The House You're Building

                                             When I was a kid optical illusion books were a fad one year.  It seemed like a novelty gift you received at a white elephant gift exchange or read while waiting for the dentist.  The trick was to blur your eyes, shift your focus to behind the page and an image, that at the surface looked like dots, would appear as a solid object in 3D.  It was really hard for me to see them.  I had had eye therapy as a kid and just to focus normally was challenging.  Unlike me, friends could pick up the book and see the hidden image instantly.  I know those books really did work, as once I saw it too and I was really excited but I lost focus and the image was gone.    The same can be said for suffering.  You can see the issue multiple ways and to behold it with a divi...

Why are you a Christian?     What would you say if someone asked you that?    Recently I heard a message where the teacher asked the congregation this same question.    Answers varied, but all responses fit within these 4 categories:   ·        Jesus changed my life; I used to to A, B, and C, but now I do X, Y, and Z ·        I was raised that way ·        I believe the holy scriptures ·        I had a person experience that convinced me     After outlining these common responses, and noting that our group’s answers fell into those those same catagories,  he explained that these same reasons can be applied to any religion.  What makes Christianity different than other religions  is the gospel. If you take the four statements above, for example change Jesus to Allah, you could really ma...