Why I love Jesus - reason number 1

Recently I was "tagged" by a friend of a friend to post 5 reasons why I love Jesus. (Thanks, Shanti...I didn't know what the blogging version of tag was...I think it's great!)
So...let me begin. 5 reasons...that could be hard, because there are so many that I could post forever and not be finished. I'll try to contain myself and take it slowly.
Reason #1: I love Jesus because He's true. He doesn't change with the wind, He's not capricious, He tells us Who He is, why He came to die for us and that He's risen from the dead to ever live and intercede for us. Excuse me, better said here: He died and rose again for me. Don't misunderstand me...I know that He died not just for my sin but for yours (the collective "you") as well. But I love Him because I know that He died for my sin, as horrible as it is. (and no, none of you will ever be privy to all of that) Friends, there's not much we can count on in the world today. What was wrong 50, 20...heck, even 10 years ago, is now considered right. Truth is something that has been abused, maligned and, frankly, discarded in today's day and age. Unfortunately, that is even the case in many churches now. Truth is something that has become subjective to some and irrelevant to most. To me, it's essential. In order to live with hope each day and to face the circumstances of life, I must have a foundation on which to stand. And my foundation needs to be unshakeable, because I am certainly not. In and of myself I am unbelievably shaky...I often can't even get a decent handle on my own thoughts and motivations. Ah, but Jesus is true. In fact in John 14:6 He says quite clearly, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Many find this statement to be offensive, narrow minded and arrogant. How dare Jesus say that there's only one way to heaven? Personally, the fact that Jesus proved that He is indeed God gives Him the right to be as narrow minded as He wants to be. You create a universe from nothing and then come talk to me about narrow mindedness.
How do I know He's God? The fact that He's not dead springs to mind first and foremost. I am unaware of anyone else who's made the claim with such astonishing evidence to back it up. How do I know that He's not dead? Aside from the proof I see in my own life and the life of so many others daily, and aside from the statements He made which were prophetic and have all (yes, I said all) come true, I point to an empty tomb that turned the world upside down. The Roman empire couldn't produce a body, the religious leaders of His time couldn't produce a body. Actually, no one could produce a body. Find me a religion that makes the same claim with the same evidence, please. I don't believe it can be done. Many claims have been made to divinity of some sort and those who made the claims are dead, in the ground, "look, here's the grave...complete with contents", dead. The resurrection of Christ is a well documented event, beyond even the bounds of scripture. The disciples all died for their faith, save John, and I have yet to hear of anyone giving up their lives willingly for something they knew to be a lie. People will die for believing something that may turn out to be a lie but not for what they know to be untrue. If, as is claimed by some, the disciples simply overwhelmed a Roman guard (no, not just one guy...but the number of soldiers that formed a "guard"), rolled away a huge stone, took the body of Christ and buried it in somebody's backyard...then why, in heaven's name would they give up everything, including their lives to die for the dead guy under the azaleas? Senseless and preposterous! Most of the people who try to start up their own religions are in it for something. Money, power, fame, control...what did the disciples get? Poverty, persecution and death. Nope, you don't do that for something you outright know to be a lie. So...I love Jesus because He is true and I know that I can trust Him, now and for eternity. He's God, I can believe what He tells me...every word of it, because it's true. And, let's me frank here, truth is important, because if you live your life according to a lie who knows where you'll end up. Think this through..."subjective truth" is a pleasant sounding idiocy designed to give us a an unrealistic sense of importance. To claim that something is true simply because I choose it to be is the ultimate in arrogance. It either is, or it isn't. Tell yourself that if you get on the highway in Chicago and head west that you'll end up in New York. Now, try that for me. I hope you like Iowa...Iowa can be fun but it ain't no New York City. If you don't believe me then tell yourself that there's no gravity, better yet, find me somebody who actually believes that there's no such thing as gravity. Then watch what happens when they step off a cliff. Right...you get the point.
I love Jesus because He's real, He's God...He's true. That's reason number 1. I'll get back to you with more later.

Proud to Be a Capitalist

I'm hoping that there are still some of you who are patient enough to still be out there waiting for me to post. If so...hoo ha! Here we go again. Ok, I've been thinking...dangerous, I know...but occasionally I have to give it a whirl. I've been wondering how stupid most politicians think we common folk really are. From what I see and hear lately, I'd say they think we're pretty stupid indeed. Frankly, it's kinda hard to argue the point based on the fact that the Democrats control the House and the Senate right now. I mean, really people, what were you thinking. That's right, I said you not we! I sure as shooting didn't vote for them. Color me me nuts but I have a problem with a bunch of people, the most prominent of which are loaded with money, who are continually telling me that I don't deserve mine. C'mon...surely Ted Kennedy, Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Bill Mahr, Al Franken and all left-leaning media owners could pony up enough money to fund the government programs they insist are important. And that's just to name a few of the Hollywood crowd and old money politicians who basically want to turn this wonderful country into some kind of weird socialist fairyland. Listen up...capitalism is a good thing! Capitalism creates jobs, because somebody has to make the stuff that people want to buy. Then those people have more money to buy things too, which increases tax revenue, which pays for government programs, which then leaves more money in the pockets of the...yes, say it with me, people...CONSUMERS who can continue to spend money on the stuff that they need or want which someone has to make...hey, we're back at the job thing. How is it possible that so many people out there can seriously buy that it would be good to model this country after such economic havens as say...CUBA? And just what does Cuba have going for it as a nation? Hmmmm...50 year old cars, no money, alchoholism, people trying to get away in tiny boats. Right. Moving along...somebody, please, point out any true socialist or communist system that has ever worked in the "pie in the sky" sort of utopian concept that our Dems seem to want to make us believe in. Oh, yes...I say they want to make us believe in it. I know that they don't. They can't! If they did they wouldn't be filthy rich entertainers, filthy rich besotted life-time politicians of questionable character and...let me think...oh yeah, anybody named Michael Moore, who happens to be a filthy rich oscar winning director. Key words here - filthy rich. What's up with that?! If you believe in everything for the common good then why do you guys have so much money? Does no one see the inconsistency of the outrageous life styles of those who keep crying for more economic equity? Pay some extra tax, for crying out loud, that would help the common good. You can do that you know...just give a little more...or a whole lot more, for that matter, on April 15. You could kick in for health care for those who need it, prescriptions for the elderly, meal programs for kids and a chicken for every pot...or for everyone on pot if you want to. See, you have that right here in America...to do with your money what you want to. And why do these liberals want to force us into socialized medicine, for example? Because we have a historical basis on which to believe that anything that's taken over by the government works better? Ahem...again I say, what are you thinking? Especially those of you who don't have a lot of money. Do you truly believe that these obscenely wealthy people want to help you by making sure that no one, except, I suppose, themselves, has a right to keep the money that some of us work hard to earn? If they really want to help those less fortunate then why aren't they contributing more? Have you seen pictures of Celine Dion's digs? Yes, I mean the woman who cried on television that the looters after Hurricane Katrina just wanted to touch the things that they couldn't have. Things like other people's televisions and stereos and jewelry. She's got plenty of that stuff...does it seem like she's ok with letting looters touch her stuff? She could just buy a bunch of stuff for all the unfortunate looters...then maybe they wouldn't want to steal our stuff. How about Barbra Streisand? If she's so terribly concerned about the little people (yes, the ones who aren't allowed to look her directly in the eye when she's involved in some venue in which they are...right, working)then I'd like to see her driving a Ford and wearing sweaters purchased at Wal-mart. Doesn't Babs have enough dough to spread the love a little? I'm pretty sure Teddy K. has pretty full pockets too...I'd like for him to reach in there and starting shoveling some of it out to the needy. Now, don't get me wrong...I'm not saying that any of these people don't give to charity...I'm sure that they do. I'm just saying that they could darn well give a heck of a lot more, based on their lifestyles and not just to charity but to the government to lighten the load for the rest of us working stiffs. John Edwards and his $1000 plus haircuts just doesn't cut it for me with his hypocritical rhetoric...while he's working to make my taxes higher, my health care worse than it is. (And at higher cost...like MY LIFE! There's a reason why people from Canada and Europe come here to the good old US of A to get health care...people die while waiting for all that "free" , quality care back home.) My family works for a living, we donate our time and money to those in need and we carry the tax burden of this entire nation, along with all the others who are working to better themselves and their living conditions. Take a look at China, Russia, Cuba...and any of the other countries around this world where the system of communism or socialism has ensured the opulent life styles of the few at the top whilst removing any incentive for the masses at the bottom to work for anything...then you come back and call me crazy for being proud to be a capitalist.
Thank you...and good night.