The Kingdom of Heaven is Like A Smartphone

What is the Kingdom of Heaven like? To what shall I compare it? The Kingdom of Heaven is like...a smartphone.

Go and Sin No More

Jesus did, indeed, tell people to stop their sinful behavior. But, that's not the first thing he did when he met with someone. He showed them love first.

Don't push away His hands

Ok, so Joseph, Jesus' earthly dad, was a carpenter. I imagine he taught Jesus a thing or two about carpentry. In fact, a lot of people, including me, believe that carpentry is what Jesus did before the whole disaster aversion at a certain wedding. Now, imagine that you're his apprentice in carpentry. He's working on his magnum opus, and he wants your help with it, even though you've just started the job.

There Never Was A Better Plan

If you're like me, you've wondered why God decided to make us. If He knows everything that's going to happen, why go through with it at all? How could He, knowing all we would do, still create us? How could He put Himself through our continual and repetitive betrayal? How could he let Satan into the Garden, knowing that Eve would take the bait? Wouldn't it have been better just not to do it? To avoid it altogether, by not making us in the first place?

You don't have to be scared of demons

I've been reading "Demon" by Tosca Lee. I'm not very far in, but Dad has been telling me some things that I've not considered before. I don't know how much impact on other people's lives this may have, but there are two things that I want to look at, briefly.

God Loves Fags

First, I want to apologize for the use of "fags" in the title. I wanted to grab attention, and it was the best way I could think of. I know that a fag is a cigarette butt, and not a person.

Second, I want to repeat it. God loves people who are lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender. The operative word, there, is "people". They are still human beings, created in His image, and He still loves them. I know what the people over at Westboro and the like will say. "What about Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13? I won't get into an argument about whether people should still be stoned. I think Jesus covered that in John 8:7, don't you?

So, let's look at "detestable," or the King James' "abomination," according to Webster.

detestable, adj: arousing or meriting intense dislike

abomination, n: 1: something abominable 2: extreme disgust and hatred

For the sake of completeness, let's define abominable as well.

abominable, adj: worthy of or causing disgust or hatred

See? It says it right there, "hatred". Twice, even! But wait! Let's look at some pronouns...


In 18:22, it says "they have done what is detestable". It does say "they," which is a personal pronoun, referring to more than one person. But, "what" is an impersonal pronoun. It refers to a thing, not a person.  It does not say that the people who have done it are detestable, but the act of homosexual intercourse is detestable, or an abomination. It's what they have done that God hates, not the people themselves.

In fact, nowhere in the Bible, that I have found (correct me if I'm wrong), does it say that God hates a person or people. But, over and over, it says that He hates what they have DONE. In fact, a quick search of "lord hates" (with quotes) shows 4 results in the NIV, and NONE in the King James, to which many of these Pharisaical zealots hold. Of the four in the NIV, one is the people of Israel being rebellious, talking about how the Lord hates them and brought them into the wilderness to die in Deuteronomy 1:27, then Psalm 97:10 says "those who love the Lord hate evil." The other two, Deuteronomy 12:31 and Proverbs 6:16 talk about things that the Lord hates, not people. A similar search of "God hates" (again, with quotes) finds one in the NIV, and NONE again in the King James. Deuteronomy 16:22, says that the Lord hates "sacred stones," which are, again, things. I could go on with "lord despises" and "lord detests" and all the synonyms for "hate", but you get the picture. God doesn't hate people. He hates the things people do.

In closing, I want to toss something your direction that has struck me recently; it seems that the reason so many people don't like the church, and use that as an excuse not to get to know God, is not just that we're a bunch of hypocrites, for the most part (though that is a large reason). From spending time on the internet, it looks like the world's problem with us is that we're constantly trying to prove ourselves right. To defend our position. To "stand up for Jesus." Well, let me tell you something. First, Jesus doesn't need anyone to stand up for Him. He can take care of Himself. Second, get over yourself! Who cares if what an atheist or a gay person or a professor or another denomination or anybody says that offends you!? Life isn't all about you! Everything comes down to love, which puts others above yourself, and doesn't seek its own ends. Try it sometime?

P.S. I know that someone will point out that I've done exactly what I've said you shouldn't, proving myself right. In my defense, I submit this: I'm advocating love, not trying to prove myself right.

I may not have it all figured out, but I do say what I think. If you have any questions about faith in Jesus, don't hesitate to email me. It's my job to help you out. Have an idea for me? Let me know in the comments! If you see any spelling/grammatical errors, PLEASE let me know in a comment. I expect others to use correct English, so I should too. Twitter:@GetItReallyReal Please subscribe and/or share.

It's All About the Heart

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

We quote this often (Luke 6:37-38), praying for a great return on what we give so that we can get back more than we gave. And often, we give an absolute minimum (to the church, missions, church family members, etc) and expect many times the return on our "investment." I bet you can already tell where I'm going here: we're selfish.

Is God still big enough to save the world?

For a long time, I thought that the apostles had it easier than we do. They could preach and teach in their world, because the world was smaller, there were fewer distractions, and because most people already believed in something(s) supernatural. Today, we have to deal with atheists, agnostics, cell phones, round-the-clock news, genocide, and so many other things that make people doubt that anything exists beyond the life they're living now. My question is, has the God who made the world changed such that he can't save that same world today?

Happiness isn't good enough for you

That's right. You were made for better than being happy. Happiness is temporary, and it's based on things going on in your life, things which are usually out of your control, and aren't fulfilling anyway. If happiness isn't good enough for us as children of the One who is Love, then what is?

Never good enough? Feels like it, doesn't it?

Some days I curse the internet, some days I bless ARPA for creating it.

I find it far too easy to get my hands (eyes) on content that is not beneficial to moving closer to God (also Dad, in my world), but I also get to share lessons and encouragement easily and for free. Today, I've done both. Unfortunately, for the first, but now I have a reason to write something. I realize this isn't the best way to get content, but in my weakness, He is strong, and His will will always be accomplished.

So, don't discount yourself if you've failed. Even if you've failed, and continued to fail, long after you feel like you should have overcome whatever it is. I've been saved for a little over 5 years now (I know, kind of still a toddler) and I still struggle with two big issues, in particular. I won't reveal them here, because it's not the place, but there are things about myself that I feel that if people in my life knew, they would end the relationship, or change it such that it's not worth having anymore. I'm working on getting past that fear, but I'm not there yet.

I say all that to say, while it may feel like a big deal to you when you fail, Dad's not surprised. He knows that you're not perfect. What's more, He expects you to fail, and is even happy when you do. It means that A) you're trying, and B) since you feel the conviction and yes, guilt, it means that you're still sensitive to the Spirit calling to you, and there's still hope. It's when you stop feeling guilty that your heart has become calloused, and the likelihood of you turning back to Him lessens. Also, I know guilt is a dirty word in Christian language, but I believe that as long as you don't just sit there feeling guilty, if you commit to listening to the Spirit and not your own feelings/knowledge, it's definitely constructive. I know how easy it is to feel hopeless after you fall victim to an aspect of your old life that died when you were reborn. Trust me, I know. But the thing about grace is that not only does it not do to as you deserve, it gives you what you don't deserve. Through His grace, He gives you His Spirit of power and love and and mercy and wisdom and all the things He is, so that you can live the life He's called you to live. It's just up to you to choose to listen to the Spirit inside you, rather than what you feel like doing. And don't feel bad if you only go a day between falls. When you were a baby, learning to walk, did your parents ever say, "Only three steps? That's not good enough. I expect you to make it across the room, already."? Of course not. It was completely new to you, and so you had to practice. And each time you fell, you learned a little more about how to do, and not do, the series of controlled falls that we call walking. I can't stress enough that when you fail, it's less, "Goodness, why did you do that? I expected better from you," and more, "Great try! I'm so proud of you for attempting that! What do you say we try again?" from God.

Please don't ever forget that it's His power that gives us what we need to live a godly life, not our own willpower (1 Peter 2:3). It's not our job to build up the self control and strength and determination to do what we know is right. It's His job to provide all that. It's our job to listen for His will, in the Word and directly from Him, and to carry it out. (John 15:5). I feel like I'm rambling, so I'll stop for now. I'm available, if you have any questions. Just click the link below and email me. Present your requests to Him, with thanksgiving, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I may not have it all figured out, but I do say what I think. If you have any questions about faith in Jesus, don't hesitate to email me. It's my job to help you out. Have an idea for me? Let me know in the comments! If you see any spelling/grammatical errors, PLEASE let me know in a comment. I expect others to use correct English, so I should too. Twitter:@GetItReallyReal Please subscribe and/or share.

My heart hurts for this kid.

I recently read a book--actually an "illustrated novel" according to the cover. You don't need to know the name or the author--it's not important. What is important is that in it, the protagonist remembers a time in Sunday School (I really don't like that term) when the teacher essentially told him that his God-given talent and desire for drawing was useless in the Kingdom. That in heaven, we would do nothing but sing to God all day. While there will be singing from the pure joy of being in His presence, worship isn't just singing. What I've been learning and working on for several years now is that worship is a way of living, doing everything you do to make Dad happy (I call God Dad. It's Biblical). If this kid had a talent, it was from God, because we literally don't have anything that He doesn't give us. Colossians 3:23 says "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord." He says "whatever" so I think He means "whatever." I don't know what church this author went to as a kid, what denomination it was, or whether this is even based on any of his own experiences, but this character was failed by a well-meaning teacher who had a narrow view of what a ZÖE, abundant, God-filled life was. It's easy to second-guess the actions of someone else (especially a fictional character), but I think it just shows that a lot of people who are teaching children about God and His ways and will need to work on breaking down the limits they've placed on Him. The protagonist should have been encouraged to draw to his heart's content, and present it to God as his very best, like a kid with a misshapen clay bowl on Father's day.

It turns out that the main character (presumably the author) ends up abandoning his faith. From the story, he says that he found too many inconsistencies in the Bible and couldn't believe it as infallible and inerrant. While that may be so, I can't help but wonder if he wouldn't have become so critical of the Word if the believing adults in his life hadn't been so limited in the person of God that they presented to him.

 How would you have handled this boy's gift for drawing?


I may not have it all figured out, but I do say what I think. If you have any questions about faith in Jesus, don't hesitate to email me. It's my job to help you out. Have an idea for me? Let me know in the comments! If you see any spelling/grammatical errors, PLEASE let me know in a comment. I expect others to use correct English, so I should too. Twitter:@GetItReallyReal. Please subscribe and/or share.

The Lion King (3D)

I saw The Lion King 3D this past weekend with some friends, and as I get older I notice more and more that Disney are geniuses when it comes to making content that the whole family can enjoy, even as time goes by. I'm not talking about the timeless stories or unique characters, but their ability to insert elements that parents would get, but fly over their kids' heads. But besides that, it struck me that without meaning to, and even using pagan (please don't get offended) traditions/imagery, they illustrated that the world just isn't right without God in charge.

The universe doesn't revolve around me. Neither should MY universe.

I really appreciate how my mentor hears from God so well. He seeks out revelation big time, and gets it. And since he leads my Bible study group, we get to benefit as well. This time, we started out in Haggai, chapter 1. That would be the third from the end of the Old Testament.