You may have heard that "all sins are equal in God's eyes," "there's no hierarchy of sins in the Bible," or "Jesus didn't hang longer on the cross for certain sins." Are all sins equal in God's sight?

Well, yes and no. In one sense, all sin stems from rebellion against God by displacing Him from His rightful place in our hearts, evil proceeds from the heart, all that do unrighteously are abomination to the LORD, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, whoever who hates his brother is a murderer, lust is adultery of the heart, covetousness is idolatry, and he who breaks one law is guilty of all.

However, in another sense, God does not treat all sin equally; damnation and pardonability are not the only measures of sin. God says the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is exceedingly grave, Moses calls idolatry a great sin, the sin of Eli's sons is described as very great, and Jesus says that Judas has the greater sin than Pilate.

In addition to different descriptions of sin, God assigns different judgments to sin (not to be confused with the natural consequences of sin, which may or may not describe sin unto death). His law is perfect, His statutes are right, and His judgments are righteous. His law does not punish theft of property with death or dismemberment; the punishment must fit the crime in order to be just. Punishments include death, injury (for inflicting the same injury), medical expenses, and restitution. If these judgments are righteous, and you accept that punishment must fit the crime in order to be righteous, it follows that differing seriousness of punishments means differing seriousness of crimes. For example, a capital crime would be more serious than a restitution crime. In this old blog entry, I argue that shedding of innocent blood and the Leviticus 18 sexual abominations are more serious capital crimes because they result in expulsion from the land.

God's judgments include not only the Torah, but eternal judgments. Ignorance is a mitigating factor. At the great white throne, (probably unsaved) people are judged according to their deeds. Jesus tells his disciples (11/12 saved) that he will repay every man according to his deeds and tells the churches He will give to each one according to his deeds. While you could argue that this could be based on quantity instead of quality, quantity is also irrelevant in terms of damnation and pardonability. Paul describes receiving reward and suffering loss depending on what Christians build on the foundation of Jesus Christ.

Bruce Wilkinson's book A Life God Rewards explains two keys that determine your eternity:

My dad's birthday is June 19, so it's usually close to Father's Day and sometimes coincides.  I called him both days and had some good, convicting conversations with him.  It reminded me of the following article I wrote for the February 2008 issue of the MBCLA Chronicle, our church newsletter:

“He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.”  -Proverbs 13:20 (NASB).  This proverb teaches the principle that character is more caught than taught.  The emphasis is on walking and companionship, not teaching and scholarship.  It is also a continuous action, not a one-time event.  Young’s Literal Translation puts it a different way: “Whoso is walking with wise men is wise, And a companion of fools suffereth evil.”  Other Bible verses emphasize the importance of walking with wise and godly friends (Proverbs 2:20, Psalm 119:63) and avoiding foolish and evil friends (Proverbs 1:15, 2:12-19, 28:7, 2 Corinthians 6:14).

The MBCLA Men’s Mentorship program gives mentees an opportunity to walk with wise men and build relationships that probably would not have been formed outside of the program.  Much of the learning will be through “osmosis,” perhaps even subconsciously.  Additionally, there will be accountability and revealing blind spots (Proverbs 27:6), mutual encouragement (Proverbs 27:17, Hebrews 10:24), and perhaps some positive peer pressure.

These elements are already present in the English Young Adult Fellowship small groups, so what’s so special about mentorship?  Well, for one thing, mentorship is one-on-one.  Shared experiences draw people together.  Shared experiences between just two people draw them closer together than experiences among a group, even if it is a small group.  When your time and attention is focused on one person instead of divided among many, there is more and better communication.  Communication is essential for a relationship.

The experience also feels special, unique, more intimate.  No one else will have the identical experience.  More privacy facilitates trust and intimacy.  Many of the special times I cherish were one-on-one: breakfast dates with Dad, teaching my brother to drive, teaching my sister to drive, long discussions or playing times with a friend, lunch with a close boss, sharing and praying with just one small group brother.

Also important to relationships is regularly scheduled time.  People drift apart without continuous interaction.  I don’t consider myself a relationship person.  I’m content spending time by myself for long periods without human contact, as long as I have some box (whether computer, television, or book) to occupy me.  Unless I have to, or I’ve already agreed to, I seldom step outside the house.  However, as Rick Warren writes in The Purpose Driven Life, “Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is ‘T-I-M-E.’”  This is probably why most people have only 5 close friends, though they know about 150 acquaintances.

I look forward to shared experiences, activities, learning, and a deep friendship with my mentor.  We have some shared interests that I’m sure I’ll enjoy.

Regularly spending time one-on-one to build a deep friendship can be done with peers, so why an older mentor?  There’s something that an older mentor can offer that peers can’t: life experience.

Though not always the case (Job 32:7-9), wisdom tends to come with age.  “A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness.” -Proverbs 16:31 (NASB).  The elders who served Rehoboam’s father, Solomon, were wiser than Rehoboam’s peers (1 Kings 12:6-11).  Experience in a godly Christian’s life brings not just spiritual maturity and strength of character (Psalm 37:25, 34:8, Hebrews 5:14), but practical wisdom for work, finances, family, relationships, and other areas of day-to-day living.

The character, wisdom, perspective, knowledge, skills, resources, and connections that come from experience could be learned from books, most notably the Bible (Psalm 119:99-100), so why do I need a relationship?  Interaction and feedback make a personal guide better than just a map and make a mentor better than just a book.  We learn better from “show and tell,” not just “tell.”  Great pianists didn’t learn piano from an instruction manual.  Great coaches make good athletes great.

Whenever you read a law, medical, investing, or tax self-help book, it always disclaims that it’s giving legal, medical, investing, or tax advice and to consult a lawyer, doctor, financial advisor, or accountant.  These professionals provide specific advice tailored to your particular situation versus the general information in a book.  As for the Bible, God Himself opens our eyes (Psalm 119:18), enables us to understand (1 Corinthians 2:10-14), and reminds us at the right time (John 14:26, 2:22, 12:16).

1) Regularly scheduled one-on-one time to build a relationship, 2) life experience, and 3) interaction make mentorship unique, rich, and effective.  For me, there’s another reason to have a mentor.  Ideally, your parents should be your mentors.  My dad lives halfway across the country.  There are some things he can’t do from a distance.  A mentor is like a local father, just like the men in my small group are like brothers.  “Do not forsake your own friend or your father's friend, And do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.” -Proverbs 27:10 (NASB)

With all that's happened and is happening in the financial news lately, you may have asked questions about the economy:
What's wrong with the economy?
What is money?
Where does money come from?
What causes inflation?
Why does inflation feel like it's more than the government numbers say it is?
What's "the Fed" and what does it have to do with the economy?
What's so bad about the national debt?
How do bubbles form?
How long does it take for bubbles to burst?
What causes recession?
What does the price of oil have to do with the economy?
Do we still need to worry about energy?

If you are wondering about the answer to any of these questions or ever wished you understood the economy, you should watch The Crash Course.  If you've never cared about the economy, you should watch The Crash Course to find out why you should care.  This entertaining and terrifying three-and-a-half-hour video series can be watched all at once or in more manageable 3-20 minute chunks.  You might possibly learn more about the economy in this time than you have in your life.  If you spend only three and a half hours of your life learning about the economy, let it be on watching The Crash Course.

"And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  Saving is good, but selfish hoarding is not.

"And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.  The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.  Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?  And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?  If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?  Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?  And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.  For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.  But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."  Planning is good, but worry is not.

"Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  Do not set your heart on things that will not last forever.  "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." -1 John 2:15-17

Be responsible with money, but do not serve it:
"He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.  If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?  And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." -Luke 16:10-13

I posted a comment to this xanga entry, "Jesus didn't get involved in politics."

Planned Parenthood and its allies filed suit to remove the story of Sarah and any reference to "Sarah's Law" from the official voter guide that will be mailed to California voters before the November election.  "Sarah" was the pseudonym given to protect the identity of Jammie Garcia Yanez-Villegas, a 15-year-old Texas girl who died in 1994 from complications from an abortion her parents were unaware of.  Planned Parenthood argues that since she had a common-law husband, Sarah's Law would not have protected her.

It's funny that Proposition 4's opponents would make accusations of misleading.

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.  Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel." -Matthew 23:23-24

I got 4 correct out of 12, below the average score of 7.07. 

Each year's top 10 New Year's resolutions inevitably include "lose weight."  I have become convinced that proper diet is the most effective means of reducing excess body fat.

Lipidologist Barry Sears was searching for a magic bullet to save himself from heart disease, which killed his father and two uncles in their fifties, and to make a fortune on the patent.  He experimented with the essential fatty acids GLA (borage oil) and EPA (fish oil) to regulate eicosanoids, but found that diet was a more effective way.  He designed the Zone Diet to regulate eicosanoids by controlling insulin levels.  He still recommends high-dose fish oil, but its effectiveness is reduced without the Zone Diet.

After a week on the diet, I did my first pull-up in years.  3 weeks later, I did 2 pull-ups in a row and could do intermittent singles.  Another 2 weeks later, I did 3 in a row with intermittent singles.  I also lost about a pound per week.  I could do push-ups on the ground instead of elevated.  Workouts that I thought would make me sore didn't make me sore.  I believe the Zone Diet increased my physical performance.  It seems to also have reduced drowsiness after meals.