Saturday, November 22, 2008

so this is the thing...alvin and the chimpmunks' version of a millie completely dogs Lil' Wayne's version. not to mention alvin is a hell of a lot cuter and not visually offensive. everyone please go on youtube and listen to alvin's version...your sould will thank me later...by the way all of this is a joke and i dont care what you listen to. but if you wanna be as cool as me and lesie just some to Chester's and find us because this is what we'll be doing...good day

This is the thing...

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

"This is the end —but for me it's the beginning of life!"

So...this is the thing...today there was a funeral @ my church...so I have some thoughts about death...sorry if that's a bit morbid...

While Dietrich Bonhoeffer was preaching his last sermon the Nazi's came and led him to be hung. As he was forced to preach his last words he concluded that for him it was now "the beginning of life!" If we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are forced to believe that Bonhoeffer's words are true...that for the Christian...death is only the very beginning of true life. Jesus Christ has overcome the power of death...and it no longer has the last word. Death poses no threat to the believer. Christ's resurrection gives us an unshakable hope that one day the full glory of God will be revealed to us and we to (like our big brother Jesus) will indwell a perfect mortal body and will inhabit a new earth. Christ, the firstborn from the dead, points to this eternal reality.

Many Christians see heaven as the ending place. As if we will be in heaven forever....and become something "more than human" or angelic...but it's a mere waiting room, until the end of time...for we humans will inhabit a brand new earth. Finally! God's plan from the beginning will be established...for perfected humans to inhabit a perfected earth. And we have the priveledge of perfecting it now...to work towards this redemption...to partner with God in fixing it all and putting it all to rights. So in this pre-life...let's get to it...as we become the very people whom we will be formed into forever. The Spirit that raised Christ from the grave lives in us and is continually redeeming and sanctifying us...whether we realize it or not. God is preparing us for that beginning of our lives...when we will see Christ and finally be fully and completely conformed to his image. Which is particularly good news for me because I'm hoping to finally be like 17 ft. tall and jacked out of my mind...

Hopefully this makes funerals not so sad...

NT Wright talks about this in his latest book Surprised By Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church...check it out

Sin has truly lost it's power and Death has lost it's sting...

Monday, November 17, 2008