10 Steps of Sin

1. Exposure

2. Awareness

3. Repetition

4. Internal Processing

(a) The "I deserve it" excuse
(b) Fantasy: "What would it be like?"

(c) Self-pity

(d) Rationalization

(e) Rejection of Consequences

5. Co-operation

6. Participation

7. Indulgence

8. Identifying with the Sin

9. Lies and Deceit

10. Consequences

Judging Michael Jackson

I don't read many blogs, but it's still easy to imagine that the blogosphere is filled this morning with lip-smacking posts written by self-righteous folks eager to remind sinners and the faithful alike of the pitfalls of fame, celebrity and material success ... and of the ever-present danger of hell-fire ... by throwing stones at Michael Jackson's corpse.

Maybe you've already seen (or been thinking) something like this:

"Here was a man who had everything he could ask for in this world but in the end, all his fame and financial success came to nothing. And now, the man who had been given so much and who also squandered even more must stand before his Creator and pay for his sins in hell-fire and eternal damnation."

Would the Apostle Paul have pounded his chest and danced a jig to celebrate the loss of a single soul to the enemy? Would the Christ-like love Paul described in 1 Corinthians 13 suddenly evaporate at this opportunity to preach and proclaim his righteousness?

Even more importantm (actually, this is most important of all), what would Jesus say? Would Christ have wagged his finger and screamed "I told you so!"? Would he have urged his disciples to be proud and arrogant in the face of someone else's tragedy and misfortune?

We don't have to guess, speculate or imagine: scripture vividly shows us instead:

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

- John 8:7-8

(What was Jesus writing on the ground? Could've been the sins of the woman's accusers ... Christ's way of using first-century motion graphics to remind the would-be stone throwers of both his Authority and of his command concerning Forgiveness.)

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

- James 4:12

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes."

- Luke 19:41-42

Today I'm gonna walk down the sidewalk naked

Actually no, I'm not.

Not only will I not be walking around naked today, the idea of doing such a thing never occurs to me. Never ever.

Come to think of it, I've never seen anybody walking down the sidewalk naked ... though it wouldn't surprise me to find out that there are weirdos out there who do face that temptation on a daily basis. So how are the folks who're tempted to stroll around naked in public able to resist the urge?

Might have something to do with sunburn risk, but I'm guessing the real reason has more to do with the consequences of such inappropriate behavior: if you plan on spending the morning walking around the neighborhood naked, better plan on spending some long days and nights in jail, too.

In this case, the consequences of indecent exposure are immediate and unavoidable.

-----

Seems like there's been so many sex and adultery scandals depicted in the media lately that it's difficult to keep track of all the names. Promising careers are ruined, spouses are betrayed, vows broken, ministries torn apart and families destroyed.

It's gotta make you ask: What were they thinking?

The short answer might be They were thinking about themselves but then we could ask several more critical questions, like Did they ever stop to consider the outcome before-hand? Did they stop to consider how much pain their actions would cause others? And Did they really think they could get away with it, or that no one would ever know?

Unless the person involved is a sociopath it's probably reasonable to assume the answers were Yes, Yes and No. So then why wasn't that enough to stop them from throwing their marriages and careers away?

Could be that the consequences, however real, seemed too far removed and distant from the perceived reward of the temptation. It could also be that once the first temptation took root and blossomed, its reach shaded-out both accountability and any fear of consequences.

That's the D-A-N-G-E-R right there.

-----

Satan will snipe away all day at stragglers and lob mortars at organized ranks, but the prospect of catching a General offguard in an ambush must make his filthy mouth water. None of us, no one, is immune to temptation nor should any one of us be so proud or self-righteous to suppose, "That'll never happen to me."

Because it might, especially if you're doing God's work and making a difference for the kingdom.

I'm not pointing fingers at, nor am I condemning or ridiculing any of the men involved. I don't find their affairs or any of the lurid details entertaining or interesting.

But we would be foolish if we dismissed or ignored the opportunity to learn from their mistakes ... and the lessons screaming from recent events are that Every Big Sin Starts With A Tiny Temptation and that Every Sin Has A Consequence, Every Time.

Please pray for these men, that God will hear and sustain their families through their tribulations, that in their repentance these broken men will seek and beg God's forgiveness, and that in his mercy God will heal, restore and use them to his glory.

And please also say a prayer for the men, the church leaders, the pastors and all the husbands and God-fearing single men who'll find themselves facing the same exact temptation tomorrow, or the next week or the next month ... or even in the next 5 seconds.

Flying toward the Light: Birds as Quantum Navigators

- thanks to my friend Ken M. for passing this along.

Reverse-Engineering the Quantum Compass of Birds

• By Brandon Keim
• June 23, 2009 |
• 1:36 pm |
• Categories: Animals

Scientists are coming ever closer to understanding the cellular navigation tools that guide birds in their unerring, globe-spanning migrations.

The latest piece of the puzzle is superoxide, an oxygen molecule that may combine with light-sensitive proteins to form an in-eye compass, allowing birds to see Earth’s magnetic field.

“It connects from the subatomic world to a whole bird flying,” said Michael Edidin, an editor of Biphysical Journal, which published the study last week. “That’s exciting!”

The superoxide theory is proposed by Biophysicist Klaus Schulten of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, lead author of the study and a pioneer in avian magnetoreception. Schulten first hypothesized in 1978 that some sort of biochemical reaction took place in birds’ eyes, most likely producing electrons whose spin was affected by subtle magnetic gradients.

In 2000, Schulten refined this model, suggesting that the compass contained a photoreceptor protein called cryptochrome, which reacted with an as-yet-unidentified molecule to produce pairs of electrons that existed in a state of quantum entanglement — spatially separated, but each still able to affect the other.

According to this model, when a photon hits the compass, entangled electrons are scattered to different parts of the molecule. Variations in Earth’s magnetic field cause them to spin in different ways, each of which leaves the compass in a slightly different chemical state. The state alters the flow of cellular signals through a bird’s visual pathways, ultimately resulting in a perception of magnetism.

Far-fetched as it sounds, subsequent research from multiple groups has found cellular evidence of such a system. Molecular experiments suggest that it’s indeed sensitive to Earth’s geomagnetics, and computational models suggest a level of quantum entanglement only dreamed of by physicists, who hope to use entangled electrons to store information in quantum computers.

But though cryptochrome is likely part of the compass, the other part is still unknown. In April, another group of magnetoreception researchers showed that oxygen could interact with cryptochrome to producethe necessary electron entanglements. Schulten’s latest proposed role for superoxide, an oxygen anion found in bird eyes, fits with their findings.

Edidin cautioned that “this is still not an experimental demonstration. It’s a possibility.”

As for the perceptual result of the compass, it remains a mystery. Some researchers think birds might see a dot at the edge of their vision, swiveling according to the direction they’re facing. Others think it might produce effects of color or hue. Perhaps migrating birds fly towards the light.

- source here

Tomorrow we'll delve more deeply into two of my favorite subjects: singlets and quantum entanglement. But probably not.

The new, or the True?

I dunno.

I see single people worrying and complaining a lot about being single. Not that they're sitting home alone, no ... but then the concept of "dating" no longer has much to do with learning about or growing with another person beyond "How well can this person fit my requirements and satisfy my needs?"

Romance becomes confused with chemistry and urgency; commitment, like passion, becomes momentary, fleeting and subject to convenience ... because someone New and more exciting might be waiting just around the corner.

It's as though we've reached the point where someone could feel comfortable and "contemporary" about saying, "I'm married, but I can still be single, too."

Because no one wants to be restricted or tied-down when something New ... someone hotter, someone better looking, someone wealthier, someone more exotic or someone more exciting ... may turn up tomorrow, right?

Wrong.

Never mind giddy romance, self-indulgence and puppy-dog passion ... what about embracing the only love that's true, permanent and everlasting?

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

- 1 John 5:20

"Know why I am the way I yam?"

Folks have lots of rationalizations to explain what they preceive as being "wrong" with themselves.

Whether it's "I had a bad childhood" or "You don't know what my life's been like" or "Just look what divorce did to me" every explanation for unpleasant behavior boils down to one word.

Excuse.

But there is no excuse: you may as well walk into your local bank and tell the loan officer, "I deserve this loan because of what happened to me," or apply for a job and inform your would-be boss, "After what's happened to me, life owes me this job."

Does that sound callous or insensitive?

Think about the situation this way. Explaining to other folks that "You don't know what I've endured" comes across as a demand or, at best, an entitlement: "I've suffered more humiliation and unfairness in my life than you; therefore life owes me special consideration and something to settle the score."

That attitude toward life is like self-curing cement poured out in a field: once the first layer has set the eventual structure can only harden into a shapeless pile ... lacking a foundation or a plan to be anything else.

I had to read this 3 times ...

- email from Vernon

Best day? Well, it certainly was right up there with “best days” of year’s gone by, as far as the attendance goes. Today was “Friend Day” at Bible Baptist Church of Olorien. Our people outdid themselves with invitations to friends and neighbors. Our congregation of 200 swelled today to 840! Praise the Lord!

Wonder if there's a swahili word for "megachurch"? :-)

"All religions are the same."

Can you really argue that with a straight face?

Meanwhile, overnight in Charm City ...

Tornado Touches Down, Leaves Damage

In Essex, Md.

Meteorologist Bernadette Woods' Updated Forecast

Storm Damage Slideshow

Reporting
Suzanne Collins

ESSEX, Md. (WJZ) ―

Click to enlarge

1 of 1

This image was taken over Sue Creek in Middle River on Saturday afternoon.

CBS

Related Links

• Storm Damage Slideshow
• Meteorologist Bernadette Woods' Updated Forecast

A fierce storm tears up trees, damaging homes and cars in Essex.

Suzanne Collins reports National Weather Services believes it was a tornado that caused the damage.

The funnel cloud touched down in two places about five miles apart in the Back River area, and it left a lot of wreckage in its wake.

A waterfront home on Brown Creek is crushed by a fallen tree pulled up by what the Weather Service believes was a tornado.

- source here

6 Shot Near Bar Early Saturday Morning

BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―

Click to enlarge

1 of 1

CBS

Gunshots rang out near Patterson Park Avenue, hitting six people.

Police say one person has died, one is in critical condition and the other four are being treated at the hospital.

The violence broke out on Oliver Street outside the Honey Hole Bar near closing time. According to police, at least one shooter approached from Patterson Park and began firing.

Police aren't yet saying what prompted the shooting spree.

- source here

Multiple Fatalities Feared In Street Racing Crash

WOODLAWN, Md. (WJZ) ―

Click to enlarge

1 of 1

CBS

Two people have been killed in a crash during illegal street racing in Baltimore County, police tell Eyewitness News.

State Police confirm one driver lost control, hitting two cars that were parked at the end of the illegal track. A group of people were standing at the finish line; some people were seated inside the cars.

Two people were struck and killed when that car lost control. One person sitting in one of the cars suffered injuries that are not life threatening.

One of the people killed is identified as 21-year-old Mary Kathryn Michele Abernathy, of Columbia. Her 20-year-old boyfriend, who lives in La Plata, was also killed. His identity is being withheld, pending notification of his family.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

-source here

Expect to See Lives Changed At 11:15, 2 PM and 6PM EST

-see more here

"But things change ..."

God help me ... I'm in trouble. Again.

Why is it that some folks will more or less live as though God doesn't exist, and skip through life intent upon pleasing themselves, explaining that "organized religion just isn't for me" ... until they find themselves drowning in a situation/predicament/relationship of their own creation and choice?

Oh God please help me. Dear Lord please hear me and get me out of this ...

--------

Imagine you've been feeling closer to God than ever. You feel so filled with the Spirit that you actually make God this promise: "I won't date or seek a relationship with anyone who's not boldly and confidently a follower of Christ."

Sounds promising, but then maybe you haven't been dating anybody remarkable recently anyway and besides, it sure feels good knowing you've finally got God on your side.

Then a few weeks or months go by and, as things turn out, you meet someone who totally Rocks Your World. Fluttering heart, daydreams of the future you always imagined, total loss of concentration for anyone (or anything) else ... for the first time in your life you've met someone who is obviously and apparently a dream come true.

Except for one little thing: the person who just came to life from your daydreams isn't a believer.

Well you know despite what the preacher or Scripture says, you explain to yourself, maybe "missionary dating" can be a good thing. Certainly seems worth a try, especially since this person is absolutely perfect and complete in every other way. After all, what's the worst that can happen?

I'm willing to guess quite a lot.

-----------

When you make God a promise, how can something suddenly come along that makes fulfilling that promise seem so impossibly hard? What can make us change our minds and turn our focus away from Him, and toward pursuing our personal interests ... and makes fulfilling our own plans and desires so urgently important?

Maybe the question's not so much How or What, but Who.

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

- 2 Corinthians 11:14

Vigo to the rescue

(Wednesday blog lite)

The Safeway across the street doesn't carry Vigo yellow rice, so I went on-line and found some.

Once you figure up the shipping, it makes better sense to buy by the case.

I can't tie my own shoes

It's true.

I can only half-way tie my shoes. Meaning, I can't tie my shoes left-handed.

Here's something else: I can look myself in the face but I can't look inside my own ears.

And if I was trapped at the bottom of a hole I couldn't give myself a helping hand to pull myself out or pull myself up by the boot straps, either.

Funny, isn't it, how so many folks who can't tie their shoes with their "other" hand or see what's inside their ears or give themselves a helping hand still believe they can work through and negotiate their own Salvation?

A.N. Wilson returns to the faith

Believe Again: A. N. Wilson Returns to the Faith

Chuck Colson

BreakPoint

May 1, 2009

Two decades ago, A. N. Wilson wrote a critically acclaimed biography of C.S. Lewis. This and some other of his writings led some Christians to hope that Wilson might become what Alan Jacobs once called “that figure for whom so many have been waiting for so long, The Next C. S. Lewis.”

It therefore came as a surprise and a disappointment when Wilson publicly repudiated his Christian faith a few years later and became a mocker of Christianity.

Yet, this past Easter, in the U.K.’s Daily Mail, Wilson was urging British Christians not be cowed by “sneering” and “self-satisfied” critics like Richard Dawkins.

A. N. Wilson, you see, has returned to the faith. Why? In large measure because of the strongest evidence for the truth of the Gospel—that is, its impact on people’s lives.

- full story here

Habari Yako? Medical Update

(email from Vernon)

Eight people of our visiting group, are medical people. Together with our own church member Dr. Byemba, they were able to see and treat 155 people from our community. We still have no diagnostic equipment, or furniture. (our container is stuck in the Dar es salaam port). However, with great patience and skill, the group worked with the our community and helped relieve some of their physical ailments. They brought 26 suitcases of meds that were able to be a great blessing to all.

As always, we thank you for your prayers and thoughts for this ministry. Please pray for the medical group as they minister one more time this coming Wednesday, and for the rest of the group as they will hold a day camp at our Christian school, and then minister in the Wed. evening service. God Bless and give you a good week.

An 11-Year Old College Graduate?

Moshe Kai Cavalin, 11, graduates with honors from East Los Angeles Community College with a Associate Arts degree in Liberal Studies this week, but just don't call him a genius.

Watch Video

Moshe Kai Cavalin, 11, is graduating with honors from East Los Angeles Community College this week.

"I consider myself a regular kid who works hard and does his best," says this only child of a Taiwanese mother and an Israeli father.

When Cavalin started college at the age of 8, he may have been the youngest person in class, but he ended up tutoring some of his 19- and 20-year-old classmates in math and science. Cavalin was one of 3 in the school graduating with a 4.0 GPA.

Astrophysics is his passion. Albert Einstein and Bruce Lee are among his idols.

- source here

Do you understand this parable?

"The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

"Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

"Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

- Mark 4:14-20

Reason #614 for attending the NewSpring web campus

#614. You can have popcorn without disturbing the folks sitting beside you.

11:15AM 2:00PM (11:00AM PST) & 6:00PM EST

(just click below to go)

NEWSPRING WEB CAMPUS

Futuristic Friday Fun

- Friday morning Blog Lite

Amazing where technology's taken today's toys, ain't it?

The Aliseo Flying Boat

The Aliseo Flying Boat (above) is a 2-seat inflatable boat that can also cruise at 10,000 feet with two people aboard. price $42,000

The Rinspeed sQuba (above) is powered by zero-emission lithium batteries. A self-contained pressurized air tank allows the sQuba to dive and cruise at 30 feet below the surface.

The Seamagine Ocean Pearl (above) is a two person submersible with a dome cabin that affords passengers 300-degree views. The standard version is rated to 500 feet but an optional upgrade increases the maximum depth to 3000 feet below sea level. Base price $1.3 million

101

It's not just for Sundays ... it's for Always.

"I'd rather worship in private, thanks"

Sorry, but "in private" sounds like a better place to hide than to worship.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

- James 1:22

just like blog tv?

As of December 2007, Technorati was tracking 112 million blogs ... so if you enjoy reading blogs, how on earth could you possibly find what you're looking for?

Condron.us might help: it's a website that automatically flips, like channel surfing, through not only the blogs you've added to your "channel," but can also search, translate and bookmark your favorites.

I looked for the word "condron" in the dictionary to find out what it means, without result.  Must be the company's name?

Any idea what's back there?

The other day I installed one of the nifitiest gadgets ever ... an all-weather infrared observation camera.  I figure it'll come in handy while backing Calypso into her slip when there's a half-million dollars worth of fiberglass hiding behind me on both sides.

I bought a BNC to RCA cable adapter, so the video will display on the GPS navigation screen in the helm and on the LCD in the saloon (that's boat talk for "living room").

The best part is that this gadget cost just $38.46 plus shipping from Amazon.

Roadside Disasters

I don't know what it is that makes so many drivers slow down to a pace slower than a two-legged frog could hop as they're approaching a roadside accident, and then rubberneck, gape and stare as they're passing by.

The more flashing lights ahead and the greater the number of ambulances, firetrucks and EMTs on the scene, the more intense the anticipation of seeing a genuine tragedy up-close seems to become.

What are drivers like that expecting to see ... and why do they want so badly to see it?

---

Accidents, calamities and disasters seem to command an urgent appeal for attention, as if because we're human we're entitled to intentionally snoop into and vicariously participate in events that tear human lives ... and families ... apart.

The redder the gore and the more lurid the details, the more titillating the tableaux will sound tomorrow as it's repeated round the gossip circles ... as if others endured real-life anguish and heartache merely for entertainment value, something to be discussed when nothing's on TV; a topic that can't be dismissed until we're tired of talking about it.

Rubbernecks and spectators want to be entertained.  For them it's sufficient to gape as they drive past, to step on the gas once the scene's behind them ... and to disaffectedly go on their way.

---

Seeing the shock on survivors' faces and imagining the disrupted lives peering back just out of reach from the median must somehow feel reassuring for the folks who're only interested in entertaining themselves ... because gapers are confident of arriving home without incident: Something like that will never happen to me.

But who can know that ... and who in the world would tell you such a thing?

How big is God, really?

Bigger than the solar system?  Bigger than the Milky Way?  Bigger than the entire universe?

Yep ... and bigger than your all of your problems, all of your frustrations and all of your hurting, too.

Reason #607 for attending the NewSpring Web Campus

#607. Your inlaws are in town, and they're the type of folks who insist upon shouting "Amen!" or  adding "Preach it!" to the end of every sentence in the message.

NewSpring Web Campus

11:15 am EST, 2:00 pm Pacific, 6:00 PM Eastern

New series starts today:  God Is ...

Standing up, or bending over?

Folks have problems in their lives, I understand that.

But the problem, particularly when a predicament involves a personal or romantic relationship, is guaranteed to only fester and get worse when one party feels that the only solution is to accomodate a compromise by "bending over to get along" ... instead of standing up and affirming, "No, you're free to follow your own way, but I will not compromise by accompanying you down the path you've chosen."

It's hard, sure.  But so is finding your way back.

Excellence by Example --- UPDATED

One afternoon at Lake Hartwell I watched a man trying to steer his Go Fast boat onto its trailer.  The man's wife was ashore, in charge of backing the trailer into the water ... always a potentially disastrous situation, at least so far as marriage is concerned.

Especially when the captain is in over his head and has no idea what he's doing.

Wasn't long before the man was turning red, screaming and flapping his arms like a gigged salamander.  Folks on the parking lot couldn't help but stare and take notice.  Then he started cursing his wife, calling her a zoo-full of rare and colorful expletives for her inability to back the trailer into the precise position he commanded.

What would it have actually taken to stave off divorce and get the boat sliding onto its trailer ... without all the rage, the volume and all the screaming hysterics?  Would moving the trailer another inch or two to the left have made any difference?

Wait ... do you mean my left, or his left?  

Or do I mean the guy was a ninny at driving his big expensive new boat, and blaming his wife with thundering curses (and using his hands to make obscene gestures, instead of using them to steer and guide the boat) was easier than facing facts ... or the faces of all the folks watching and snickering out of earshot? 

-----

Just watched a guy single-hand a 85-foot Azimuth (that's a $6.5 million dollar yacht) alongside the dock in a 12mph crosswind ... without even bouncing the fenders off the rub rails.  He threw his line down from the flying bridge while the woman aboard stood at the transom and threw her stern line to a dock attendant.  

The lines got tied, he shut down the engines, and that was that.  Without any screaming, temper fits or even needing a second (or ninth) attempt to get the boat docked.  Pure, simple no-fuss.  Ho hum, the job got done.   

Any captain can throw tantrums, raise his voice and scream orders to disguise his ineptness.

But Excellence is by example.

Tantrum-throwing, billowing captains need not apply.

Sunday afternoon after church I was walking down the dock just in time to watch another guy single-hand a 55-foot SeaRay alongside ... entirely by himself.  No dock hands standing by to grab ropes, no "First Mate" with a boat hook, just him all by his lonesome.

Why do I spend so much time watching folks docking their boats?  Cause I still got lots n' lots to learn.

Define yourself according to ...

Funny, isn't it, how our perceptions of ourselves are skewed.

Our self-concept is likely to include the merits of our academic achievements (or the highlights of our social lives) ; measurements of our wealth and possessions (or a rejection of folks having more); our politics (or the greed, moral degeneracy and avarice of the opposing party); and might even reflect an optimism about our physical attractiveness (or a rejection of better-looking folks' vanity). 

We create optimistic notions and bold attitudes founded upon the best qualities in ourselves, and therefore believe our self-perceptions must be not only true and consistent with what others should think, but that our image of ourselves must also be patently obvious to anyone intelligent enough to draw a breath.  And doggone it ... shouldn't we always be treated like we deserve?

Obviously our self-image is not a comprehensive (or even accurate) picture or definition of who we are, nor does our self-concept perfectly predict how we're seen by others.  But then that's OK, isn't it ... because we're adults after all, so who really cares what other people think?

How often do we stop to think how we might be pictured and seen by God?

---

Let's look at sin ... especially our secret sins.

You know yours (hopefully your heart isn't so hard that you're already arguing, "I don't have any and besides, my sins are nothing compared to the next guy's!" because face it: Sin is sin and all sin is abominable in God's eyes.  Without salvation through Christ, even the smallest sin merits eternal damnation), and I know mine.  

Sin is serious business, and keeping ourselves from it should be a full time 24x7 commitment.

Whether it's online porn, lying, gossip, greed, rationalizing ways of withholding your tithe,conceit and arrogance, self-righteousness, boastfulness or wrath and anger, God knows them all ... each and every one.  The thing is, the Father isn't as willing to overlook or to explain our private sins away as we are: God hates sin.

So what if God saw us not in terms of our human accomplishments or our "spiritual achievements," but in light of our sins ... including our secret favorites?

Does that make you start thinking, Uh oh?

---

Imagine Christ has returned, and that you ran up to the Savior on the street to introduce yourself.

"Jesus, I'm so glad to finally meet you!  My name is [your name], and I'm ..."  What if Christ interrupted and nodded, "Yes, you're the online porn addict.  Or [your name], the idolater.  Or the adulterer.  Or the gossip or the murderer.

Wouldn't an encounter like that just be humiliating and downright awful?  Wouldn't hearing Jesus address you by your secret sins make you totally cringe ... or maybe even become not so anxious about meeting the Messiah in the first place?

Will the certainty of finally coming face-to-face with Jesus ever be enough to make repenting of sin and seeking God's forgiveness the most urgent priority in your life?

Or does your self-image bind your heart to your sins, and keep that from happening?