So about College and Starbucks...

"Hey Jorge, thanks for calling. I have one more question I wanna ask. You mentioned that you were going to college this fall?"

"Well, if I get accepted, yeah."

"Umm, ok. We only hire people if they can stay for one year or more. By the time you go to college this fall, it'll be too soon, only six months."

"Oh... ok... So if I don't get accepted, then uh, can I call you back?"

"Yeah! We'll definitely have a place for you here if you want to call back, so don't worry. I'm sure that if you do go to college, other stores will gladly take you!"

A lot of things rested on whether or not college was my soon-to-be future. I was hoping that God would somehow plop me into an apartment in Chicago where I could study and hopefully be thrown into a future of vocational Ministry. After all, that's why I signed up for Bible School.

I was almost convinced that God wanted me to go to Moody, or at least something like it. In the last year things seemed to click together, guiding me to this decision. I thought God was going to let me go and "broaden my horizons" in this field. But I knew in my heart, deep down, that there was always a possibility of the college saying, "No." So I allowed room in my heart to accept that possibility. It's a good thing I did too...

A week after the Starbucks interview, I finally received a letter from the Moody Bible Institute. I put my finger in between the flap and the letter, and just before I tore it open, I stopped. Putting the letter on my lap and looking out my window, I prepared my self for what might be a great day, or a sad one. "God," I prayed, "I don't know what's in this letter, but what ever it is, please prepare my heart to accept what your desire is in all of this."

I didn't get accepted. I re-read it all just to take it in again. Now this is the part where the person starts asking "why?" They get to a certain point where their emotions pour out. But for some reason I was actually fine with it. I was fine with not going to Moody because God seemed to imply that there was another place that was more important for me to be. After I read it, I put it back on my lap and said, "Thank you God, for not letting me go to a place you didn't want me to be."

I put the letter to the side and continued with my day until I sat down for dinner.

"Hey mum, how was your day?"

"Ok. Work was heavy. You?"

"It was fine, I guess... Umm... Yeah, I got a letter today."

"Oh yeah? From who?"

"College."

Looking surprised, "Oh really? Did you read it?"

"Uhh yeah. I didn't get accepted."

I've had to break the news to a number of people, all of who were upset. But that's ok, because I'm at peace with it.

This is the beautiful part about having a relationship with God. Trusting God to help make life changing decisions will take the stress off your back. Your not really worried about big things, because you already know God has it under His control.

In the end things still turned out just fine. I got a new job at Starbucks (and I am not disappointed by any means!), I get to stay home with my family, I get to still see my friends, and I can still be part of my church.

So I didn't get accepted... That's ok. There's always next year right? Besides, It's not like I have to go now. I know some people who went to college in their 30's and they're doing just fine. I am not worried.

The God who formed the mountains with his finger tips, and holds the seven seas in the palms of his hands... Amazingly that God is my Father, and He will see me to the beautiful end. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. :)

Why Eternal Punishment in Hell Makes Sense

Most reading this will be angry with me, but I'm doing my absolute best to explain Biblical truth. This is a very sobering topic for some of you and for others, it's a triumphant ring of truth. Which ever way you take this, please consider that I am using the Bible as the absolute standard of truth. This is a weighty one, so if any of you disagree with me, then leave a comment and we'll talk.

Many of you have made an assumption based on the word "fair." I think that's a good place to start because many people get this idea that God must be fair. The general idea is, "If God is a good God, then God's gotta be fair."

But if that's true, then where does Hell fit in? Some people would argue, asking, "Why would a God who is all loving send people to an unending eternity of misery based upon 80 years of sin?" How can God do such a thing and still be called righteous? Isn't that way too severe a punishment? A loving merciful God sending people to Hell for eternity?!

Some people like to think, "If we do 70 years of sinning, then we should get 70 years of Hell. That's fair, good, and just, right?" Let me ask you this. If it took me 20 seconds to murder an innocent victim, should I be sentenced to 20 seconds in prison? You and I know very well that justice doesn't work this way. It's not based off of the time it took to murder, but rather on the severity of the crime.

An offense against the president of some nation will be treated with much more seriousness than a slanderous action against some random person on the street. It's not only a matter of what sin you did folks! It's also a matter of the person you've offended! In this case, it's God!



Apparently we have offended God in such a way that we deserve eternal punishment. But how?

Remember, a legal offense against the president rather than offending some poor bloke is treated with much more seriousness and will earn the offender a considerable sentence in prison. A person who offends God, an infinitely worthy being, will be sentenced to an infinitely worthy punishment. That really shows how much worth God is doesn't it?

Most of us were taught that God is defined as a loving, graceful, merciful, care taking giver of life (and that's true!). But it looks like people were taught only the half of it. Those who teach from the Bible have the responsibility to teach the whole truth, not only parts of it. When people are only given a few pieces of the puzzle, the whole picture never really looks right. It's difficult to come to the right conclusion if your not well informed of everything, which is why I try so hard to make sure I know my stuff, especially with this topic!

It's about time people realize that God simply isn't fair. In fact, it's to our benefit that God isn't fair. If God were to be fair with everyone, we would all go to hell, and justly so. Apparently, God allows people who have lived terribly crummy lives to enter into Heaven with him.

Remember the thief on the cross? This thief was a sinner like all of us, yet Jesus on the cross next to the thief said, "Today, you will be with me in paradise." If you click that and read, you'll see that even the thief hanging next to Jesus actually say's, "We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve." Even at his death, the thief knew he was getting what he deserved.

Jesus was being very unfair here (remember, that's a really good thing!), and Jesus promises the thief that on that very day, He and the thief would be together be in paradise. This is simply an awesome act of mercy. The thief was saved because he believed Jesus.

God being unfair is actually a really good thing for us. God offers a free gift, eternal life. Any one who deliberately refuses and ignores this free gift is practically walking to hell on their own accord. (Sounds mean, but it's true)

The first 5 minutes after death

It must be rather amazing right? The first 5 minutes after death has got to be something so marvelous that nothing in our world can possibly come close to comparing.

An officer was describing the accomplishments he made during his life time career. The old man described skirmishes, battles, sieges, personal encounters, hairbreadth escapes, victories, and the anxieties and hope given to a man who was entrusted to command an army. People loved hearing his stories, and they often kept asking for more. Near the end of his stories, he would say, "I expect to see something much more remarkable than anything I have been describing." People did not usually catch his meaning, so he would give a bit more detail by saying, "I mean the first five minutes after death."

Henry Parry Liddon said it best... "'The first five minutes after death!' Surely the expression is worth remembering. This is a solemn thought for any man who has ever lived. Now let's employ for the moment when we are speaking of eternal standards of measurement which belong to time. It is at least conceivable that after a lapse of some thousands or tens of thousands of years, we will probably lose all sense of any succession of events; that existance will come to seem to be a never-ending present; an unbegun and unending now. I think it's conceivable that this is possible. But an even more starteling thought! Let's suppose that at the moment of our entrance on that new and wonderful world we will already think and feel as if we had always been there, or had at least been there for ages."

I think it's interesting, don't you?

Of course, you and I know that not every body gets into that "oh so wonderful world." For those who don't make it, there is another place for them. Let me just say this, The Bible never mentions a purgatory. I know a lot of Catholics disagree, but if you honestly believe that the Bible is the authentic word of God, then I suggest you please trust it, rather than the thoughts of men.

Oh yeah, and there's that 'other' place to consider as well. The place of eternal torment. I'll write a blog soon on why it makes sense for people to suffer this way. (Sounds crazy doesn't it?!) Don't worry, It'll make sense in the next blog.

If you want to know how to get to this wonderful place, then here's a link. Just click HERE. I know most of you will probably not read it, but the page will provide a ton of answered questions on the bottom if you are interested. Don't let the first 5 minutes after death be one of regret.

So about Satan and his Demons...

We have... a supernatural enemy. Christians, we know that we are from God, and the whole world has been influenced by the evil one. People probably forget that:

He's beaten the lives out of innocent people. He desires to tempt the needy into sinning against themselves and against God. He's destroyed marriages and has sexually assaulted every individual that has ever lived. Starved billions of people, causing them to die in their own filth. He's misled young and old minds into his ways. He has raped the world and it's creation at the expense of his wicked ambitions, desiring the manipulation of God's good creation.



Now you may disagree with me, but it seems that the world has absolutely no defenses against the devil. What can politics, the voices of people, and the military do against a force that they cannot see? What about intellectuals, spiritualists, and philosophers? What can they do when an enemy as sharp as Satan comes at their door steps? Worst of all, how will these people recognize Satan or his demons when they come?

Let's also consider the fact that these beings are so powerful that they can influence things on a whole 'nother dimension. The supernatural (them) can influence the natural (us). It doesn't work the other way around. Our "natural" can't really do much of anything to the "supernatural." These "things" are waiting for an opportunity to vent their anger out on us. They desire to hurt us, to see us suffer in light of the cross, and they are always there, around us. It's like some invisible black beast looming over all of us, checking our every move, waiting for even the smallest sliver of room so that it can squeeze a finger into our lives. They hate us, they want to see us in pain. Their ultimate goal is to lead us away from the God of life. If you are saved, then I think it's safe to say that their goals change. Concerning a saved person, they will want to make you as ineffective as possible.

The Bible says', "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."
~1 Peter 5:8-9

Thankfully there is a loophole. God has blocked Satan and his demons to only go so far.

In the first chapter in the book of Job, Satan desires to hurt Job, a man God called righteous. You'll note that God allows Satan to hurt Job, however, God only allows Satan to go so far. God limits Satan's ability to do harm. In other words, there is no God Vs. Satan. From the very beginning Satan lost. Lucifer has always been in submission to God, even though he hates God.

As I've said, the world has absolutely no defense against this supernatural power of the devil. The only thing that is helpful is the Word of God. Jesus Christ, God, is the only force that holds everything together. With out God sustaining everything, you can only imagine the rampant destruction that Satan would inflict.

Satan rules, absolutely except where God's providence restrains him, everywhere. No body knows what mercy they are enjoying when the sun comes up.

Any comments or thoughts? Post below!