Quick Quote

"And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don’t be seduced into worshiping them. The Lord your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth."  Deuteronomy 4:19 NLT

"Look now; I myself am He!

There is no other god but Me!

I am the one who kills and gives life;

I am the one who wounds and heals;

no one can be rescued from My powerful hand!" Deuteronomy 32:39

"You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about His relationship with you." Exodus 34:14

 

-Captain America from The Avengers

Music Video - Headphones by Britt Nicole

 

I love this song.  Britt Nicole is a ray of sunshine.  I always think of the Bible as my "headphones".  When I'm feeling sad, scared, insecure, discontent, cranky or whatever; I can always go to the Bible and read about HOW MUCH God LOVES me!  No matter what the rest of the world says or what I say to myself, God says "I LOVE YOU!!!".  Just like headphones, I can use God's wonderful words to block out all the bad stuff and just hear His sweet, comforting love.    

God created me and He has loved me every second of my existence.  And He feels the same way about you.  He gives us His attention, His hope, help, wisdom and love.  And the Bible explains it all.

  Most importantly He has given us the promise of Heaven and forgiveness through His own Son, Jesus.  He wholeheartedly offers us His love and all we have to do is say yes!

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 NLT

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:38-39 NLT

Let the Bible be your "Headphones" and LOVE will ALWAYS come through!

"I will be glad and rejoice in Your unfailing love,
for You have seen my troubles,
and You care about the anguish of my soul."
Psalm 31:7 NLT

     Anytime you feel alone put on your headphones.

Vengeance is Mayan?

 
Well, we made it.  It's December 22, 2012.

Jesus is right again when He said:
"Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.  And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!"   Mark 13:31-33

VENGEANCE IS NOT MAYAN!
God the Father decides when the world ends and He wants us to be ready! :

"We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.  Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.  For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood."
Romans 3:22-25a

If you haven't trusted Jesus as your Savior- YOU NEED HIM and HE WANTS YOU!  He loves you.  Don't waste any more time because the world will end someday- your world will definitely end someday- and you NEED to be ready.  You can be totally ready, you can be safe and assured! 

When Jesus is your Savior, it doesn't matter how many crackpot archaeologists, wild-eyed preachers, Nostradamus believers or numerologists proclaim the end of the world because you know the Truth and the Truth has your back.

" For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. And again, 'The Lord will judge His people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."  Hebrews 10:30-31

A Three Decker Sauerkraut and Toadstool Sandwich With Arsenic Sauce

The Grinch!  He's the Christmas villain, the infamous meanie from Dr. Suess' How The Grinch Stole Christmas.  His heart is two sizes too small.  He is full of hate.  He hates Christmas and his happy neighbors in Whoville.

There is an entire song dedicated to his ickiness.  Among other things, the Grinch is a monster, a rotter, vile, foul and nasty.  His heart's an empty hole and his soul is full of gunk.  He's the king of sinful sots!

Look at this "grinch song" from the Bible:
“As the scriptures say, No one is righteous—  not even one.  No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.  All have turned away; all have become useless.  No one does good, not a single one.  Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.  Their tongues are filled with lies.  Snake venom drips from their lips.  Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.  They rush to commit murder.  Destruction and misery always follow them.  They don’t know where to find peace.  They have no fear of God at all." 
Romans 3:10-18
That's talking about us- everyone.  We're all Grinches!  In other words: your soul is an appalling dump heap, overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable!
"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard." Romans 3:23
God's punishment for sin is Hell but He loves all of us Grinches.
 ^"Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.  For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood..."  Romans 3:24-25
And just like the Grinch's heart grew three sizes; our dirty, sinful hearts are washed clean when we accept God's forgiveness through Jesus.  And even though we still sometimes act like nasty,wasty skunks; God no longer holds it against us.  We know we'll be with Him someday in Heaven and we can truly have a merry Christmas.

Quick Quote

"This 'normal' Baby wrote book -you should read." -Fausta, from Go On on NBC.
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son." John 3:16-18

Love Triangle

 

Aah, the love triangle. It's a classic.  Sure to add a little zest to any story. All the pining, angst-filled dialogue and unrequited gazes  can make for a compelling break from the action of your favorite story. 

How can our favorite characters possibly choose who they truly love?  Jack or Sawyer?  Nathan or Duke?  Addison or Meredith?  Abby or Ziva (okay that one's a decision for us viewers...)  Team Edward or Team Jacob?  Mr. Wickham or Mr. Darcy?  Roy or Jim?  Lana or Chloe...or Lois?  And don't get me started on choosing between Adam, Hoss and Little Joe.

Often, our gorgeous and complicated leading lady has to decide whether she wants the good man or the bad boy.  Personally, I have no clue why she needs to agonize over whether she wants the affectionate firefighter or the adulterous criminal.  It just seems like a no-brainer! 

When I think about it, I realize that the Bible is about an epic love triangle.  It's about us deciding who we love most: Jesus Christ or anything else.  Jesus is the good man: the loving, self-sacrificing, attentive, affectionate hero.  And anything that we would choose over Him is the bad boy.  The bad boy might be pride telling us that we don't need God's forgiveness through Jesus or guilt telling us that we're too bad for Jesus to forgive.  The bad boy might be our own selfishness telling us to not even consider Jesus because Jesus wouldn't approve of our favorite activity.

Just like a real life bad boy, the things that keep people from Jesus can be very attractive, charming and fun.  And just like a bad boy, they don't love or respect you.  They'll string you along and then break your heart.  Anything that stops you from accepting Jesus as your Savior is really trying to send you to Hell.  When you look at it the way God does, it's really a no-brainer!  

Even after you accept Jesus, you'll still have feelings for that bad boy.  You'll catch yourself flirting with that stuff that Jesus tells you not to do, the stuff that's bad for you.  The instant you accept Jesus, He is totally committed to you and will never, ever, ever leave you no matter what you do.  But that bad boy can keep you from enjoying your relationship with Jesus.  So send the bad boy packing because the love triangle isn't worth it.  

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

"There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.  These are not from the Father, but are from this world."
1 John 2:15-16

"Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy."  Ephesians 4:21-24

   

The Hunger Games

       What an exciting and poignant story!  The Hunger Games presents a country where twelve districts are under the choking control of the Capitol.  Seventy-four years after their failed rebellion, the districts are still being punished by the Capitol.           
        Every year, each district selects one girl and one boy from the ages of twelve to eighteen to be offered as a tribute participant in the Hunger Games.  Selected by lottery, the young participants are taken to the Capitol where they are primped, polished, trained and then forced into a large arena of wilderness where they must fight, hide and die until only one remains.  The survivor is labeled the winner and receives wealth and fame.  The entire spectacle is televised for the entertainment of the people of the capitol and the manipulation of the people of the districts.       

        Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is from District Twelve, a district used for mining and trapped in their poverty by the Capitol.  When Katniss' little sister is chosen as tribute at the annual "reaping", Katniss volunteers to participate in the games in her place.
               I'm sure there are many impressive spiritual metaphors I could find in a story as emotional and engaging as The Hunger Games.  But the feeling I get from it is simple and intense.  People in the real world are suffering under oppressive governments, unfair circumstances, scarcity, poverty and loss.  Some of us have rich and luxurious lives.  We should be doing something to help the suffering.  There are many people who have need and we have excess.  We're a match made in Heaven.                                             
Isaiah 1:17
"Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of orphans.
Fight for the rights of widows"

 
                Like the fictional citizens of the Capitol, some of us have wonderful things and an easy life.  The characters spend theirs being self-serving, cruel, shallow and cowardly.  We should spend ours being champions for the hurting.  Money, time, prayer, encouragement, advocacy.  It's simple:  The suffering are real and important.  They need help and we can help. 

2 Corinthians 9:7 "You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. 'For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.' " NLT

More importantly, we represent Jesus and we can share the good news of His love and salvation.  That good news is what everyone needs most! 

"In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." Matthew 5:16 NLT 

"For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes" Romans 1:16a NLT