Life After Death. Is it real? Is there evidence?

 As always, do your own research. This is from Grok and is only to get you started on your quest for real Truth. 

Information from Grok with sources:

Input: in the book "The Case for Heaven" by lee strobel there is a story of a woman who saw a shoe on a roof of a hospital during an NDE. Can you find this story from other sources?

response:

In Lee Strobel's book "The Case for Heaven", he recounts the story of a woman named Maria who, during a near-death experience (NDE), reportedly saw a tennis shoe on the roof of a hospital. According to Strobel, Maria was clinically dead, yet she described her spirit separating from her body, floating above the hospital, and observing a dark blue, left-footed men's tennis shoe with specific details—such as wear over the little toe and shoelaces tucked under the heel. After her resuscitation, hospital staff allegedly confirmed the shoe’s presence on the roof, exactly as she described, despite her having no prior physical access to that location.

This story originates from an earlier account documented by Kimberly Clark Sharp, a social worker at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, in 1977. Sharp first shared Maria’s experience in a 1984 article published in the Journal of Near-Death Studies titled "The Tennis Shoe Case" and later elaborated on it in her 1996 book, After the Light. According to Sharp, Maria, a migrant worker, suffered a cardiac arrest and, during her NDE, claimed to have floated outside the hospital. She described seeing a tennis shoe on a third-floor ledge, specifying its color (blue), a worn spot over the little toe, and a lace caught under the heel. Sharp, initially skeptical, investigated and found the shoe on a ledge, visible only from outside the building, corroborating Maria’s description. This case became widely cited in NDE literature as evidence of out-of-body perception.

The story also appears in Kenneth Ring and Evelyn Elsaesser Valarino’s 1998 book, Lessons from the Light, where it is presented as a classic example of a "veridical NDE"—an experience with verifiable details that the individual could not have known through normal means. Ring, a prominent NDE researcher, interviewed Sharp and included the account based on her testimony, noting that the shoe’s location was not easily accessible or visible from Maria’s hospital room, adding to the case’s intrigue.

However, the story’s reliability has been debated. Skeptics, including Susan Blackmore in her 1993 book Dying to Live, suggest alternative explanations, such as Maria possibly seeing the shoe before her NDE (e.g., from a window) or confabulating details that were later confirmed by chance. No independent hospital records or firsthand witnesses beyond Sharp’s account have surfaced to substantiate the event, and Maria’s full identity remains undisclosed, limiting further verification. Despite this, the case has been popularized in NDE circles and is frequently referenced in works like Strobel’s, often without additional primary evidence.

In summary, the story of Maria and the tennis shoe on the hospital roof, as told in "The Case for Heaven", aligns with Sharp’s original 1984 report and has been reiterated in subsequent NDE literature. While it lacks definitive corroboration beyond Sharp’s narrative, it remains a compelling anecdote in discussions of NDEs, illustrating the phenomenon of reported out-of-body perception.



Input: can you find a list of similar stories that have greater evidence?

 

Response:
The story of Maria and the tennis shoe from Lee Strobel’s "The Case for Heaven" is an example of a "veridical" near-death experience (NDE)—one where details reported during the NDE are later verified by external evidence, suggesting perception beyond normal physical means. Finding similar stories with "greater evidence" requires focusing on cases where independent corroboration is documented, ideally by multiple witnesses or physical records, rather than relying solely on anecdotal testimony.


Below is a list of notable NDE cases that are often cited in research for their veridical elements and supporting evidence, drawn from well-documented sources in NDE literature.

Pam Reynolds' Brain Surgery Case (1991)

Story: Pam Reynolds, a 35-year-old woman, underwent a rare "standstill" operation to remove a brain aneurysm. Her body was cooled to 60°F, her heart stopped, and her brain activity ceased (flat EEG) for about an hour. Despite being clinically dead, she later described floating above her body, observing the surgery, and hearing conversations. She accurately reported specific details, like the surgeon’s use of a tool resembling an electric toothbrush (a bone saw) and a remark about her arteries being too small.


Evidence: Her account was verified by the surgical team, including neurosurgeon Robert Spetzler, who confirmed the details matched events occurring while she was clinically dead. The case is notable because her eyes were taped shut, ears plugged, and brain activity was monitored as absent, ruling out normal sensory input.


Source: Documented in Light and Death by Michael Sabom (1998) and widely discussed in NDE research, including by Bruce Greyson and the Journal of Near-Death Studies.


The Case of the Missing Dentures (Netherlands, 2001)

Story: A Dutch man suffered a cardiac arrest and was comatose when brought to the hospital. A nurse removed his dentures and placed them in a crash cart drawer during resuscitation. A week later, when the patient returned to consciousness, he recognized the nurse and asked about his dentures, describing where she had put them—despite being clinically dead at the time.


Evidence: The nurse corroborated his account, and cardiologist Pim van Lommel, who investigated, confirmed the patient had no brain activity when the dentures were removed. The precise description of the nurse’s actions and the cart’s location adds veridical weight.


Source: Reported in van Lommel’s The Lancet study (2001) on NDEs in cardiac arrest survivors, a peer-reviewed medical journal.


Al Sullivan’s Flapping Arms (1988)

Story: During emergency heart surgery, 55-year-old Al Sullivan reported an out-of-body experience where he saw his surgeon "flapping his arms" in an unusual way. He also described other operating room details. Post-surgery, it was confirmed that the surgeon, Dr. Takata, had a habit of pointing his elbows outward and gesturing with his hands to avoid contamination after scrubbing in—a behavior Sullivan couldn’t have seen normally.


Evidence: The surgeon and staff verified Sullivan’s description of this idiosyncratic behavior, which occurred while he was under general anesthesia with his eyes closed. Michael Sabom interviewed Sullivan and the surgical team, documenting the case.


Source: Detailed in Sabom’s Light and Death (1998), with additional analysis in the Journal of Near-Death Studies.


The Child and the Red Shoe (1970s)

Story: A young girl in a hospital, after a near-drowning incident, told staff she’d floated out of her body and seen a red shoe on the hospital roof. Skeptical, a maintenance worker checked and found a child’s red shoe exactly where she described, on a ledge not visible from her room or accessible to her.


Evidence: The hospital staff, including a social worker, confirmed the shoe’s discovery, and the girl had been unconscious during her NDE, with no prior knowledge of the roof. This case parallels Maria’s but involves a child, reducing the likelihood of premeditated fabrication.


Source: Recounted by Melvin Morse in Closer to the Light (1990), based on interviews with hospital personnel.


Vicki Noratuk’s Blind Sight (1973)

Story: Vicki Noratuk, blind from birth due to optic nerve damage, nearly died in a car accident. During her NDE, she reported leaving her body, seeing the crash scene, and later describing the hospital room, including visual details like a doctor’s tie and the ceiling tiles. She also saw her own body from above, noting her ring and hair.


Evidence: As someone blind since birth, Vicki had no prior visual memory to draw from, yet her descriptions matched the scene, corroborated by medical staff and family. Researcher Kenneth Ring interviewed her extensively, ruling out sensory leakage.


Source: Documented in Mindsight by Kenneth Ring and Sharon Cooper (1999), focusing on NDEs in the blind.

Why These Cases Have "Greater Evidence"?

Independent Verification: Each case involves details confirmed by third parties (e.g., medical staff, family) who had no motive to fabricate and were present during or after the event.

Controlled Conditions: Cases like Pam Reynolds’ and the dentures incident occurred under medical supervision with monitored brain activity, reducing the chance of hallucination or conscious awareness.

Unusual Specificity: Descriptions (e.g., the surgeon’s arm movements, the dentures’ location) are precise and unlikely to be guessed or inferred.

Peer-Reviewed Documentation: Several appear in scientific journals (The Lancet, Journal of Near-Death Studies) or books by credentialed researchers, adding rigor compared to Maria’s single-witness account from Kimberly Clark Sharp.

Limitations

Even these cases aren’t immune to skepticism. Critics argue that anecdotal reports, even with corroboration, lack experimental replication, and some suggest subconscious cues or coincidence could explain them. However, their strength lies in the combination of clinical context, multiple witnesses, and details defying normal explanation, making them more robust than Maria’s story, which hinges on Sharp’s testimony alone without hospital records or additional firsthand accounts.

If you’d like, I can dig deeper into any specific case or search for more examples!

Input: can you provide a source link for each of those 5 stories

Response:

Below are source links or references for each of the five near-death experience (NDE) stories I provided earlier. These are based on widely recognized publications or documented accounts from reputable researchers in the field of NDE studies. Since some cases are primarily detailed in books or academic journals rather than freely accessible web articles, I’ll point to the most authoritative primary sources or summaries available online where possible.


Pam Reynolds' Brain Surgery Case (1991)

Source: Michael Sabom’s book Light and Death: One Doctor’s Fascinating Account of Near-Death Experiences (Zondervan, 1998) is the primary detailed documentation of this case. Sabom, a cardiologist, reviewed Pam’s medical records and interviewed her and the surgical team, including neurosurgeon Robert Spetzler.


Online Reference: A summary and discussion of the case can be found on Wikipedia, which cites Sabom’s work and other analyses: Pam Reynolds Case - Wikipedia. Additionally, the Journal of Near-Death Studies has articles referencing her case, though full access often requires a subscription (e.g., Volume 20, Issue 1, 2001).


Note: The Wikipedia entry provides a decent overview and links to further reading, though the book itself is the most comprehensive source.



The Case of the Missing Dentures (Netherlands, 2001)

Source: Pim van Lommel’s article “Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands,” published in The Lancet (Volume 358, Issue 9298, December 15, 2001, pages 2039–2045). This peer-reviewed study includes the dentures anecdote as part of a broader investigation into NDEs.


Online Reference: The article is available via The Lancet, though it may require institutional access or purchase. A free summary and discussion of the case also appear on the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) website: IANDS - The Man with the Dentures.


Note: The Lancet publication lends significant credibility due to its rigorous peer review.



Al Sullivan’s Flapping Arms (1988)

Source: Also documented in Michael Sabom’s Light and Death (Zondervan, 1998), where Sabom interviewed Sullivan and the surgical team, confirming the surgeon’s unique arm-flapping habit during the procedure.


Online Reference: A detailed recounting is available on the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF) website, which archives NDE stories with some corroborative details: Al Sullivan NDE - NDERF. The case is also summarized in various NDE discussions, such as in The Journal of Near-Death Studies (e.g., Volume 17, Issue 3, 1999).


Note: The book is the primary source, but NDERF provides an accessible online version of Sullivan’s account.



The Child and the Red Shoe (1970s)

Source: Melvin Morse’s book Closer to the Light: Learning from the Near-Death Experiences of Children (Villard, 1990) is the primary documentation. Morse, a pediatrician, interviewed the child, hospital staff, and the maintenance worker who found the shoe.


Online Reference: While the full story isn’t freely available online, a summary appears on the IANDS website under their NDE archives: IANDS - NDE Stories. Additionally, excerpts and discussions of Morse’s work are found on sites like Near-Death.com.


Note: The book remains the authoritative source, with online summaries providing secondary access.



Vicki Noratuk’s Blind Sight (1973)

Source: Kenneth Ring and Sharon Cooper’s book Mindsight: Near-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences in the Blind (William James Center for Consciousness Studies, 1999) is the primary documentation. Ring interviewed Vicki extensively as part of a study on NDEs in blind individuals.


Online Reference: An detailed account is available on NDE Stories, which draws directly from Ring’s research. Additional discussion appears on Near-Death.com. The Journal of Near-Death Studies also references her case (e.g., Volume 18, Issue 2, 1999).


Note: Mindsight is the definitive source, with online versions offering accessible retellings.



Additional Notes

Access: Some primary sources (books, journal articles) may require purchase or library access, but the linked online summaries provide reliable overviews based on those works.


Credibility: These cases are drawn from researchers like Sabom, van Lommel, Morse, and Ring, who are respected in NDE studies and have published in peer-reviewed or well-regarded formats.


Limitations: Exact URLs for journal articles may vary by access provider (e.g., Springer, Elsevier), so I’ve prioritized stable links or general references where full text isn’t freely available.


Let me know if you’d like help tracking down specific excerpts or further details from any of these!

Atheists Do Not Understand Miracles

Atheists (or skeptics if you prefer) do not understand what a miracle is. If they did, their claims and refutations would take a different form. Clearly I am generalizing and some atheists do take the correct approach with their skepticism. However, it seems many cannot wrap their mind around the claim that a miracle makes. I am not saying they have to accept the claims, I just wish they understood the claim before they responded.

Sometimes an atheist will reveal they don’t understand miracles with questions like: Do you believe people can walk on water? Have you seen a talking donkey? Why are sick people not healed more often? How many resurrections have you been to? Do you believe in talking snakes?


These type of questions imply thinking along these lines:

• The bible casually claims a person walked on water
• I have not seen a person walk on water or acceptable evidence that it has ever happened.
• Therefore, People cannot walk on water and the bible is false.

Atheists imply they would believe miracles if they happened commonly around them on a day-to-day basis. If this did happen the Atheists would still find an objection to make. They would say, “that happens all the time, why are we even talking about this?”.


So what is the proper understanding of a miracle?


A miracle (biblical or modern day) is a claim that a supernatural being (God in most cases) has done something extraordinary, possibly a one-time event or an extremely rare event, to get someone’s attention because the event is …. Unbelievable… and does not make sense without a supernatural being taking action. At first, they do not believe their own eyes. So unbelievable that they have to tell other people and write it down. Some consider the presented testimony and evidence to be sufficient and believe, but not all do. Some deny it even after being a witness because it violates everything they know to be true.


When someone says they believe in miracles this is generally what they believe. Hopefully from that casual definition you can see why the questions asked by atheists reveal that they are arguing against a kind of belief in miracles that very few people have. They are showing their ignorance of what miracle-believers generally believe about miracles.


I also believe there are a lot of con artists and frauds claiming to have miracles happening around them often. Skepticism of miracles is the right approach. Asking for evidence is the right response. Rejecting the possibility of a miracle no matter the evidence is the wrong approach.


Is there modern day evidence for miracles? Like actual verifiable evidence? Yes.
https://www.amazon.com/Miracles-Today-Supernatural-Modern-World/dp/B09HSLQY4R/


Evidence for life after death? Yes
https://www.amazon.com/Case-Heaven-Journalist-Investigates-Evidence/dp/0310259193/


Will many atheists read that book? No. Would they change their mind if they read the book? Maybe, but probably not. They can always find an excuse even if the excuse is highly unlikely. We only find Truth when we seek it wholeheartedly. If an atheist has reviewed evidence for a specific miracle and still does not believe, kudos to them for taking time to review the evidence. If an atheist rejects even the slightest possibility of miracles, then they are choosing to believe what they want, not to follow where the truth leads.

How many miracles have to be verified to prove that miracles are possible? Only one.

How many miracle claims have to be false to prove that the supernatural does not exist? All of them


If someone believes an infinite super intelligence (God) existing outside of the universe created the entire universe from nothing, then it is consistent for them to believe that the same being can create a miracle (a near unbelievable event) to get someone’s attention.

So, instead of asking “do you believe in talking donkeys?”, try asking “What evidence convinced you that miracles are possible?”

Change the World: Do not send your kids to public school

 

 I've written a few blog posts in the past about public school. It has been a few years and things have not gotten better. Public schools are only getting worse.  Now more then ever, public school should be avoided whenever possible.

 

To Christian Families:

If you want to change the world for the better, do not send your kids to public school.  This is a very controversial statement to some people and a very common sense statement to others.  Based on numbers and observations, public schools exist to poorly educate your children while also shaping their worldview (beliefs and values) to be contrary to the Christian faith.  If you think public school is good, useful, or even neutral, then you need to watch the videos from Voddie Baucham Jr.

 Many public school libraries are starting to be stocked with obscene books. In some states it is a crime for an adult to hand one of those books to a minor, but if you put it in the school library it is ok.

If you want the next generation of leaders to be smarter and to have more moral character based in strong biblical foundations of truth, do not send your kid to public school.

Most people think these extreme things do not happen at their kid's school, but most people are wrong.  For the few that might be right, it is just a matter of time. Also, even if zero crazy progressive things are be shoved down their throats, public school is still a humanist outreach institution were more than half will probably not be able to read,write, or do math above at a high-school level.

"When you send your kids to Caesar, do not be surprised when they come back Romans."

Why Christians Lose 88% of Their Children | Voddie Baucham (highlights video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGjGXdcjuXY

 

This is a great and relevant podcast episode:

https://natashacrain.com/public-private-or-homeschool-thinking-through-your-childs-education-part-1/

 

To learn more about the roots of public school watch the full video.

Full Video:  Voddie Baucham Jr. - The Children of Caesar Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1CG2G4pvzg

Full Video:  Voddie Baucham Jr. - The Children of Caesar Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AomNgZhlHbI

What does it mean to be a Christian?

 

What does it mean to be a Christian?

Christianity is a word. Like most words, it has a specific meaning. It's true that some words can have their meaning change over time, but the word Christianity is not supposed to be one of them. Christian is the word used to describe people who follow Jesus of Nazareth and believe what he believed about God, himself, and reality.


Jesus lived on earth during the early first century AD. His followers (like myself) believe that he was God in human form who died for the sin of humans, and rose from the dead before ascending back to heaven. Followers also believe that Jesus' disciples and other biblical authors (who were eyewitnesses or interviewed eyewitnesses) accurately recorded the things that Jesus said and did. Other Christian manuscripts describing first-century people and events were also created. The manuscripts about Jesus and the manuscripts about his first-century followers have been assembled into what we now call the Bible. The New Testament to be more specific. There have not been any credible additions to the Bible that Christians universally accept for many centuries. Most protestants do not accept any books written later than the book of Revelation (circa. 90-95 AD) as holy scripture.


Why am I going over this brief history of the New Testament? The New Testament is how we know what Jesus said and did. It is significantly more detailed than any other documents written about Jesus by people of that time period. If being a Christian means following Jesus then knowing what Jesus said and did is of the utmost importance. The New Testament is the only reliable record that allows us to determine what Jesus said and did. The New Testament has not had any additions for a very long time. This would also mean that details about what Jesus said and did also have not changed. So why do we have new "Christian" movements from time to time?


Does the meaning of being a Christian (follower of Jesus) change? Are humans discovering new details about Jesus in our modern era? Were there parts of the new testament nobody read until recently? I think the answer to these questions is no but let us dive a little deeper.

  

 

Modern Groups

If you were to make some observations in the past and again today you might think the answer to the above questions is yes. Today If you compare the beliefs of various groups that use the word Christian (to varying degrees) you will find a very diverse and sometimes conflicting set of beliefs. Groups like Mormons (LDS), Jehova Witnesses, Christian Universalist, and modern churches that sometimes use the label "progressive Christian" all have some beliefs that incorporate God, Jesus, and the Bible to varying degrees. These beliefs often look very different and conflict with traditional Christianity. Where do these new beliefs come from and why are they associated with Christianity?

 

False Teachers and Theological Drift

If a Christian group's understanding of God changes, then their beliefs will begin to slowly change (i.e. drift) in a different direction. A person's understanding of God is often called Theology (the study of God). Proper theology requires a reliable source that contains details about God (i.e. the Bible). My observations lead me to believe that most people with theological drift are getting their theology from people instead of the Bible. The bible hasn't changed so new ideas are not coming from there. The people they follow claim to be Christian and to be experts on the Bible, but they convince you (often without you noticing) to decrease any value you place on the Bible and to increase the value you place on their views about God (or your own internal thoughts and feelings) . Essentially replacing the authority that defines being a Christian from the Bible to a limited human being (or group of humans). Limited because no one person or group of people can have a complete (or anywhere even close) understanding of reality. We make the change of getting our view of Jesus not from people who saw and knew Jesus but from the opinions of people who lived 2000 years later. The phrase often used to describe this type of influencer is "false teacher".

[2 Peter 1:6, 2 Peter 2:1]


The phrase false prophet can apply at times as well. Jesus himself warned of false prophets: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” -- Matthew 7:15



Do we need a reliable Bible to be a Christian?

In my opinion, elevating (giving more weight, value, or importance) the ideas of man and lowering (decreasing priority, value, or importance) the Bible is not just a bad idea, but is also self-destructive to the very definition of being a Christian (Christ follower). The Bible contains the record of what Jesus did. If we doubt what he said and did then what exactly are we claiming to follow? If we are picking and choosing what parts of the Bible to accept and follow, then are we following Jesus or just a pseudo-Jesus shaped by our own opinions and desires? How can a Christian with a low view of the Bible engage in debate with another Christian about the nature of following Jesus? Any Bible passage mentioned that makes your position look incorrect can be discarded with a simple response, "I don't accept that portion of the Bible!" Essentially setting up a situation where a Christian with a low view of the Bible can believe almost any falsehood that they like without any means for finding the truth and correcting course.



Is the Bible inerrant?

Do we have to believe the Bible is 100% error free to be a Christian and receive salvation from sins? No. There is clear biblical evidence for this (thief on the cross, Jesus forgiving sins of blind man, etc…). This does not mean it is smart to have a low view of the bible and only accept 86% of the bible as accurate! This would allow someone to shift anything they don't want to believe anymore from the 86% to the 14% side whenever they desire. It robs the bible of its critical role of correcting us with authority. Its ability to help us find the path when we are lost. If someone cannot accept biblical inerrancy but they still want to have a coherent view of Christianity then they will need to believe the bible is nearly error free. A belief that the bible is almost error-free allows one (who doesn’t accept biblical inerrancy) to acknowledge that the bible may have a few problems but it can still be the reliable record we need about how to follow Jesus. It would still have a high enough position to guide us and correct any false beliefs that may have snuck in.



What Now?

The next section will reference the bible many times in order to make a case for what Jesus said, did, and believed. If you don't believe the Bible is reliable, then using the bible as an authority will have no weight with you. This is kind of the point that I am making. If the bible isn't what you use to define following Jesus (being a Christian) then what is? How can you make any coherent claims about Jesus? If this describes you and you consider yourself a Christian, then I recommend considering the points below while setting aside your negative thoughts about the bible for a little while.


Following the real Jesus

If we want to understand what being a Christian means, then we should review what Jesus said, commanded, did, and believed. 

Jesus had an extremely high view of scripture:

But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Matthew 4:7

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Matthew 4:10

“If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—” John 10:35

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ...” Matthew 21:42

“But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.” Matthew 26:56

“ Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? …” Mark 12:24

“ For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” Luke 22:37

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, Luke 24: 44

Other references to Jesus mentioning scripture: Matthew 22:32 Mark 12:26 Mark 11:17 Mark 14:21 Mark 14:27 Luke 10:26

Jesus believed he was separate from, one with, and equal to God. *

*Yes, those do seem contradictory, that is why the trinity is a core Christian belief. It is the not fully comprehensible (understandable) reconciliation of those statements.

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” -- John 8:58

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. -- John 1:1-4, 14

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” -- Matthew 28:19

Also, see Hebrews 1.

For more info on the Trinity, (since there is too much to include here). See this article: https://www.gotquestions.org/Trinity-Bible.html

Jesus commanded us to love God and others. He cared about everyone:

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” --Matthew 25:31-46

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” --Mark 12:29-31


Jesus believed he was the only way to heaven and he was the one who will judge mankind:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
--John 11:25

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” --John 14:6

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” --John 3:36

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” --John 3:18

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” --Matthew 25:31-46

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” -- Matthew 7:13-14

“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” -- John 8:51

“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” --Matthew 10:32-33



Jesus cared about the truth:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” --John 14:6

"You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” -- John 18:33-38

John 4:21–24 (LEB): Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, that an hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming—and now is here—when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for indeed the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and the ones who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”



Jesus spent time with sinners so he could share the truth with them to bring them spiritual healing (rightness before God) that goes beyond physical needs:


Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” -- Luke 15

The Samaritan Woman at the well. John 4.

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” This saying is true, and it can be trusted. I was the worst sinner of all! -- 1 Timothy 1:15 CEV

Other passages about Jesus and sinners: Luke 7


Jesus said sin had an eternal consequence:

This commentary is relevant:

“Don’t fear those who kill the body,” Jesus said, “rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt 10:28; see also 5:29-30; 23:15,33; Luke 10:15; 16:23). Commenting on Jesus’ teaching about an “eternal punishment” (Matt. 25:46), John Broadus wrote: “It is to the last degree improbable that the Great Teacher would have used an expression so inevitably suggesting a great doctrine he did not mean to teach.” According to Jesus, hell is real.



What Do All These Statements from Jesus mean?

If we don't do or say or believe the way Jesus did, then we are not followers of Jesus regardless of what we think or what label we apply to ourselves. If we do believe and behave like Jesus in a few areas but ignore many other areas, then we are a Christian (Jesus follower) but we are a poor shadow not properly reflecting the one we claim to follow. We may even do damage to how outsiders view Jesus and what they think it means to be a Christian.



Didn't humans write the Bible?

Yes and no. Traditional Christian doctrine (teaching) is that God wrote the Bible through the human authors that God selected. This is called the inspiration of scripture. Why would people believe that words written by humans are actually the words of God?! Now you are asking the right question. This is the most important question someone trying to understand God and the claims of Christianity can ask. If the bible is just a great work of historical literature written by man, then we can glean what we want about Jesus and discard anything we don’t like. If the bible is the word of God, then it is literally the most important collection of documents in the world. Strangely, most Christians and skeptics talk about the bible plenty, but they rarely investigate the supernatural claims made by Christians about the bible. Investigating this fully is beyond the scope of this post, but there are many good books on this. Have you read any of them or did you discard the Bible without giving it a chance? How many books have you read on other less important topics?


Here are some passages about scripture from the writers of the scriptures:

Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. -- 2 Peter 1:20-21


All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. -- 2 Timothy 3:16-17


Recommended Book List:

7 Reasons Why You Can Trust the Bible - Amazon
Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ - Amazon
Our God is Triune - Amazon
Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books - Amazon
How we got the Bible by Neil Lightfoot - Amazon


Who is your Authority ?

If your views of God have been shaped more by humans than by the Bible, then you need to ask yourself a few questions: Why do I place so much value on human opinion? How do I know they are right and the Bible is wrong? Have I thoroughly researched the veracity of the Bible and found it without merit? How many books on the reliability of the New Testament manuscripts have I read and considered their claims? Do I rely too much on my own subjective feelings when I interpret reality?



Conclusion

The New testament text has not and should not be expanded to include every modern idea that people wish it to include. God does not change. The Bible does not change. Jesus does not change. Following Jesus is very difficult to do well but the way to follow Jesus does not change. If none of these things have changed then any modern cultural or church ideas or beliefs that conflict with the Biblical Jesus are not Christian beliefs. They are man-made claims masquerading as Christian beliefs.


The proper role of the Bible in a Christian's life is the role of final authority. It is the primary guide for a Christian. It is the revealer of bad ideas. It is the exposer of false beliefs. It corrects us and grows us. It challenges us and pushes us out of our comfort zone. It is the light in a world full of darkness.



A final scripture verse to end with:


And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
--Matthew 16:14-16

My Advice To Young People (Or What I Would Tell My Younger Self)

 

Note: If you are reading this and you are not a Christian don't worry!  You can still apply many of the ideas to your life. Also, getting to know the creator of the universe is strongly recommended!

 Relationships

Finish High-school and get married, before kids

Finishing High-school and getting married before you have children.  This one piece of advice has shown to have better outcomes for families and for family finances.

Get Married to the Right Person

A lot of people get married to the wrong person or they don't get married at all.  I recommend that you do get married and that you take marriage seriously enough to very selective about who you marry.  Many of you will get the wrong idea from this statement. What I mean is waiting until you find someone who shares your values. This is crucial. Much more important than someone who is attractive or has similar interests.

Related Post: Marriage is Hard, Especially if you start one without being prepared!

School / Career

Do Not Go Broke for a Degree

Unless you are rich, I recommend you get a two year degree for reasonable amount of money. Then get a job so you can pay for a four year degree. Don't know what you want to get a degree in? Then you are not ready for college yet. Do not get a four year degree in some random thing just because the world says you are worthless unless you have a four year degree. (or Masters degree or PhD)

Education with Focus

Focus your education on finding something you are interested in AND that will pay the bills.  If you have to pick one or the other, then pick paying the bills. You can always start a hobby or side business doing what you love.  Paying your bills first may be the gateway to doing what you love.  Where as the other approach of not paying your bills, does not normally let you do what you love.

Find a Job You Love

If you find a job you love, it will make going to work easier. Often people dream of this, but never make it happen. Often this starts with knowing what things interest you and that you are good at when you are young.  Changing your major in school is worth the extra effort if it gives you a career you won't hate. You may have to get a job you hate until you can find a job you love, but do not settle. Keep searching.

Money

Live Below Your Means 

Spend less money than you make. This is hard. I have struggled with this, but it has great potential. The best time to apply this idea is if you get a pay raise, do not get a new house and new car immediately. Wait as long as possible before you increase your expenses.

Save money and Invest

If you do not spend all your income, then you will have some left over to save and invest. I wish I had started this earlier.  Your financial future is more important than you realize when you are young. Save and invest early!

Avoid Debt 

Debt has become vary normal to the American way of life. Do not be like everyone else. See debt as bad and dangerous. Pay for everything you can with real money, not debt. Debt can destroy you.

Worldview

Read The Bible Daily

I read the bible daily, but I did not start doing it consistently until I was in my 30s. I wish I had started younger. A few minutes every morning with God in prayer and scripture really directs your mindset for the rest of the day.

 Understand What You Believe and How to Defend It

I wish I had studied the Christian faith more deeply earlier in life. Understanding the reasons for believing something is true really helps with confidence and your desire to share.  Christians should be on a quest to believe the most true things and the least false things as possible.

Know Who You Are

If your identity is in anything other than who you are as a follower of Jesus Christ, then you are in trouble when life gets shaken and everything is turned upside down.

Listen and Seek to Understand more Than you Speak

Listen more than you speak. Learn about other cultures and other perspectives. Do not speak into something until you have first learned much about it. After you become an expert on a topic, continue to approach people with less knowledge in humility.

Marriage is Hard, Especially if you start one without being prepared!

Here are the topics I am going to cover:

• Why get married at all?
  
• Marriage is Hard
• Unmet Expectations
• Communication is Difficult
• More Sacrifice Required Than Expected
• Hurts, Habits, and Hangups
• God's Design and tool for refinement.
• Conclusion
  

 TL;DR:  Marriage is harder than you think. Do yourself a favor and don't get married, just because you found "The one". Get married because you have prepared yourself to be "The one" for your future spouse and they have done the same. Read the right books and take the right classes.  Only together with God can you and your future spouse start and maintain a healthy marriage. If you're already married you need to be putting in effort to build your marriage skills (books, videos, bible studies, counseling, classes, seminars, groups, etc...) at least monthly. Becoming and staying a relationally healthy marriage partner is a life long journey. There is no neutral. You move forward or backwards.

 

Why get married at all?

   If marriage is so hard, why get married? Many good things are hard. Often the harder it is, the better it is.

• Shared difficulty creates stronger bonds
• God's design for the family.
• Children do better in two parent homes.
  
• Having a committed companion to go through life with.
• Couples married before kids have better economic outcomes than kids before marriage or unmarried. Link
  
• Often your spouse is stronger in areas that you are weak.
• A healthy marriage often forces us to grow and improve in ways our unmarried self would not.
  

Marriage is Hard

   Marriage is hard. Not pop quiz hard. Not final exam hard. Much more than that.  It is difficult to properly convey the difficulty of marriage to someone who has never been married.  I will attempt to convey some of this concept with a thought exercise:

    Imagine you have selected a partner for a major project. The project is a problem solving contest monitored by judges. You are allotted time to prepare. You decide to skip the preparation, because you are great at problem solving! The judges put you both into a room together, provide materials, and basic instructions.  They start a large timer on the wall, and tell you to begin.  At first things start going well.  You like the partner you have chosen, and following the instructions seem easy at first.  As time goes on you realize that your partner is not behaving as you expected. They are not following the instructions.  They don't seem to have the skills you thought they were bringing to the project.  You start to realize that their native language is not the same as yours. They only know a small amount of words in your language. Their interest in the project seems to swing wildly from intense passion to completely uninterested and you don't understand why. They seem to be undoing some of the steps you have already done for the project. You get frustrated and find yourself getting very angry at your partner. You confront them.  You find out that they have brought their own instructions with them. They have been following their own instructions, not the provided ones.  You are furious. You grab their instructions and compare them to the official instructions. You find they don't match-up much at all. You look closer, and realize that the official instructions don't look very familiar. You are confused. You put your hand in your back pocket and find a third set of instructions.... your instructions.  You haven't been following the official instructions either!  You look up at the timer on the wall.  You realize that you are way behind in your project and you aren't even sure how to start over properly, because your partner seems like an alien from another world who can't communicate with you. Also, you are considering throwing out the official instructions, because your instructions seem easier and more natural. 
    The timer starts beeping loudly and the judges enter the room.  They inform you that you have failed the contest. You ask what place you ranked.  They say it doesn't matter, because most of the contestants also failed. You are caught off guard by this statement.  "What happened?" you ask. The judges tell you that most everyone skipped the preparation time and did not coordinate in advance with their partner to establish common skills, communication, or even a common direction. Then the judges tell you "It's OK. the failure rate is high, because this problem solving contest is unlike any other."

 This short illustration should help convey the difficulty of marriage, but it by no means properly conveys the complexity, depth, and multi-dimensional nature of marrital difficulties.

Unmet expectations

    Unmet expectations are one of the leading causes of marriage problems.  These expectations are developed in us by our families, movies, entertainment, friends, culture, and much more.  We have these expectations, but we don't normally know they exist until we are married and these expectations are not being met.  Many specific marriage problems fall into this broad category.  Often even when these expectations go unmet, we don't realize it right away.  We first have to ask ourselves deeper questions about why we are upset. Then we have to ask what is behind that feeling or thought. Then we repeat until we have gotten a few layers down into our own mind. Only then can we realize the unmet expectation and start asking our-self where the expectation came from and if it is reasonable.

Book:  Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married by Gary Chapman
https://www.amazon.com/Things-Wish-Known-Before-Married/dp/0802481833/

Communication is Difficult

    Deep, meaningful communication is required for a healthy marriage, more than most every other area of life.  It is difficult to teach this skill, and life experiences often don't cut it.  Especially if you are young and you have not had very many life experiences.  On top of all that, remember that even if two people are equipped for the deep, meaningful communication that is required for marriage, they still have to speak the same language!  You might both be on the same page with the ideas and thoughts, but converting those ideas and thoughts into communication the other person understands is very hard!

https://www.christianbook.com/page/personal-growth/leadership/communication-skills

(!) One area of communication that is critical is the ability to say "I love you." It is common to believe the misconception that everyone says and receives love the same way. Don't make that mistake! Read the book below instead.

Book:  The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Languages-Secret-that-Lasts/dp/080241270X/

 

More Sacrifice Required Than Expected

    A healthy marriage requires a lot more sacrifice than you think. Whatever you are thinking about sacrifice right now, multiply it by five.  Being a parent will double down on that. Starting a marriage and becoming a parent at the same time are not recommended.  Try getting married first, and then having children.  Turns out that following God's design for the family is a good idea.
    Marriage is about love and love is about putting others first. Not just some of the time. Constantly! Go read Corinthians 13 four times and then ask yourself if you are good at those things.  If the answer is no, then you may want to get some resources on dealing with those issues before you get married. If you are already married, start working on those issues now.  Don't wait.

 

Hurts, Habits, and Hang-ups

    Everyone has something about them that falls into the category of hurts, habits, or hang-ups.  Turns out humans are broken, sinful people and you are a human. Sometimes your hurts, habits, or hang-ups comes from within yourself, and sometimes it originates from an experience that another sinful human did to you.  Either way, these things do not heal themselves.  You are not strong enough to fix this yourself.  You need God, resources, and other people.  Deal with these issues sooner rather than later, or you'll look back at your life in 10 years and see a trail of pain, broken dreams, and damaged relationships.  Often the first step is the hardest and most important. Find a trusted friend and tell them what your problem is and ask for help.  I recommend a mature, Christian friend.  Hopefully you will find that the person you talk with understands because they are not perfect either.  It is OK to admit we are broken.

Note: there is a risk that the person you tell will respond badly and hurt you.  After the dust settles, try hard to not let that stop you from seeking another, more mature person to tell. The risk of not dealing with your problems is always worse than the pain of rejection.

God's Design and his tool for refinement

     God created marriage. He is the designer. The Bible is his guide book on how to operate life and marriage. If you choose not to apply the Bible to your marriage, do so at your own peril.  People tend to get marriage skills and marriage advice in all the wrong places.  If you want a strong marriage, put God at the center and follow Jesus with your whole heart. The health of your marriage will be directly proportional to the health of your relationship with Jesus Chris.
    Some people wonder why marriage isn't easier. Why did God make marriage so hard? Did he do that on purpose?  I believe God designed marriage as one of the primary tools he uses to shape the heart and soul of married Christians.  Without marriage I would be much more selfish, self-centered, thoughtless, unkind, unaware, impatient, and much more.  Your marriage is a special, challenging adventure where you, God, and your spouse can grow closer to each other.

Conclusion

    At this point I may have scared you off from getting married. That was not my intent.  Hopefully instead you will consider preparing yourself for marriage.  God has created marriage as a beautiful, amazing, confounding, challenging, mysterious, wonderful, gift.  Preparing yourself and selecting a spouse who has also prepared themselves for marriage has the ability to make your marriage a bright spot in your life.  Build your marriage on God, the one who designed marriage, and your marriage will be a blessing for generations.

Bible Archaeology: Camels and copper mines

These are good reads.

It seems that "new discovery disproves bible!" is a headline the world loves to print whenever they can stretch the truth that far.

King Solomon's Copper Mines?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081027174545.htm

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/03/king-solomon-mines-bible-timna-dung/

Archaeology Confirms the Biblical Account of Camels

http://www.increasinglearning.com/blog/archaeology-confirms-the-biblical-account-of-camels

Is Jesus God? Did Jesus claim to be God? Only in the book of John?

How did Mark view Jesus: A good teacher or the Messiah?
https://www.michaeljkruger.com/does-the-gospel-of-mark-present-jesus-as-god/



https://crossexamined.org/was-the-deity-of-christ-a-legendary-development/

(there are some suggested resources at the end of that article if you want more info)

Was Jesus a Real Person in History?

Here is an article from CrossExamined.org that covers two of the most well known extra-biblical sources for information on Jesus. It talks about the strengths and weaknesses or their work and makes mention to other extra-biblical sources:
https://crossexamined.org/why-should-we-trust-the-extra-biblical-references-to-jesus/


Recommended Book: The Historical Jesus by Gary Habermas


Quote from the book:
“While most scholars today recognize that Jesus was a historical figure, there is a small group that still does not. Habermas reminds the reader that the popularity of a particular position does not provide legitimate evidence, in or of itself, for the historicity of Jesus, so this book will examine the evidence that has convinced the majority of scholars that the historical Jesus existed, and it will make the case that the historical Jesus is the Jesus of Christianity.”


Here is a review of the book on CrossExamined.org. This review provides a book summary chapter by chapter:
https://crossexamined.org/book-review-the-historical-jesus-ancient-evidence-for-the-life-of-christ/


If you like the topics mentioned in the review, then you should probably buy the book.

Amazon link for book:
https://www.amazon.com/Historical-Jesus-Gary-Habermas-ebook/dp/B01GKLSI8S/


This might be somewhat off topic, but this was an interesting read. This article covers biblical and extra-biblical evidence for the “darkness” mentioned during the death of Jesus.
https://creation.com/darkness-at-the-crucifixion-metaphor-or-real-history


This article overlaps with the articles above, but also mentioned a few other sources not mentioned in the other articles for more writers who mentioned Jesus.
https://crossexamined.org/is-the-historical-jesus-fact-or-fiction/

A Letter to Skeptics

Where We Are At Now
   It is likely that your views of religion (or at least of the claims made by religion) are not very high. This is understandable given the times that we live in. We live in the information age. That much information means we are exposed to more ideas and more statements about life, reality, truth, and the world around us in a year than past generations would hear in a lifetime. It is a confusing world we live in where you can be exposed to a dozen religions that all claim to be the only way to salvation, and at the same time hear that most religions are essentially the same and all lead to salvation.
   Then there is science. Do we really need religion anymore? Hasn’t science explained all the unexplained things from the past? Hasn’t science disproved God? Hasn’t science explained where all things came from without this archaic dependence on religion and God? Hasn’t science brought us so many advancements in technology that it has proven itself worthy of our trust? If something is still unexplained won’t science explain it if we wait long enough?
   It’s no wonder that people are confused about the big questions in life. Most have given up caring about the big questions and even if they did care, there is no way they could navigate and process all the information out there to find real answers. Many have given up on finding absolute truth and instead settle for personal truths that are meaningful to them. We now live in a world where statements like these are common: “There is no truth.”, “All truth is relative.”, “There is no way to know the truth.”, “All truth comes from science.”, “That is true for you, but not for me.”, and many more.
   So what do we do know? Where do we go from here? Is life meaningless unless we create our own meaning?


Moving Forward
   If we want to progress beyond this place of confusion and apathy, we must consider that just because there is a lot of noise and contradicting claims, does not mean that real answers do not exist! We need to consider the implications of real answers and let that possibility motivate us to push through the noise and the chaos. If you could be reasonably sure about the answers to life’s big questions would you want to know?
   I hope your answer is yes, but for many the answer is no. They are more interested in their own happiness, than they are in truth. Truth is only useful to them if it increases their happiness and supports the life they want to live. You will never find life changing truth if you rule out any conclusions that you may dislike before you begin searching. This will only result in a half-hearted truth quest that fails before it starts. We have to remember that if the only truths we accept are the ones we like, then we are not really seeking truth. The only question left to ask is: Can you handle the truth?

The Limits of Science
   Science is a wonderful thing that has brought forth many great inventions. However, we must be careful not to take the successes from a few areas of science and apply it so broadly that we think all science is the arbitrator of Truth.  Many people have taken the position (some knowingly and some unknowingly) that all truth worth caring about comes from science or from science like observations. Another way to say it is "All truth comes from science." This is a self defeating statement that cannot be proven scientifically.

Also, have you considered that science, like many areas of life, contains mistakes, fraud, and deception?
Further reading on the reliability of and fraud in science:
here, here, here, here, and here.




A Claim to Consider
  In John 14:5-7 Jesus claims to be the way, the truth, and the life. A preposterous claim. Especially if you never really studied the claims of Jesus and the logical evidence that supports his claims.  I suggest before outright rejection we should ask ourselves:

"Have I really looked at the claims of Jesus and the evidence for those claims or have I simply discarded them from consideration because they challenge too many of my already established beliefs?"

John 14:5-7
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

The Alternative?
     What is the alternatives to Christianity? The alternatives to following Jesus fall into three main categories: other religions, apathy, self-worship.

- Other religions: Many people mistakenly believe that Christianity is about being good in order to get into heaven. This is false. However, with most other religions, this is true. Being good (they might use different words for good) is what earns them salvation.  This can satisfy the mind only until the person asks themselves: How Good is Good Enough?

Also, anyone who worships science as the ultimate arbitrator of truth, is likely in this group and the third group below.*

- Apathy: most of the members of this group don't know they are a member. They simply don't care about the meaning of life or whether or not there is a God. They just want to be left alone live their life and to find fulfillment where ever they want to look. Ignoring truth doesn't make it not true, and it doesn't make it go away. God's existence is not tied to what you believe.

-Self-worship: This is a very common worldview in our post-modern world, but most adherents to this way of life don't realize they are members.  If you are the decider of truth and falsehood, of right and wrong, of good and bad, then you are a member of this group. Many people in this group live by the mantra "If it feels good do it!" or maybe a similar one of  "It's not wrong if it doesn't hurt anybody, but me." Many in this group will use other labels for themselves (atheist, agnostic, etc...), but ultimately they are depending of themselves to determine what is true about reality.


*Any set of beliefs or views about reality that attempt to answer questions about: origin, meaning, morality, and destiny can collectively be called "religion".


Hypocrites!
   Do you hate Christianity and churches because their full of hypocrites?  People who mention this a lot fail to consider that you cannot be a hypocrite if you don't attempt to live according to a standard. There will always be less hypocrites in groups of people who have very low standards or who have no standards. Christians who attempt to follow Jesus are trying to live up to a very high standard and they will likely fail at times to live up to this standard; even while speaking to others about this standard. There may be a lot of hypocrites at Church, but if we look at ourselves deep enough we will find that we are all hypocrites at times.


The Arrogance (Exclusiveness) of Christianity
   Many times people will accuse Christians of being arrogant, because of their claim that Jesus is the only way to salvation. The thing about truth is that truth is always exclusive. Listen to short audio clip from Ravi Zacharias talking about this topic.



Here are some relevant videos:

Does God Exist: Exclusivity - https://youtu.be/jtRbSv4lkkg


What Brings Us to Believe That Christianity Is the Exclusive Way to Truth?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N77D4dUgP4&t=321s
Exclusive claims from other religions:
http://christianapologeticsalliance.com/2017/08/02/exclusivity-claims-major-world-religions/

Frank Turek on other religions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGxdBA3AAho

Further Reading:

https://crossexamined.org/45-quotes-about-relativism-vs-truth/

Don't feel like reading? Watch some videos instead:
YouTube: Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
YouTube: Cross Examined

Some Good Bible verses to memorize and/or study

Proverbs 1:7 New International Version (NIV)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Matthew 22:36-40 New International Version (NIV)

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Joshua 1:9 New International Version (NIV)

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Romans 10:9 New International Version (NIV)

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Colossians 2:8 New International Version (NIV)

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

John 8:56-59 ESV

Jesus speaking to the pharisees….

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”[d] 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Mark 12 New International Version (NIV)

The Greatest Commandment

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

John 18:37 English Standard Version (ESV)

37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

My Advice on Marriage

  Marriage is a sacred institution created by God. The blessings of a healthy marriage are beyond measure.  However, this does not mean it is easy to have a healthy marriage. Quite the opposite actually. As with most of life, great things require a great amount of work, effort, and sacrifice. This post is a reminder of what I should be doing as much as it is advice for others.

Reasons Marriages Don't Last

  I feel that marriages are often broken for many reasons, but that most of the reasons fall under these general concepts:

- Not believing that marriage is a life-long sacred institution created by God.
- Neglecting your relationship with God.
- Not practicing the art of being selfless enough.
- Not sacrificing your selfish desires for your spouse and your marriage.
- Not  putting enough thought, prayer, reading, or effort into marriage before you actually get married.
- Not  putting enough thought, prayer, reading, or effort into marriage after you get married.
- Doing things the way your parents did them, even when you know they are bad for marriage.
- Not Improving yourself to be more like the spouse God created you to be.
- Not dealing with hurts, habits, or hangups as soon as possible.
- Failing to appreciate and be thankful for what you have.
- Marrying someone who has very different values than you do. Don't be "unequally yoked."


My Advice on having a lasting marriage:

Keep God at the center of your marriage
  In the circle of christian marriage resources, the phrase "keep God at the center of your marriage" is used very frequently. There is a reason for this.  I thought, and rightly so, that the reason for this was that God will make my marriage better and healthy. However, there is another equally important or perhaps more important reason: valuing what God says about marriage and seeing marriage the way God sees it, may be the only thing that holds your marriage together during the fiercest storms.  Depending on who you talk to during times of marital crisis, God may be the only one telling you to repair their wreckage instead of abandoning ship.

Start applying more effort now.
  Whether you are getting married soon, just married, or you have been married for many years; the best time to start working on your marriage is now.  I have found that marriage books/resources are useful, but they provide value regardless of their content. The act of spending time and thought on marriage resources forces you to put thoughts about your marriage at a higher priority in your mind then they would normally be placed. This new level of marriage in your mind will increase the chances that you will choose thoughtful actions. You are more likely to do something kind/thoughtful for your spouse or to hold your tongue when you should be slow to speak.  This means you should start reading marriage resources today and never stop! Go to marriage weekends and marriage conferences and be involved in marriage resources provided by your church. Being married well means developing that skill like you would any other skill, with intention and time.

Make an effort to Learn about your spouse, and to genuinely care.
  Never stop learning about your spouse. Don't assume you know them perfectly. My wife has a built in method of helping me with this: she never stops changing.  Many men will find the ever changing nature of their wife to be frustrating. Do not let it be. See it as a challenge to keep learning about your spouse. Maybe she wants mayo one day and mustard the next, embrace it instead of letting it make you upset. When your spouse talks about something they care about that you do not care about, try to give them your full attention. Learn to like or at least tolerate that subject more. You can learn to like any topic if you really care about your spouse. They can tell when you are fake caring. It may take time, but train yourself to genuinely care about things that matter to your spouse. You need to care at least some.

Do Not Keep Secrets / Be Transparent / Be One
  This means sharing your passwords with your spouse. ALL of your passwords. Letting your spouse look at your phone or computer anytime they want.  Sharing bank accounts.  Sharing your struggles. Sharing the things you are not proud of.  Sharing the areas where you struggle with sin.  Keeping anything in the dark is a breeding ground for sin and for treacherous seas for your marriage.

Get Help Early and Get Help Often
  This doesn't mean you should go see a marriage counselor for marriage problems starting on day one, but it does mean that you should not wait until year 17 to see a counselor for the first time. Counselors are not evil monsters and seeing a marriage counselor does not mean you are a failure!  Seeing a counselor even when the idea is unpleasant means you care enough about your marriage to do uncomfortable things!  Having a good marriage means being uncomfortable at times. You can do it!  If you get help early enough, before it has eaten away at your marriage like a cancer, then you may not need to see a professional marriage counselor. You might be able to get help from: your church, a wise mentor, a support group, or a friend.  Every person brings baggage and scars with them when they get married. Don't ignore them. Resolve them, heal them, improve them, just do something.

Practice Kindness Daily
  Say and do nice things for your spouse often. At home, in front of others, as often as possible.  Encourage your spouse and reassure them when things are not going their way.  Kindness is one of the first things to be discarded in a marriage. Somehow our culture believes that kindness if for strangers, guests, extended family, but not our spouse.  We know our spouse too well and we know all their faults. We don't need to be kind to them.  That is a horrible lie, but many marriages act like this.  We treat our friends and our dates with kindness, but after they move into the spouse arena we slowly forget the kindness. Do NOT let that happen to you. Say "thank you" and "you're welcome". Give hugs. Say nice words. Pickup the slack around the house even when it isn't your fault. When you run into disagreements and conflicts try to think how you would talk and deal with these issues with your best friend. Most people treat their best friends with a lot more courtesy and kindness during conflict than they do with a spouse. It should not be that way.

Give Your Spouse the Benefit of the Doubt
  Don't assume you know the motivations for each thing your spouse does. Ask questions instead of making statements. Assumptions should be avoided most of the time in most areas of your life, but especially with your spouse. Don't assume they leave messes on purpose to annoy you or that they destroy your stuff on purpose.  Calmly ask them if they know they care doing [fill in the blank] and that it bothers you. Don't assume your spouse is up to something nefarious when they are one hour late from work. Calmly ask them where they were. If you have build an environment of honesty and transparency, they will tell you where they were. Maybe they were planning a surprise for your birthday.


What Does My Marriage Advice Look Like When Acted Out?

  Too often marriage resources tell you what you should be doing, but don't show you want it looks like.  I am not perfect at these things. In fact I am far from perfect most days, but here are some examples of what my advice would look like:

- Not going out with your friends when you know that your spouse needs your help. Maybe they are sick or the kids are being extra crazy. It doesn't matter that you planned bowling night with your friends weeks ago. [sacrifice] [selfless]
- Your spouse says "Hey can I see your phone for a minute?". You should say "sure, here is it." Not "Why?" "What are you going to do with it?" [no secrets]
- Read your Bible daily. Go to Church. Be involved at church. Share your faith. Learn to defend your faith. Know why you believe what you believe. [keep God at the center of your marriage]
- When your spouse damages something you care about. Don't assume they did it on purpose. Approach them as calmly as possible and ask question instead of making accusations.  [Give Your Spouse the Benefit of the Doubt]
- Letting your spouse win a debate, even when you think you are right and they are wrong. [selfless] [sacrifice]

(!) A Warning From The Battlefield

  Just as God loves marriage, Satan hates marriage.  Their is a spiritual war raging around us each day. This war has two sides: God, Truth, reality versus The Devil, Lies, and illusions.  Do not take this war lightly or thing that there is no war. That is what our enemy wants. Everything the world and the enemy has will be thrown at you to keep you from having a healthy marriage. You have to be ready and you have to be constantly preparing for war. There will be many lies whispered into your ear to destroy your marriage. That is why you must constantly work to keep God at the center and to keep our selfishness at bay.  The biggest lie is probably this: "That having a great marriage is easy and takes very little effort" or perhaps it is this: "marriage is only useful if it serves my desires. When it fails at this, get rid of it."


Recommended Reading:

Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married
https://www.amazon.com/Things-Wish-Known-Before-Married/dp/0802481833/

Improved Civil Rights are not the fruits of a single political party

This post is not a blanket endorsement of any specific political party. I simply found it interesting that both parties worked together and both parties took leading roles in a positive change for our country that many people might associate with a single political party.

 

Today I learned:

Referring to the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act...

"The degree of Republican support for the two bills actually exceeded the degree of Democratic support, and it's also fair to say that Republicans took leading roles in both measures, even though they had far fewer seats, and thus less power, at the time. Both of these factors are enough to earn Steele a rating of True."

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/may/25/michael-steele/steele-says-gop-fought-hard-civil-rights-bills-196/

"Once the filibuster was broken, Time magazine put Dirksen on its cover." Dirksen was a republican.

I never knew those things before. We should remember not to generalize about what one party has accomplished or what they do or did stand for. We should take each person and each issue one at a time and not lump them into a box so we can label it.

 

 

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/may/25/michael-steele/steele-says-gop-fought-hard-civil-rights-bills-196/