I know it sounds crazy but ...

A neighbor (a recent believer) and I were talking the other day about the rapture and the end times, prophecy and the book of Revelation, etc.  And I found myself saying "I know it sounds crazy.  It sounds crazy to talk about things like this, about prophecy and Jesus coming back and the tribulation and things like that."

We Christians know how it sounds when we talk about these things - like we should be wearing tin-foil hats, claiming that the government is reading our thoughts, that aliens have probed us, and that we've seen Bigfoot working as a cashier at the local convenience store.  I know that the Bible and its teachings - on how the world was created, on how it will end, on prophecy, angels, demons, the spiritual battle, on Jesus being God and coming to earth in a human body to die for our sins and then being raised again from the dead, etc. - I know all these things sound fanciful, fantastical (as my neighbor says), crazy.

But you know what I think?  You know what I told my neighbor?

I know it sounds crazy, but I think it's the most logical, most hopeful, of all the crazy options.  When you think about it, every option out there (and I've only listed a few) - every possible belief about how the world was created, how it will end, who God is, etc. - sounds crazy.

This one's for you! (A Christmas sermon)

Did you ever listen to a sermon where you felt as if God was saying "This one's for you"?  I've never looked up Willow Creek sermons before, but for some reason I decided to watch one yesterday.  And you know what?  This one was meant for me.  It really hit me in the heart.  Watch it; it's good.  In fact, I couldn't stop thinking about it all day and into the night.  (Skip to the 35-minute mark to start the sermon.)

"Christmas at the movies: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (December 18, 2022)"

(Willow Creek Huntley YouTube channel)

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Giggle Translate #19: Green juice and turkey dust

Since Thanksgiving just passed not too long ago, I pulled out something I wrote about a Thanksgiving many years ago.  And for fun, I ran it through many different languages with Google Translate just to see what happened.  And then I did the same languages again but in reverse.  Enjoy!

The Original Version:

Wait!  I just thought of another shining moment.  One year, 6 a.m. Thanksgiving morning, I dropped a twenty-pound slippery bird and the overnight brine it was soaking in all over the kitchen floor.  The bird never hit the floor.  Honestly, it really didn't.  (But in the name of all honesty, I probably would have served it anyway if it did.  After I rinsed it well, of course.)  But the kitchen table and floor were covered in raw turkey juice.  So gross!

Nothing creeps me out more than raw poultry juice.  When I make chicken, I'm often heard yelling, "AHHH, RAW CHICKEN JUICE" if so much as one drop splashes on me.  And now here I was, spending all morning on my hands and knees cleaning the floor while covered in soaking-wet, turkey-juice clothes.  I will never soak a turkey again!  Never!!!  Once again, though, I had tried to be fancy.  I thought a nice orange/onion soak would make it really memorable.  Oh, it was memorable, all right!

Now here's the first translated version:

Is hypocrisy the real reason for atheism? (A dare for atheists)

I've been thinking recently about a quote from Brennan Manning: "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him with their lifestyle.  That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."  

(Right now, older fans of DC Talk are thinking "Where have I heard that before?"  Answer: At the start of their song "What if I stumble?") 

I used to really like this quote.  I appreciate that it's trying to point out how damaging hypocrisy is and how we Christians need to be careful how we live because people are watching.  And this is true.  I know there are people out there who've been incredibly hurt by those who call themselves Christians, people who are now afraid of God or disgusted by Christianity because of it.  

But after thinking about it more, I don't really agree with this quote anymore.  I don't think it's biblical.

The one Calvinism post of mine you should read

 This isn't a new post, but I wanted to let you know I updated an old post: "Why is Calvinism so dangerous?"  If you read any one post of mine on Calvinism, I think it should be this one!  I think you'll enjoy it.  Unless you're a Calvinist.  You really won't enjoy it if you're a Calvinist.

Calvinists: 

            Non-Calvinists: