If not for Jesus- I'd party too!

I have been blessed recently by the return of a past friendship. We've been emailing back and forth awaiting a future face to face meeting to discuss the questions he has about faith. In a recent email made mention of a thought that summarizes a major flaw in the way many people (especially younger people) view Christianity. It's the idea that God is a Cosmic Therapist and Christianity is a path of denial and happiness- similar in ways, in my opinion, to Buddhism.

I address the view below and use Paul's words to summarize my own thoughts- that if Christianity isn't true- in that it doesn't offer eternal hope, but at best offers me moral guidelines and a path to happiness. Forget it- I'm going to party like there's no tomorrow. Read an excerpt from the email below.

Every 3 minutes someone in the world dies for believing in Jesus- they didn't murder anyone, steal anything, or rape anyone- they simply believed in Jesus. That's around 175,000 people in the world dying every year for Jesus and the number is growing rapidly. More people died in the past 100 years for believing in Jesus than the previous 1900 combined.

To think of Christianity as a great set of teachings, beneficial if not true causes me to think of 1 Corinthians 15. As Paul is addressing a foolish thought among the Corinthians- much like the one I just mentioned. Because their human minds couldn't fully fathom the reality of a spiritual and physical resurrection, many people held onto Paul's moral teachings but were quietly rejecting the thought of Jesus' words actually raising someone to life after they had died. Keep in mind Paul's world and reality of faith was a dangerous one- not like America, but in ways much like these 175,000 face everyday. You'd be an idiot to believe in something for the perks- if the cost of believing in that ting was your life. The costs outweigh the benefits- Paul was no idiot. Yet he, and 10 others who were closest to Jesus died for their beliefs.

Paul puts it this way, 1 Cor. 15:17-19 "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."

To add to this Paul says... 1 Cor 15:30-32 "And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I die every day—I mean that, brothers—just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

What Paul is saying essentially is this: If this isn't fully true, we'd be foolish to adhere to the moral teachings of Christ- what's the benefit. A better society... but it all leads to death, who cares??? He ends by saying (my interpretation) if their is no eternity after this life and if Christianity isn't true- forget the whole thing and party your brains out.

Before I knew Jesus- Sin was fun and made me also forget about Church and Jesus. But when he proved himself fully real to me- it lost its lure. I do not hold onto the claims of Christ because of some perks- I hold on to Christ because I know whats true and real and what is fleeting and foolish. My goal has been and always will be to see you come to know what's true and real- to fully trust and believe.

My Son's Eyes

Have you ever loved someone so much you could just stare into their eyes forever? Like that feeling that time doesn't matter any more, the world feels weightless, and everything else- every worry, every care melts away, when you just sit and stare. I get that way daily with my wife, even with 4 years of marriage I still love staring into her eyes. But with the addition of our son Jacoby I find my eyes delighting in the unbroken stare of another.

I don't know what it is about the eyes and what it communicates to my heart, but when I have contact with someones eyes to invokes feelings of value, respect, and with added length admiration, comfort, love. I have three Great Loves in my life- God, my wife, and my son. I have always wanted a son, to know the feeling of being a Father like God of a precious son and to imagine the heartache of losing him, or like God watching him die innocently. But each day my heart breaks in the presence of my son, why? I can never stare into his eyes long enough.

My son is so active, always fidgeting, restless in his mind and actions. When he is in my arms he uses one hand to cling to me and the other to push his torso away so he can look at other things. Often I just walk with him and stare at the back of his head wishing he would look at me and see I am better than everything else out there because no one loves him more than I do.

As we did bible time together, prayed, and sang a song of worship my heart overjoyed to know he would be like Timothy, knowing scriptures from infancy (2 Timothy 3:15). I do everything in my power to daily impress the Lord on his little mind, heart, and body. No one loves him more than I do and as we sit and play I stare, making baby noises trying to gain his attention and I do for a moment- but just as fast as it came, it leaves. Never long enough for me to fully enjoy- I don't know if any length of time would be enough for me to say I am satisfied. I just want him to know, want him to feel it in my eyes, to see his eyes light up as he gets it and realizes all I desire to give him, how much love I have for him. But then his head breaks hard left and its over.

It was in that moment God awakened me to the reality of my devotional life- my time in the scripture, in prayer, in seeking the Lord. How quick I am to break my neck to see something other than God? To stare for hours at nothing and miss the gaze of what my heart desires. That just when God is beginning to enjoy me and my fellowship with him and he wishes I'd stay forever, I chase something else.

It breaks my heart to imagine my son going through life being an infant and too foolish to stare into my eyes, but maybe when he's 3 or 4- then we can stare and maybe I can hold him and cuddle for hours. But when will that seem dumb or "gay" to him, become to cool for me, look me in the eyes when he is 14 in pride and say he knows better than I do and wants to make his own choices. Becomes his own man- maybe now walking with the Lord, but yet won't look me in the eyes because it's awkward. Will the day finally come on my deathbed? As I speak my final words to him? I pray not. What will it take to get him to look into my eyes and see.... No body loves him like I do.

Welcome to Ames!

There is nothing like Ames in the Fall. New faces, tons of activity, lots of new people falling in love with the town you enjoy, football, ISU volleyball, and limitless opportunities.

To all those new in town I want to be one of many who say WELCOME!

A few tips to help you survive:

1. Don't worry about not having A/C- those with it use it for the next two weeks and then are the ones paying extra for a room that's too cold.

2. Don't go home- it's best to wait at least 3 weeks before your first return trip home. Meet new people, make new friends, and enjoy Ames.

3. Drive around Ames. This town has tons to offer for food, entertainment, recreation, and more. Find these places- Peterson Pits, Ada Hayden Park, Ames' new swimming pool, Moore Memorial Park, and Dog Town University (for cheap ISU apparel). Lastly, though the food isn't the best in town the view is, fall in love with ISU by looking at it from the best view in town at Legends.

4. Don't pay for football tickets in case the season turns for the worst, join TSC for stadium cleanup and get in for FREE! Plus you meet great people and we feed you!

5. Don't miss our kickoffs- all on Central Campus.

Freshman Group- 5p by the campanile with free pizza

The Salt Company- 7p by the campanile- our first TSC of the Year!

The Alternative- Something else and better to do with a Friday Night.

A FREE Concert featuring Shane and Shane, Anthem, and Sky Like Fire starting at 8p with Anthems CD release show