So, for about four years now, my younger brother has had a mystery illness that has left him crippled. He can get around, but he hobbles and limps from place to place. He lives his life in a state of pain and discomfort, waking up every morning wondering if he is feeling good enough to go to work to make money for his family that day. It’s a shame because in high school, he was an all-star athlete. He was the best our school had in football, swimming, and track. It really is tragic to see him like this. He just hasn’t been himself for years now.

He’s seen many doctors and has been moved from hospital to hospital, doctor’s office to doctor’s office, he’s had false diagnosis after false diagnosis, and no one’s been able to tell him much of anything. He is now having some financial problems because he has too many bills and he is unable to work enough. On top of that, some doctors even insinuated and hinted that he is just a druggie looking to score pain and depression medication. If anyone really knows my brother, they would know that there is no chance he’s a drug addict. He just wants his pain to be taken seriously.

On Thursday and Friday, I drove him four hours away to the Cleveland Clinic so he could undergo some tests. We were pleased by the treatment he got there. It is one of the best hospitals in the world for a reason, I guess… While he was getting a spinal tap (one of his many uncomfortable tests), he received a call from one of the other hospitals he previously visited. An MRI of his brain showed that he may have multiple sclerosis. The spinal tap he happened to be taking should be able to tell for sure. He is scared by this news, but is also relieved that they are finally getting somewhere.

Please keep my brother in your prayers. He really needs them right now. He is only 26.

Now, I came back to hear my wife telling me that Xanga is shutting down. Feel free to send me a private message to let me know where I can find you all if that actually happens. I’ve grown to love so many of you and I would hate to say goodbye to so many important people in my life!

I’m not Catholic. I also have nothing against the Catholic Church, with an exception of a few minor theological issues. However, I do find Pope Francis to be very endearing.

I’ll keep my opinion out of this. After all, my opinions matter little. I do find this man to be fascinating though.
Thoughts?

I read someone’s blog where he critiqued the idea of “True Christians”. This person pointed out that Jesus stated that we are to follow the law of the old testament, and teach others to do the same. Conversely, he pointed out that Jesus also said not to follow the “eye for an eye” law. This person stated that Jesus, in just a matter of a few verses contradicted himself. He ended his conjecture with, Jesus wasn’t a ‘true Christian’.

That, I have to give him. Jesus wasn’t a true Christian… Jesus was a devout Jew who started a revolution within Judaism that eventually became Christianity. Jesus didn’t intend to start a religion, but instead, came to reveal true religion. If we read what Jesus’ brother James says about true religion, we find that true religion is taking care of the widows and orphans, and if we continue reading, we see that true religion leads us to look after the poor as well, and showing mercy to others as we’ve been shown mercy. James continued to say that it is good to follow the “royal law”. The royal law is “Love your neighbor as yourself” and is known as the royal law because this is the heart of the Kingdom of God. It is clear that James was more interested in the heart of the Law of Moses than the ritualistic aspect of it, which is why the entire book of James is void of using words such as “circumcision”, “cleansing”, or hinting at dietary restrictions. James’ point for writing is to show that love and faith are at the very center of the new covenant, and to be loving and faithful, to be truly religious, requires us to not simply offer lip service, but to be doers and hearers of the Word.

This shows that “true Christianity” does, in fact, exist, and with a proper understanding of scripture, we can see what “true Christianity” really is. Never mind the countless number of denominations and factions within Christianity. That’s a minor, but necessary inconvenience. We know what true Christianity is because it’s written in Scripture, clear as day.

Of course, we don’t have go to James to see what true Christianity is. Jesus says it himself. The entire flow of the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew, chapters 5-7 shows true Christianity. But to understand the entirety of the Sermon on the Mount, you have to read it in context. First, we have the Beatitudes, which blesses the people we wouldn’t typically expect to bless. I believe that the sermon was designed in such a way to put us in our rightful place before God. When we read that the meek will be the ones to inherit the earth, the merciful will receive mercy, and the peacemakers will be called “Children of God”, it’s quite humbling. From there, Jesus continues by giving the analogies of salt and light, which shows that what we do matters because the world will look to the followers of Christ for flavor and a way, or in other words, for direction, and a path. What was his answer for a direction and a path? The Law! But what is the Law? Jesus did say that not one tittle of the Law will be abolished… but he also said that he came to fulfill it. What does this mean? What could it possibly mean to fulfill the law, but not abolish it? Christians don’t follow the law today, do they?

Well… yeah… we do… Throughout the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, we read Jesus revealing the meaning hidden within the Law. He tore apart much of the Law saying, “You have heard that it was said… but I tell you…” Jesus, God incarnate, revealed the Kingdom of God within the Law, but what we see Jesus doing is setting up a new understanding, because many who followed the law had missed the point. They had missed the Kingdom of God. It wasn’t about the ritual, and it wasn’t about the punishment. The Law was originally set up to create a nation. That nation would give birth to a Messiah. That Messiah would set up a greater nation. That greater nation would set up the Kingdom of God. God will come to fulfill the Kingdom, and God will reign forever and ever.
But you see, the entire Sermon on the Mount tears apart the misunderstandings of Judaism in that time. It humbled the prideful, and it showed the prideful to have hope in God and not in their own works. Because it is God who is the giver of all good things at the end of the day. It is God who causes the sun to shine and the rain to fall on both the righteous and the unrighteous. No man can boast, but they can boast in the Lord God.

Finally, near the end of the Sermon, Christ said “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. For this is the Law and the Prophets.” This is the climax of the Sermon on the Mount. Later, in Chapter 22, Jesus even says again, in case there is any confusion, that the entirety of the Law and the Prophets hangs on these two commandments: Love your neighbor as yourself, and Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Jesus finished his sermon by summing up a few more points- First, “True Christians” will be known by their fruits. Second, there will be many people who claim to know the savior; many who claim to know his teachings, but in reality, they are prideful, hateful, hypocritical, spiteful people who never knew Jesus… who never understood his teachings… who misrepresented the the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. Lastly, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us to build our foundations on his teachings, because his teachings set up the Kingdom of God. True religion. True Christianity.

About 4 years ago, I was blogging in my prime. I was known for two ideas that made me and a few others stick out among other Christian bloggers.
1. We were pacifists.
2. We remained neutral to government.

I still hold on to these values with a tight grip, but the other few people who held on to these convictions, though they were much more well-spoken and much more thoughtful than me, left Xanga for other blogging sites. Since those days, it seems I’ve lost my nerve. I don’t blog much about peace-keeping anymore, nor do I blog about the distinctions between the kingdom of the world and the Heavenly Kingdom. Maybe I just feel like no one has my back anymore. Or maybe I’ve just become content. Either way, I feel like I’ve grown and come to a place where I realize that not everyone has to think like me. That’s what makes our world worth living in after all; all the different opinions we can explore… all the options of thought available to us… Why in the world would I want another me?

I would like to be bold again. I’d like to stick out again. I’d like to blog like the old me again. And maybe I will… But I’d like to be a less argumentative version of the old me. Maybe that’s what I’m afraid of– arguments… meaningless, pitiful, time consuming arguments… I can’t help myself but feed the trolls sometimes.

I know what I was doing around 8pm 10 years ago today. It was a Sunday. I was 16 years old. I was sitting with my dad, my brothers, and my sister, watching the movie Mr. Deeds. We got a knock at the door, and I answered it. My best friend and crush, a 15 year old @myareoplane was standing there, dressed in a McDonalds uniform and smelling like french fires. She asked if I could step outside for a minute and I said, “Yeah!” It was cold, windy and rainy, and there, on my front porch, like a scene out of a cheesy romantic comedy, she confessed that she liked me and that she felt “so stupid” for just realizing that she wanted to date me.
Tesia: “What do you think?”
Me: “Ok…”
Tesia: “That’s it? Just ok?”
Me: “I mean, of course! I’d really like that!”

It’s been an adventure ever since, and I am happy to call my very first girlfriend my wife. 10 years since we started dating, we only understand each other better. I can’t wait to see what our story will look like in 10 more years! I love her very much.

What were you up to 10 years ago?

Many of you have seen this picture of Martin Richard, the 8 year old boy who was killed at the Boston Marathon when a bomb exploded next to him. This was taken during his first communion. This young child had no idea that in such a short amount of time, he would be meeting Jesus face to face. The story is sad. No one wants to see a child get brutally murdered. We want to see children grow and become adults and become something greater than what the previous generation has to offer. If you ask me though, Martin was already great.

If I could see through the eyes of a child again… It’s like Jesus said, “I assure you that if you do not turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.” Children not only understand, but they believe the simplest concepts. Peace. You can not proclaim peace with a sword in hand. Jesus even condemns the idea. It’s so simple, a child can understand it. No more hurting people.

And then there is these two. Two adult men who created a horrific act. The man on the left is proof of Jesus’ own words, “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.” The one on the right, is still so young. You would think, why would such a bright young man throw it all away to hurt people? Both of these young men were incredibly misguided, and by ruining the lives of others, they ruined their own lives. The cause they believed they were promoting became a cause that many people fear.

When people see these two, they see hatred. They see evil. They see terror. That’s not how God wants us to see them though. God wants us to see these men as lost sheep; people he loves dearly and searches for night and day to bring them home. Dzhokhar, the young man on the right, is still alive. It’s not too late to view this person as a person created in the image of God.
A Christian man who is a friend of mine on facebook said of Dzokhar, “We got’im. I hope we hang this kid from the statue of Liberty.”
I don’t know how any Christan person can enjoy such an image. A death is a death. A murder is a murder. Killing those in God’s image is like crucifying Jesus again.
Christians, try not to let your emotions control the better of you. Bless those who curse you and do good to those who wish you harm. This is the way of Christ. This is the way of peace. Choose to love, not to hate and we all will see that we are getting closer and closer to a world where there is “no more hurting people”. God’s kingdom is a kingdom of peace. Remember, Jesus did say, “Blessed are those who make peace because they will be called God’s children”, just like Martin.

On Friday, my wife and I received word that one of our good friend’s dad had suffered an aneurism in his heart. He went to the hospital for having pains resembling that of a kidney stone. By the time he got to the hospital, his complexion was completely gray. Upon inspection, they discovered that his aorta had burst. They care-flighted him to a better hospital where they would keep him at closer inspection. Surgeons repaired the damage to his aorta. Absolutely nothing else was wrong with his heart. It was then discovered that he was still losing blood, so they prepared him for a second surgery where they repaired a leak that was overlooked. He also needed a blood transfusion. The doctors told the family that most people wouldn’t have even made the flight to the hospital, let alone two surgeries to repair his aorta. He’s been sedated this entire time, but briefly woke up for a short period of time. Much too weak to talk, he wrote on a piece of paper, “God is good”.

I am positive that he is alive because he was covered in prayer.

God is indeed good.

I was going to write a highly theological post today but after reading my dad’s facebook status, I was inspired otherwise.

My Dad was driving his truck with my five year old sister in the back. They pulled into a drive through, and in front of them was an Amish man complete with horses and a buggy. Dad looked at my sister and said, “Look who’s in front of us!” (speaking of the horses). My sister laughed and said, “What’s that coyboy doing!?”

Haha…

That was too cute not to share! Enjoy!

I was talking to somebody recently about the Kingdom of God. He is a bit skeptical about an eternity of living for a number of reasons, but his main one was: What could we do with ourselves for all eternity?

I think, for someone who does not share the same hope that I do, this is a very legitimate question. One day, you are bound to see all there is to see and do all there is to do. What could you do with yourself for such a never ending period of time?

I explained to him that, first, I don’t know much, and second, it is the Christian’s joy to be with our creator. To us, there is nothing more pleasing that the world has to offer… But more importantly, we are promised a new Heaven and a new Earth. The old will pass away, and God will do what God does best;

Creating and recreating.

And we will do what we were created to do;

Respond to God’s creation.

With an eternal Creator comes eternal possibilities for creation: Color’s we’ve never seen… Fruit we’ve never tasted… Music we’ve never heard… Feelings we’ve never felt before… Flowers we’ve never smelled before… and it doesn’t stop there. It goes on for an eternity… and the God who never ceases to surprise us will never let us down because we are meant for this eternity with our Creator.

But here is the most important message of all… We don’t need to look into the future. We can help mend the brokenness of our creation now because we are just like God, our Creator. We recreate. This is why we have artists, doctors, scientists, pastors, mechanics, technicians, performers… The list can go on forever. Whatever it is you do, do it to the best of your ability not for the sake of money, not for the sake of boredom. Do it for the sake of the Kingdom of God… because God wants you for an eternal purpose.

He is Risen!