - think about how you both acted and treated each other when you were courting one another.
• The Crazy Cycle is when both are most concerned about what each are or are not getting out of the marriage.  This is a selfish cycle of insanity where he is not being loving to her, and she is not being respectful to him.  One (or both) has gotten lazy in the relationship.  As a result, he is not loving because he doesn't feel respected, and she is not respectful because she doesn't feel loved.  And this ridiculous cycle continues, until ...

... the more mature one steps up, listens to God's word on this subject, does not wait for what THEY want, but simply provides what the other one needs.  This is the epitome of unconditional.  Loving and/or respecting DESPITE respect or love in return.  This takes a level of faith in God's promises that many in modern society simply don't seem to have.  

"So, you're telling me that - even though she nags me constantly, questions whether I can support this family, and hasn't been intimate with me in x amount of time, that I should love her in the way she needs to be loved, simply because God says so?"  Yes.  That's what I'm saying.  And vice versa:  "So, I'm supposed to show him respect even though he never talks to me, he shuts down on me when we need to talk things through the most, and he talks to me in mean tones?"  Again, 100% yes.

The contract you made when you got married was with each other, sure, but it was also with God.  And He sets the rules on this marriage thing.  Good thing is, He knows what He's doing.  

If you're experiencing a tough spot in your marriage, or you've ever pondered (God forbid) divorce, here's a Call To Action:  Trust Him at his Word.  And be the more mature one in order to flip the Crazy Cycle into the Energizing Cycle.  "Trust and obey, because there's no other way ..."

One other truth to point out:  Why does He say that the woman must respect the man, and the man love the woman, specifically?  Why doesn't God just say that that each should love and respect the other? Answer:  The commands given by God are purposeful.  Women naturally get "love".  They don't need to be TOLD to love their husband.  That would be redundant, since He knows how He created woman.  And men naturally get "respect".  He doesn't need to be told to respect because he naturally gets that concept.  Commanding him to do so would be redundant.  But men don't get love as naturally.  And women don't get respect as naturally, hence the specific commands in Scripture.  

Make sense?  

Now go show your wife you love her, and never ever stop, no matter what.  And go respect your husband in the ways he needs respect, and never stop, no matter what.  It will work out no matter where you are in your marriage.  God promises.  And when He does, He delivers.  I know this from personal experience.

Just Say NO to Religion

I am in the middle of reading a book by a young guy named Jefferson Bethke.  He received a lot of attention for a spoken word poem he performed on Youtube.  It received so many hits, it rivaled vids like "Charlie bit my finger" ... and for good reason.  It's a well-spoken, raw commentary on religion.  One that many of us need to hear ... especially two camps:  "religious" people, and people who have been turned off by "religious" people.

Check it out - it's worth a watch >> (but come back!)

With exception to the newly popular (and completely made up) new-age spirituality which is pretty much an anything-goes, whatever-works-for-you endeavor, faiths like Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and even Atheism (Atheism is a religion, just FYI, per the strict definition of "religion") are all based on rules:  what you must do to gain and keep God's favor - or the favor of your own personal god(s).

Real Christianity is about what God did for us, through Jesus, and the personal gift and personal relationship with Him that He offers - one which we can freely choose to accept or reject.  And - to be direct - a relationship cannot exist without this "choice".  Free will is the foundation of any loving and true relationship, with your spouse, with your family, with your God.  Anything else and we are simply robots doing the will of the Almighty Master to hold back his wrath or to win his good favor.

Now, unfortunately, many well-meaning Christians have turned this beautiful relationship into a religion.  But let's be clear - that is not what God or Jesus instructed us to do.  Much of the religion we've all seen in the name of Christ is man-made.  And man is flawed.  Man gets things wrong far too frequently.  And this is no exception.

In Galatians 5:4-6, Paul makes clear that this adding of religion to faith in Christ is just plain wrong:

4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

"Justified by the law" simply means trying to win God's favor.  Trying to just follow the rules and be "good enough" to get into heaven.  Wrong, wrong, wrong.  Those who do this are missing the point entirely.  Jesus referred to these people as "white-washed tombs" ... pretty and clean on the outside, but inside they are rotting and stinky.  It comes down to intentions of love, and understanding that God loves us more than we can possibly understand.  Now, with that understanding of how much God loves us, we can take His love letter to us (the Bible) and know that it is actually a big book of instructions to have the best, fullest and most purpose-filled life possible.  Each individual instruction may not compute with us fully until later (or until we're in Heaven), not unlike instructions from me and my wife might not make sense to our 11 and 12 year old kids.  But our kids should know that we have their best interests at heart because we love them.  And so should we.

• Going to church every Sunday?  Super.
• Giving money to the guy on the corner?  Peachy.
• Don't swear like a sailor or get wasted?  Good for you.

Sarcasm intended.  My point is, you can do all these things, and all you have done is shown how religious you are, while completely missing the point.  That is, unless it's driven by your love for God, and a knowledge that He loves you and is a good, responsible parent to us, His children.

So, drop the religion.  If you're doing it because you feel you "should" or because everyone else is, or because you want to be seen as good by God or anyone else - quit while you're behind and read the New Testament.

Jesus came as a renegade - a rebel, speaking out against religious zealots of the time.  This is why He was murdered on a cross.  And He knew it was coming.  God sent his only Son for this purpose - to show definitively how much He loves us.  So much that He was willing to allow His Son to be mocked, beaten, humiliated and killed as a "pure sacrificial lamb, without defect" as payment for OUR collective (past, present and future) sins.  Someone had to pay and our Father stepped in and paid for us instead of the alternative ... which I don't even want to think about.

As Jefferson said so eloquently in his Spoken Word Poem, "Why I hate religion, but love Jesus", Jesus is Greater Than Religion.  Don't be religious as though Christ never died for us, or as though that wasn't enough.  That's a slight against what He did for us.

Don't be religious ... be Christian.  Imitate Him.  And you can't imitate Him if you aren't clear about what He did, why He did it, and what He gave us as instructions.

With a pure heart, seek the Truth of His plan for you by read His love letter (again, the Bible).  Study it.  Know it.  And go back to it often to fight back on what this world will tell you.

It's the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  I've seen the results personally.  It's the real deal.

Skeptical is the New Cool

You know the people I'm talking about.  The "I don't believe that" crowd who - despite a complete lack of adequate research on a subject will not only convey their complete skepticism, but make it seem as though you are ridiculous for believing such a thing.  These type of people are infuriating, with their Bill Maher smirk and completely ignorant arrogance.  But at the end of the day - I must say - I feel very sorry for them.  They are floating through life without fully understanding truth and they are missing out.  They are oblivious, but they're okay with that.  Or, at minimum, they are oblivious to the fact that they're oblivious.  Yes, redundant.

Let's be honest, in this shallow world we live in, negative always seems to win:  If you were right to be skeptical, you get to say, "I told you so".  If wrong, you are "pleasantly surprised".  In an incredibly silly way, you win either way.  You're also not much fun to be around and you have little credibility, but hey - at least you weren't wrong.  You weren't duped.

It really comes down to pride.  It's about ego.  "I can't show vulnerability and I can't believe something that is not popular in the mainstream, even if it IS true.  People might make fun of me.  People might tease me."  And this desire to be seen as cool ends up outweighing the acceptance of truth.  Very sad.

"So what?  What's the big deal?  Let them believe what they want to believe!" you say.  And for many topics, I tend to agree.  But there are some topics where is it just plain irresponsible to let someone continue with a "I'm not buying it" attitude that leaves them in stasis, having made no decision as to what they believe.

The most important example of this:  The fact that there is an actual Heaven, an actual Hell, and one way - a very narrow gate where most will not walk - that leads to an eternal life with God and joy and peace.

A percentage of readers are rolling their eyes right now.  If you're one of them, please read on.  This is important.  You're likely thinking, "Oy - he's talking religion again."  But skeptics - by definition - don't know either way.  They are just skeptical.  They are also too lazy to actually look deeply into it, do the research and subsequently take it to its logical and rational conclusion.  They'd rather listen to the world or - worse - just shrug their shoulders and say "Eh, whatever."

But it is critical to make a decision one way or the other after fully weighing the facts.  If you die tomorrow, the option is off the table.  If you didn't accept the Truth and the free gift, it's too late at that point.

Let's break down the situation ...

Question:  What happens if Atheists are right and there is no God, no Heaven, etc.?
Answer:  We're not around to argue about it anymore.  No one wins, no one loses, I suppose.  We're just worm food.

Question:  What if 50+ generations (2000+ years) of Christians actually weren't/aren't crazy, delusional or stupid, but are actually right about the reality of God, Heaven, Hell ... and Jesus being the one and only way to eternal life in Heaven?
Answer:  Ooof.  Then it all of a sudden matters, doesn't it?  Skeptical or not.  Once you're dead, there is no bargaining with God or the Devil.  That's that.

So, wouldn't it make sense to really look into it?  To drop the skepticism for a while and truly look into it with an open mind?  I mean, what have you got to lose by DOING the research?  Checking the facts?  Reviewing the history?  Treating it like a court case where you end with the best verdict beyond a reasonable doubt?  Are you afraid of some invisible social repercussions?  Friends thinking you're weird for even considering such a thing?  What?  Be honest.

If you choose to continue with the skepticism, I pray for your soul, because I was one of those skeptics I'm talking about above.  I was that "I won't be had" guy for 38 years of my life.  Then I sought the Truth with an open heart and an open mind.  And you know what this arrogantly ignorant man discovered?

... Well, you can read that in another of my blog entries, "A Skeptics Epiphany".  But for now, just know that I did not become dumb as a rock, crazy, or delusional all of a sudden.  I studied and learned many things that I did not know before, and now the Truth is very clear.  No blind faith, no belief-despite-logic.  I was literally "blind" but now I see clearly.  And it's a whole new world.  As a closet analytic, the facts were/are out there.  I just had to take the time, open my heart and my intellect, and seek that Truth.

How about you?  Will you float through this life only to come to the end of it saying, "Oh no - I assumed incorrectly, but never really thought it through!"  Eternity is not simply a "long period of time".  It's - well - eternity.  Don't you want to be sure?

He's waiting for you to honestly and sincerely seek the Truth.  Seek and you will find.  I promise.

Dearly Departed

My Gram (Dad's Mom) is 96 ... Hospice is with her now and she is not expected to live for more than 3 days.  She stopped eating a week ago and hasn't drank anything in a few days.  It's a bitter sweet feeling.  She has lived a very full life and up until the last few years, she was still just as quick, funny and witty as she was when she was 60, 50, 40 (not that I knew her then).  She will be missed dearly, and I love her very much.  But it's time.  She hasn't been Gram for a few years now.  She doesn't remember most people or what happened 20 minutes ago, although she remembers 50 years ago as thought it's happening as we speak.  Strange how the mind works.  

We need to let her go.  We need to let God take her.  I know that she's ready.

I recall so many great things about Gram.  Spending time with her at the lake house (the apartment downstairs always creeped me out as a kid, though), her cooking, her fruit kolaches, her giving spirit, her steadfast faith in God ... so much for me to miss when she leaves this world.  

For these memories, I've been reticent to visit her over the past year or so only because I wanted to remember the Gram I knew.  Selfish I know, but I'm hoping that she would not have known who I was if I had visited.  That's how I comfort myself.  I'm probably right in my hope, but it does not remove the sharp feeling of guilt that lingers.  

During the short time I was writing this blog post, my Gram passed.  As a believer, I know that she is with God now and she is overwhelmed with joy and peace.  She's with Grampa Joe, too, which is of further comfort.  Thinking of them together again makes me smile.    

Like most, I don't think of death often ... certainly not losing family and friends.  And I think that's why it comes as a shock when it happens.  "They will always be there" is the seemingly harmless lie we tell ourselves.  And this leads us into a comfortable zone, which then leads us to perhaps take that connection and its importance in our lives for granted.  We neglect them.  Not intentionally.  We simply get distracted with the rest of our lives ... clutter that - once someone close passes - turns out to be so small and meaningless in comparison.  

Harsh reality:  Time is our most valuable asset.  You can not earn more.  You can not get it back once it's spent.   

But what can I do?  Give the gift of time to those you love.  Don't hesitate or put it off.  Do it now.  Stop reading and call him/her and schedule some time.  

Ask yourself, "What would happen if [fill in the blank] passed away tomorrow?"  Would you feel regret that you hadn't invested more in them?  I'm betting the answer is yes.  Don't let that happen.  

Yes, I'm talking to myself here.  But if you - the reader - also benefits from these thoughts, great.  But I for one need to be better about showing (not just saying) how much my family and friends mean to me.  Time to prioritize.

God bless you Gram.  Thanks for my memories of you, for your love, for investing time in me, and for the model you set for me growing up.  

I will miss you, and I love you very, very much.

Your Grandson,
Greg