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I have been learning about the importance of a credit report, and it reminds me of my salvation. Even though I, like you, have sinned, Jesus Christ paid for my sin with His death on the Cross, so now there is no sin on my record. Anything done through me by the power of the Holy Spirit is credited to my account. My record is clear no matter what, but I want to live to match my record!

Someone said that the Bible says God will not hold it against you if you did not have a chance to know about him, but I'm pretty sure the Bible does not say that. God does not send anyone to hell--we are all already going to hell because of our sin, and only by accepting Christ's sacrifice for sin are we saved from hell to go to heaven. God has revealed himself to the world through his creation, and the law of God is written on our hearts (i.e. we know right from wrong), so there is no excuse. I believe the punishment for those who have heard the gospel and rejected it is greater than for those who never heard it, but only those who have accepted Jesus Christ alone for there salvation will go to heaven--so it is very important for those of us who know him to share the gospel with the whole world!

True Story!

I understand that the products you buy at Walmart are more likely to break, even if they are the same brand, than the same product bought anywhere else. For instance, Mongoose is a good brand of bicycle if you buy it in a bike shop, but the ones sold at Walmart are lower quality. In addition to that, the people at Walmart who assemble the bikes are not professional bike assemblers, so good luck.

I bought a watch at Walmart almost 2 years ago and I really liked it and had no problem with it, until this weekend. A friend of mine who used to work at Walmart was explaining how scientists at Walmart take otherwise good brand name products and figure out ways to make the ones at Walmart cheaper. Just as she finished saying this, my watch spontaneously broke apart beyond repair! What's up with that?!? I guess I'll just have to look at my cell phone to know what time it is until I find a place that sells quality wristwatches.

Free Comic Book Day

I know I'm a little behind, but today was the first time I ever went to a comic book store on Free Comic Book day, so I didn't really know what to expect. Would I have a choice of any one comic book for free, would there be a selection of free comic books to choose from, or could I get lots of free comic books? It turned out to be a combination of B & C--there was a table on which there were a lot of free comic books to choose from at one's leisure, but the rest of the comic books in the store you still had to pay for. There were also discounts on used comics, but it's too much work to sift through them all. I got a good selection of free issues that I wouldn't have taken if they weren't free, and I bought a few new issues, too. It was a fun experience!

Let's go save the world!

A lot of my friends and family members like to play games like "World of Warcraft," "Axis and Allies," and "Age of Empires," but for some reason I never got into those games. I was thinking about why that is, and about the kind of things that I like. My first passion is to follow Christ and live to please Him, and in that to be a good husband for Angie, but I know that most of my friends and family share that kind of passion. One can be a Christ-follower and still fantasize about conquering the world if he/she is into that, but that's not really me.

I really like superhero comic books, mostly DC Comics, because for the most part these are heroes who want to save the world, but they will not kill the bad guys. I came to the conclusion that it is my desire to save the world, not to conquer it. Either way, that's a lot of responsibility!

The truth is, I'm the one who needs saving, and Jesus is my Savior. [Read ch. 7 of Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.] I'm actually pretty useless on my own, but Jesus Christ died on the Cross to take the punishment for my sin, so I am no longer guilty. He came alive again, defeating death, so He can give me the power to live for God's glory. When I try to do things in my own strength I mess up every time, but when I give up God will use me. (Sometimes He still uses me when I mess up because He is that great, but it is better when I give myself to Him!)

Paul was talking about how he had a weakness that he wanted God to take away from him, but 2 Corinthians 12:9 reads, "Each time he said, 'My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me." (NLT)

As I said, I'm useless on my own, but God is powerful enough to use me when I yield to Him. (Still, it's fun to imagine I have superpowers and can save the world!)

Honor the king

"My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise, for disaster will arise suddenly from them, and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?" (Proverbs 24:21-22 ESV)

Even though in the United States of America we call our Commander-in-Chief the "President," for all practical purposes he is our king. Whether or not we agree with everything he does or if all his motives are godly, God has appointed him to be our leader for the present time, so it is not for us to rebel against him. We have the right to state our views and convictions, and it does make a difference, but we are obligated to obey the law. The only time to disobey the law is when it requires us to disobey God, and for now we are able to live godly and obey the law. Sure, people get away with things that are ungodly, but they must stand before God for the choices they make.

Blankets by Craig Thompson

Blankets is a graphic novel by Craig Thompson that is marketed to young adults and is in the Young Adult section of our library, but I decided not to put this review on the Young Adult Book Reviews blog, because I do not think it is really appropriate for teens. It is about a young man who grew up in a fundamental Christian home and how he dealt with worldly influences and personal decisions. It is a well-written story, and I found that I could identify with much of what the protagonist was going through. Unfortunately, he ultimately made the wrong decision, but every individual must decide for himself/herself, so it is a very real story. I would say the reader must use great discretion because the book is perhaps too real in places (i.e., there are some drawings of naked people), but it does address some good things to think about, so I thought it was still a valuable read. I was 29 when I read it, and I don’t think I would have been ready for it when I was any younger, so be warned. However, be careful not to dismiss everything because of certain elements you find inappropriate. In other words, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Young people, let your parents censor what you read, because they are your parents!

Review by David Dunkerton

Heroes 2.1.10 "The Wall"

I've been a fan of Heroes ever since the show began a few years ago. I don't like it as much as Smallville or Chuck, but it's about people with superpowers, so how could I ignore that? I liked how Pastor Trent Kirkland introduced his overview of Revelation on Sunday with comments about why people like superheroes. Whether it's the Greek gods or the Justice League, people like imagining heroes who are kind of like them, but more powerful. Superheroes are flawed individuals, and even though they defeat the supervillains one day, the supervillains always come back to pose another threat. From the beginning people have tried to make God into their own image, but God is Holy, without fault and totally different from us. Jesus is the only Hero who will completely and finally defeat the enemy, and that is what Revelation is about.

Last night's episode of Heroes, "The Wall," stood out to me as having a great message. Peter had gotten a glimpse of a future in which Sylar, a super-powered killer who had murdered Peter's brother Nathan, had a part in saving thousands of people. The story itself is complicated, but Peter and Sylar were trapped in Sylar's mind and couldn't get out. There was a brick wall that they knew they needed to break through, but no matter how many times they hit it with sledgehammers, nothing happened. Through this we see that Sylar had repented and didn't want to be a killer anymore, but Peter felt he could not forgive him for killing his brother. In time Peter admitted that Sylar was no longer a killer, and it was implied that he had forgiven him. The next time Peter hit that wall it started to break apart! That was a clear message that it was his unforgiving spirit that kept him trapped, but after he forgave Sylar the wall was broken.