So, I came across a certain brand of makeup awhile back that just happens to be the best. It's like, incorruptible, or something-- but not as permanent as surgically applied makeup, and it has great value. I'm not allergic to it, which is a huge plus. Everyone can tell the difference when you wear this brand-- and sometimes they even ask about it. Think of the possibilities... I've already signed up to help market it.
Unfortunately, I can't seem to find it anywhere.
I looked locally first, because my business instructor thinks we ought to support local stores. It wasn't in any of the stores downtown. It wasn't at Swains, which is supposed to have everything-- I've never seen any kind of makeup there anyway. It wasn't at Rite-Aid, and it wasn't at Walmart. You'd think, since this particular kind of makeup is restorative rather than being as horrible for your skin as other brands are, that it might perhaps be at a pharmacy-- but no, it just wasn't anywhere.
Next I looked online. Google didn't help much. Bing didn't help much. Neither did Yahoo, or any of the other searches I tried. There were lots of informational sites, but nobody appeared to actually have it anywhere.
I just can't believe that nobody would have it. How could someone not have the best makeup ever? It's astounding to me. Think of all those girls that walk around, wearing enough makeup to sink a battleship. I've never, ever seen any of them wearing this particular brand. Is it really that rare? I can't believe it.
Well, maybe you can help me find someone who uses this particular brand of makeup. I'm looking for someone who wears I Peter 3:3-4.
(Ok, so I didn't actually spend all that time looking for it...)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
A Little Bit of God, Please... No, Not That Much!
This little poem type sort of thing is something I found on someone else's blog.
I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please.
I would like to buy just a little of the Lord.
Not enough to explode my soul and disturb my sleep.
Not enough to take control of my life.
I want just enough to equal a cup of warm milk.
Just enough to ease some of the pain from my guilt.
I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please.
I would like to find a love that is pocket-sized.
I don’t want enough of God to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant.
Not enough to change my heart.
I can only stand just enough to take to church when I have time.
Just enough to equal a snooze in the sunshine.
I want ecstasy, not transformation.
I want the warmth of the womb, but not a new birth.
I would like to purchase a pound of the eternal in a paper sack.
If it doesn’t work, I would like to get my money back.
It's easy for a Christian to read this and like it. It's easy to repost this, saying "dude! u need more thn $3 of god! liek prolly $100,000,000 repost if u liek it!" (Don’t forget to de-capitalize the poem, delete the punctuation, and mess up the spelling, so that you can pass it on as your own humble and spiritual contribution.)
It’s also really easy to walk into a church—any church—and see that everyone there doesn’t want more than three dollars of God. It’s very easy to walk into a church and see that their three dollar God reigns on high—emotional high, to borrow an expression.
Where did this mild, wishy-washy god come from, the one whose spirit is there to make you feel good? Where did his people come from, the ones who are silent in the face of falsehoods, and entertain themselves with foolishness and empty thoughts? From where is this god who forgives and forgets the sins of people who are not truly repentant? From where are these people, who satisfy themselves with a plea for forgiveness, denying the possibility that they might go and sin no more?
How did these “Christians” get here, and from whom did they learn to create gods?
Whatever happened to the almighty, passionate God who abhors sin with all his being, the one whose Spirit is an all-consuming fire? Whatever happened to his people, the ones that were willing to face the lions, who spoke with wisdom and love rather than selfishness and immaturity? Whatever happened to the God that demanded holiness from his people, and whatever happened to the people who believed they could obey that command?
I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please.
I would like to buy just a little of the Lord.
Not enough to explode my soul and disturb my sleep.
Not enough to take control of my life.
I want just enough to equal a cup of warm milk.
Just enough to ease some of the pain from my guilt.
I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please.
I would like to find a love that is pocket-sized.
I don’t want enough of God to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant.
Not enough to change my heart.
I can only stand just enough to take to church when I have time.
Just enough to equal a snooze in the sunshine.
I want ecstasy, not transformation.
I want the warmth of the womb, but not a new birth.
I would like to purchase a pound of the eternal in a paper sack.
If it doesn’t work, I would like to get my money back.
It's easy for a Christian to read this and like it. It's easy to repost this, saying "dude! u need more thn $3 of god! liek prolly $100,000,000 repost if u liek it!" (Don’t forget to de-capitalize the poem, delete the punctuation, and mess up the spelling, so that you can pass it on as your own humble and spiritual contribution.)
It’s also really easy to walk into a church—any church—and see that everyone there doesn’t want more than three dollars of God. It’s very easy to walk into a church and see that their three dollar God reigns on high—emotional high, to borrow an expression.
Where did this mild, wishy-washy god come from, the one whose spirit is there to make you feel good? Where did his people come from, the ones who are silent in the face of falsehoods, and entertain themselves with foolishness and empty thoughts? From where is this god who forgives and forgets the sins of people who are not truly repentant? From where are these people, who satisfy themselves with a plea for forgiveness, denying the possibility that they might go and sin no more?
How did these “Christians” get here, and from whom did they learn to create gods?
Whatever happened to the almighty, passionate God who abhors sin with all his being, the one whose Spirit is an all-consuming fire? Whatever happened to his people, the ones that were willing to face the lions, who spoke with wisdom and love rather than selfishness and immaturity? Whatever happened to the God that demanded holiness from his people, and whatever happened to the people who believed they could obey that command?
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Saving Faith
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...” (Acts 16:31)
This is what the apostle Paul told a Philippian jailer who had asked what he must do to be saved—but what does it mean to believe on Jesus?
Believing on Jesus means much more than only acknowledging His existence—even Satan knows that Jesus exists! Rather, it means that you have a faith that saves you from your sins and the consequences thereof.
What does this faith look like?
Having a faith that saves you means that you have repented—you hate the sins you have committed and you do not want to sin anymore; you hate the way you have been living and you do not want to live for yourself anymore. Having a faith that saves you also means that you have asked Jesus’ forgiveness for the sins you have committed. It means that you have accepted His death on the cross as having cleansed you from that sin, knowing that sin must be punished by death and that Jesus loved you so much that He was willing to take your punishment.
For many people, faith stops there. According to the apostle James, that is dead faith—and what use does a dead thing have? It can only rot and smell until it is completely decomposed. Does true faith rot and smell and decompose? No! Live faith is demonstrated by action—for what use is it to have faith if you will not act on it?
If you say that you have repented of your sin and it has been forgiven, then do you still sin? If you say you have given your life over to God, then do you continue to do whatever pleases you? Of course not! To do so is to disobey God and make light of His salvation; it mocks righteousness and holiness and exalts the very thing that faith saves you from—wickedness. A faith that saves you is demonstrated by your actions, for true faith results in good works.
So then, do you have a faith that saves?
This is what the apostle Paul told a Philippian jailer who had asked what he must do to be saved—but what does it mean to believe on Jesus?
Believing on Jesus means much more than only acknowledging His existence—even Satan knows that Jesus exists! Rather, it means that you have a faith that saves you from your sins and the consequences thereof.
What does this faith look like?
Having a faith that saves you means that you have repented—you hate the sins you have committed and you do not want to sin anymore; you hate the way you have been living and you do not want to live for yourself anymore. Having a faith that saves you also means that you have asked Jesus’ forgiveness for the sins you have committed. It means that you have accepted His death on the cross as having cleansed you from that sin, knowing that sin must be punished by death and that Jesus loved you so much that He was willing to take your punishment.
For many people, faith stops there. According to the apostle James, that is dead faith—and what use does a dead thing have? It can only rot and smell until it is completely decomposed. Does true faith rot and smell and decompose? No! Live faith is demonstrated by action—for what use is it to have faith if you will not act on it?
If you say that you have repented of your sin and it has been forgiven, then do you still sin? If you say you have given your life over to God, then do you continue to do whatever pleases you? Of course not! To do so is to disobey God and make light of His salvation; it mocks righteousness and holiness and exalts the very thing that faith saves you from—wickedness. A faith that saves you is demonstrated by your actions, for true faith results in good works.
So then, do you have a faith that saves?
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