Beans. Rice. God.

I originally wrote this for a theology class. Let me know what you think.

Although this has become quite a debate between some denominations, it is interesting to note that the debate is quite recent. Infant baptism was something that was essentially accepted throughout the church for many centuries.[1] There are examples of well-known Christians from the early centuries, such as Polycarp, who were baptized as infants.[2] It wasn’t until the reformation that there arose many who did not believe in the practice. In fact, of all the traditions and beliefs held by the Catholic Church at the … Read the rest

A man with a white beard kneels down to a small, skinny and obviously malnourished child. There is monotone music playing as he explains the wretched situation of this helpless child living in the slums. I’m sure you’ve seen those commercials. You’ve probably thought—as I have in the past—oh no. Here they are, trying to guilt trip me again. But as I’ve studied the Bible and specifically Jesus’ own words and actions, I’ve come to a realization…

Think of the absolutely worst sin you can think of, and Jesus is at fault.

Think of the worst thing you’ve done, and Jesus is not only guilty of that, but every other sin imaginable or unimaginable. Jesus was the only person that was ever created perfect aside from Adam and Eve, but even He became imperfect. However, that is not where the story ends.

Paul tells us in Romans,

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NIV)

As humans, we were born into sin by … Read the rest

In my previous post I received a very interesting comment that made me think. At the end of the post I asked, “Honestly, who says?” in regards to saying negative things about you, but someone left a comment saying, “I say so.” This was very sad to me, but I definitely think this is a topic worth talking about. My last post was about what Others think about you, but this post is about what You think of yourself. I think each of these instances of self-esteem issues need to be tackled separately, so now I will go after the … Read the rest

I heard the new Selena Gomez song the other day, and I know what you’re thinking, “Come on Josh! Don’t talk about a Selena Gomez song…” But I listened to the lyrics, and I saw such a great meaning and question in them. Near the end of the song Selena says,

Who says you’re not star potential?
Who says you’re not presidential?
Who says you can’t be in movies?
Listen to me, listen to me.
Who says you don’t past the test?
Who says you can’t be the best?…

Who says?

Who says you’re not perfect?
Who says you’re not worth

… Read the rest