Instant Gratification

Instant Gratification is when you get the thing that you want/desire as soon as you express or work towards that desire. It's immediate. You want it, you set out to get it, and BOOM it's in your hands.

It's an awesome thing that rarely exists in the natural world.

I'm not sure how we came to believe in and desire instant gratification. I think, maaaaybe, it started out with creationism. "Let there be light" and what happened? There was LIGHT. What?!?! Can I do that too?!!

Sadly, the answer is a resounding: nope. I have found that out in painful detail over the past two weeks. In the final days in Bali--whether due to all the noodles or all the rice, I don't know which--I realized I had packed on a few LBs. This was distressing, and I decided I would commence a weight loss plan upon my return.

It has been two weeks, and I am freaked out that I don't weigh like 13lbs less already. Why? Because I'm looking for instant gratification (IG). I know that IG in this circumstance is irrational and stupid, but I don't care. After I eat a particularly healthy meal, I feel my stomach (is there less fat in there because of that one meal?). After I work out, I feel my stomach (have I burned away all the fat yet?). I have done this every day (even on the FIRST day).

The key here for me is patience. If I'm patient, and I stick to "the plan" I will be nearly there in 5 weeks (per www.myfitnesspal.com). If I can wait 5 weeks, I'll get everything that's coming to me, but sometimes we can't wait, and the results are disastrous. 

There is a story that Christians have heard 100 times. It's so played that even non-Christians know the reference: The Prodigal Son.

I've always focused on the story being about the return of what's lost. And it is definitely about that. However, it is also a lesson in patience.

“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 

Luke 15:11-12

Normally, people get their inheritance when their parents have...ummm...died. This dude wanted what was "his" when it still technically belonged to someone else. Is that crazy or what? This guy grew up watching his father work and build this inheritance, and maybe he started to dream of all he could accomplish with that money. Maybe he looked at his older brother and thought: "you are wasting your best years! There's a whole world out there to be seen...it just has to be financed!" And so he requests his inheritance NOW and leaves. Based on the story (see Luke 15:13), he clearly wasn't ready to have his inheritance. He wanted his life to start so badly that he almost ended it. He spent all the money and then a FAMINE came. Imagine that, broke in a famine. He almost died out there. And I wonder, what would have happened had he waited: 

1. His inheritance would have grown instead of being lost
2. He would have grown older and possibly wiser, better able to manage a fortune
3. He would have gone through the famine at home, with his father who had storehouses of food/supplies.

What is my point? I realized that my patience issues go far beyond my diet. If I'm truthful, I will cheat on this diet. I will likely quit this diet. BUT, when it comes to the spiritual realm, I can't give up on living my life for God and start trying to find my own way just because I'm:

1. Not married
2. Finances are funny
3. Sick
4. Unhappy/Mad/Jealous
5. Whatever goes in these types of lists

I get to points when I'm thinking: "you are wasting your best years!"* and I go about trying to make myself happy by any means necessary. And I end up like the prodigal son: broke, in a famine.

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. 

 Hebrews 10:36 (NLT)

Impatient people find it hard, exceedingly difficult, and then downright impossible to live out God's will for them, because they constantly see/are looking for another way. There has to be a better, shorter, more fun way...

Right? 

*Please know that is a lie and a trick of the enemy. When I stop to think about it, I realized that I have had so many awesome experiences. And so many things have worked out in my favor, but when you're impatient about just one thing...suddenly your life is meaningless. Guard against such thoughts.

Lazarus: It's Not Over

Yes, I am on vacation...but I'm not on vacation from God, and so I thought I would write a blog about an occurrence in the Bible that always gets to me, and that I've been thinking about a lot the past two weeks:

Lazarus.

Lazarus is possibly one of the most cut-and-dried stories in the Bible; however, it means something to me, and I will try to express why.

I don't like to quit. And I hate to give up. Of course, I do quit/give up from time to time...but there is a part of me that still holds on to hope, that believes: it's not over.

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. - John 11:17

Lazarus is a great story because...it was over. It was about as over as it could get. Four days dead and in the tomb! He gone! Jesus had healed tons of sick people (Mark 2:1-5). Jesus had raised people from the dead (Mark 5:41-43), though they were all recently dead. He had calmed seas (Mark 4:35-40), and He'd fed thousands of people with food that could probably only feed a table of four (Matthew 14:19-21). He'd done so many things, but He'd done them all in the moment when they were needed. He'd done all those things when He was present.

But then...Lazarus. Four days?

Lazarus is an awesome story because it reflects two different perspectives. I thought that it was two ways of looking at a situation, but really it's two ways of looking at Jesus. For the purposes of this blog we will call this: Martha's Way and Mary's Way. Caveat: This is just my take on their reactions, which are (of course) hard to read. I'd be interested to know your take.

Part One - "Hey ya'll...Jesus is coming."  John 11:20

Martha's Way: Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him...
Mary's Way: ...but Mary stayed at the house.

Both women have lost their brother. Both women are in pain and grieving. But one has gone out to meet the Lord, either in spite or her grief or because of her grief. But she still has to see him. That is Martha's Way. The other withdraws from the Lord, either in spite of her grief or because of her grief, she can't bring herself to leave her place of weeping. I don't think this needs much explanation, because if you're a Christian--and even if you're not--you know what it's like to be unable to move. You know what it is like to be paralyzed by your emotional state. Sometimes to the point that you avoid the one thing/one person who could help you. 

Part Two -  Praise vs. Blame/Disappointment/Pain/Anguish. John 11: 21 - 26 and John 11: 32

Martha's Way:  

Martha then said to Jesus, “ Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “ I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “ I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”

Mary's Way: 

Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “ Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

This is where it gets real to me. I am so Mary. If I can muster up the strength to pray, it's only to alert God to what He could have done. "If only you had blessed me with that job (boo hoo hoo) ," "Lord, I prayed for 'XYZ' but this happened instead (boo hoo hoo)" And then I just fall out and cry. It's over.

But Martha. Man, this chick inspired me this morning. Because she acknowledges that Jesus could have done something ("if you had been here my brother wouldn't have died"), but she also acknowledges that He can still do something ("even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."). And on top of that she acknowledges why she believes this...because she knows who He is ("even He who comes into the world). For Martha, it's NOT over, even though, she believes Lazarus to be a goner. When Jesus talks about resurrection, she's like "yeah, on the last day." And Jesus is like: no chick...right now! 

And that's another point. Even if my faith is strong enough to see me to "it's not over" it not usually strong enough to see me to an expectation of the miraculous--or to an expectation of complete deliverance--in the here and now. But that is what Jesus was offering, a right now deliverance in a time when it was rational for hope to be lost.

Of course, WITHOUT question, our main expectation is to be towards heaven, but the story of Lazarus inspires me to think like David: 

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Psalms 27:13  

It might be irrational to think so sometimes...but it's not over. 

My Trip to Bali - The Massages

Greetings from Bali!

I had meant to document my trip more frequently, but:

1. I am pretty wiped out by the end of the day
2. Internet connectivity is pretty spotty 

However, right now, I'm making time sitting in the lobby of our resort. Prior to coming on the trip, June and I had decided that we would have a spa treatment or massage every day. This was successful until yesterday when one of our "naps" turned into full-out sleep. In any case, before that, the streak was strong, so I will explain to you some of our spa experiences:

Massage 1
Location: Namaya Spa at the Royal Beach Seminyak Hotel
Massage Type: Traditional Balinese
Description: As the first massage, it had to set the standard. And it did! It was great, perfect pressure, perfect ambiance (Balinese music, smells of lotus/lavender, dark/air conditioned room). This was the first day of the trip, and it really started it off right.

Facial 1
Location: Spa Bali
Facial Type: Traditional Facial
Description: This was my first facial ever, so I didn't have any frame of reference. But June...she was displeased. We were in the same room, and I could hear her saying things like: "Less pressure", "too hard" to finally "...you're hurting me." Of course, I, being the excellent friend that I am was laughing. For me, the facial was a decent experience. For her...an appointment with pain.


Manicure 1
Location: Spa Bali
Facial Type: Regular mani/pedi
Description: They were doing a somewhat terrible job. I could hear June saying things like: "you don't have to push those back", "don't clip those," and finally..."you're hurting me." So we canceled the pedi. To top it all off, those manicures were ugly...however, their polish selection was abysmal. ABYSMAL. No Shanghai Shimmer? Shame.

Massage 2
Location: Private Wellness Spa, Seminyak

Massage Type: Tibetan "Singing Bowls"
Description: This was, by far, the dumbest massage ever. This massage incorporates the use of four bowls, of varying sizes which are strategically placed all over your body and hit (gong style) to send vibrations through your muscles. This is supposed to relieve tension and boost your immune system.

This was the first time June and I were separated for a treatment, so it was good to come back to each other and compare notes:

June: So...how did you like it?
Me: That was super lame...
June: (laughing hysterically) YES! I knew I should have stopped him when he put the little bowls on my feet! "Bong!"

It was like nothing was happening! I couldn't feel anything and the bowls were right on my exposed back!  Also, that room was STIFLING hot. My nose got all stuffed up, and I was dying so I went to sleep. Eventually, someone said: "your massage finished" and I could breathe easy again (literally). Caveat: This place was NICE. I think that if I had just ordered a different massage things would have gone better. I take all the blame.


Facial 2/Pedicure 1
Location: AMO, Seminyak

Facial Type: "Oxygen" Facial/Basic pedi

Description: The pedicure requires no description. It was basic, it was good. The facial though. I felt like I was being abducted by aliens. As this was my second facial ever, I have to say I preferred the first. For this facial, they steamed me up, but then they did this "extraction" thing that was really painful, and then they used a long thin silver tube to shoot oxygen into my newly opened pores. And it made sucking, scary sounds. After this, they put an oxygen mask over my entire face and just hit me up with Oxygen. Think about this: extraction, silver tube shooting into my face, gas mask...alien abduction.

Massage 3
Location: Jari Menari, Seminyak
Massage Type: "Four-Hands Massage

Description: The four-hands massage utilizes two practitioners on one body. These two people are working in tandem to create a blissful massage experience that is supposed to be unmatched. Jari Menari is a different massage spa because it is staffed 100% by male masseurs. I have NO problem with this. ;)

We confirmed a couple of times with management that we wanted the four-hands massage (you have to do this because of the language barrier). So the massage is taking place...it's going well. My calves had really been hurting from all the walking around, and this guy was really starting to knead my body in a way that had me thinking: "this is gonna be good." Then I hear June saying: "less pressure," "too strong," "you're hurting me." A few more minutes pass, and my massage is ascending to the heights of glorious when I hear June's small childlike voice say: "Excuse me...is this the FOUR-HANDS massage" and it wasn't! By some twist of fate (a happy twist of fate) they had started us on the wrong massage, but after a brief talk, the two additional masseurs came in (so now we both had two) and got to work...

My glorious massage was gone. This felt like a violation. It's like a traded in an amazing massage for an assault. It was so weird having these two strangers groping all over you. It was not in tandem. It was not in sync. It was just hands everywhere...and the new guy had B.O. And for the first time I was found saying: "less pressure," "too strong," and then I squeaked out a tiny: "stoppp..." Tragedy, if you will. And after they finished up, we had our debrief:

June: What did you think?
Me: ...rape.

Clearly, it wasn't that bad. But it was bad. Avoid.

Well, that's it. We had 3 other massages (I think) beyond these, but they were all traditional Balinese and a relaxation massage. In one of them...a lizard jumped on me. There was weeping and gnashing of teeth, but that is tied to another story altogether.

Bali, land of spas.

Excuse Me Sir, Your Car is on Fire...

Today, as I was driving home from the mall, I saw something that totally freaked me out:

A person in legitimate danger.

I was driving straight, and the person to my right was in the turning lane and was driving straight as well up to his turnoff. I noticed some smoke coming from his car. No big. Smoke comes from cars all the time, it might not mean anything. But as we were driving forward I saw what I thought were sparks beneath his car...but he was too close for me to tell. And then, as he was completing his turn I could see that the underbelly of his car was on fire. Like there were legit orange flames beneath his car. I couldn't believe it. I was stunned, like "what do I do?!".  And in a moment, my chance to alert him to his situation was gone. He was outside my sphere of influence. If I beeped now, he wouldn't hear me. If I rolled down my window and screamed, it would be in the wind. The moment had simply passed, and so I prayed. I was in the car praying out loud that his car wouldn't explode (I'm not sure if that was a possibility or not...I'm no mechanic), I prayed that he was turning to pull over, because he noticed that his car was smoking. I was praying that he smelled something, and was about to stop. I prayed and I hoped. I hoped that my inaction wouldn't cost that man. And I was sad.

And then I thought: do I do this everyday?

"So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith" - Galatians 6:10

I'm sitting here wondering how many opportunities have I wasted? On both physical and spiritual planes. When this incident happened, and I found myself driving on, relaxing  back into my own life and my own business, I realized: this will be a blog. I had one, and then two thoughts* regarding this issue: 

Thought One: Christian Accountability 

"Christian Accountability" has been reduced to a catch phrase that means: I go to small group/bible study and when my life is hard...I share. But, but, but what about when your car is on FIRE? I have been in situations where I have had a reciprocal share relationship with someone who's "car was on fire", and I never said a word...and then they turned. And they were outside my sphere of influence and I was left wondering and praying. Later on, I just relaxed back into me and everything was OK. But that's not okay, I have to stop thinking: "it's none of my business your car is on fire." And I have to stop assuming "she knows her car is on fire." 

"Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself." - Galatians 6:1

I have qualms about doing this...for the aforementioned reasons (i.e. not my biz and they know right/wrong). What I'm concerned about is the susceptibility that Paul is talking about in the second sentence: and be careful not to fall into the same temptation. We're susceptible...to the sin our brother/sister suffers from, and to other sins that we are currently suffering from. And so we feel like it's best to be silent. But it's best to speak up, while it is still today: 

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."- Hebrews 3:13

In closing, if you know me, please tell me if my car is on fire. I would consider it a kindness. 

"Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me —that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it..." Psalms 141:5

*The second thought is part 2.

Big World, Small World

Are you ever blown away by how big the world is? Ever been in awe of how many people are on it, and how we know so little about them? Sometimes it catches me by surprise when I'm in Target and I hear bits and pieces of strangers' conversations. I'm hearing bits and pieces of a life that outside of the Target is whole, and yet wholly unknown to me. The faces that I'll never see, the voices I'll never hear, and the thoughts that will never be expressed to me number in the billions. In this way, I feel so incredibly...small.

I have a friend who lives in Guangzhou (Southern China) and we were playing Words With Friends online, as we often do, and we use the chat function in there to talk smack and to just generally catch up. So, we recently had this conversation in chat:

Me: I've decided I really like Birdy. I mean, she has mad skills. (yes I said "mad skills"...I was born in the 80s)
Cons: I do too!!! Now listening to her album in repeat

I was blown away by that. Because in that moment...I was doing the exact same thing! Listening to Birdy on repeat. Loving every song, imagining myself making photo montages to her music (because I'm a nerd).

Big whoop, who cares, so what?

Well, I don't know exactly. I just know that right then I felt really connected. Cons felt close even though she's far away. She felt close, and she's thousands of miles away. Where she is...it's like tomorrow. Isn't that amazing?! We don't even live in the same day, and she felt closer to me than the man who sits in the office across from mine...just because of a song.

This past weekend I engaged in something I have never done before: street evangelism. It was rough and part of it was because the people on the street felt far away even though they were walking right past me. I'm on the street, trying to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone who, though within touching distance, is thousands of miles away...in my mind. No shared experience.  I was a failure out there, I'm not ashamed to say. No one had a "come to Jesus" moment on account of me. At least, not that I saw. But I had a moment. I had a revelation: my shared experience has to be more. I'm not saying I have to live their life, but I have to see their life. I have to be like Paul:

To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. - 1 Corinthians 9:21-23

Shared experience. He made himself connected.


To be ALL things, to ALL people, just to save SOME. That is an amazing concept. I have to be a lot, to get a little. This is crazy, especially in light of the billions of faces, voices, and thoughts that I don't know about. But you know what...if someone on the other side of tomorrow can happen to be listening to the exact same music as me in the exact same moment...I know there is some way for me to connect. I just have to pray for it, I just have to reach for it, I just have to be open to it.

I want to connect.

Thoughts?

For all those who are not hip to Birdy, check her out, she does covers. Which is cool, because I love covers so much I wrote a blog about them not too long ago (click here for Covers blog). Click below for Birdy :)

Mega Millions

Sally: "If you won the lottery, do you think all that money would change you?"
Bob: "Nah! I'd be just the same, except I wouldn't work anymore, I'd buy a new house, new car, and travel the world. But I'd be the same person." 
...

For a time, I truly lamented the fact that I didn't win the lottery 3 weeks ago. You know, "the big one". I PRAYED to win that lottery (along with millions of others). I mean, for years I've dreamed of winning the lottery--as that's what happens when you're an accountant. I had fantasized about it so much, that I knew the exact manner in which the the circumstance of my winning would unfold:

1. Pure Unadulterated Crazy Joy - This is part carnal/part spiritual. There is like a part of me that will be doing the Moonwalk, and another part that will be slain by the Holy Spirit because I will be thanking and praising that hard. If you believe in the cessation of spiritual gifts...my antics would give you pause. You'd think: "is that tongues?!" And guess what...it would be!
   
2.  The Cover-Up - I would be the anonymous winner. NO ONE will know that I am rich. No one (muah ha ha). This is not so I can hoard money, but rather so that I can still live a normal life...and hoard money.
   
   
3. The Payoffs - Goodbye student loans! Goodbye debts of any and all family members! They won't even know what happened (because of #2), just suddenly stuff will be paid! I don't need thanks, just the knowledge that folks are all right. Tithes? Offering? The hook-up of my favorite charities? Of COURSE.
   
   
4. The Business - After the payoffs, I would create an irrevocable trust for like half of the money, for posterity. Investments (some risky, some stable, a truly diverse portfolio which produces amazing interest) for half of the remaining half to support my needs. And the final piece of the remaining half will be spent on...
   
   
5. The Prodigal Life - Until recently, I thought "prodigal" meant someone who ran away (i.e. The Prodigal Son). I thought "prodigal" was related to how he left, but it's really about how he lived while he was gone. The Prodigal Life is financed by the amount of money that I have set aside for discretionary spending...AKA "riotous living." This includes houses, cars, private jets (if Mega Millions can afford me a small jet), exotic trips, my entourage...and the like.

It's a dream...probably with a lot of holes in it related to taxation and applicable laws, but dreams of this nature don't have to be rational. So don't hate. In any case, three weeks ago, when I was playing to win the $500+ million jackpot a certain thought gave me pause:

Rich people have a hard time depending on God...so maybe I don't want to be rich. 

I am in no way trying to come off at some righteous goody two-shoes. But I was reacting to what I knew to be my five-step plan. It had some issues. The issue is that it was a plan. A plan for my life, and the life of others without any true consultation of God. In the plan, I give to charity and the church, but I also plan to 1) stockpile a certain amount; 2) lie by omission to every single person I meet forever; and 3) live a life of total chill/ease while there is suffering in the world. It all made me think of scripture:

 “Two things I ask of you, LORD;
   do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
   give me neither poverty nor riches,
   but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
   and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
   and so dishonor the name of my God. 

- Proverbs 30:7-9

I have a loose belief...that money could possibly make everything better. I'm not a "paper chaser" or someone who is obsessed with the market and IRAs/401ks/etc. However, sometimes I think money can fix a situation, so...I pray for more money. Yet, the Proverb writer--the writer of wisdom--is asking for a set amount of money. He's asking for "enough". And not enough for extravagant vacays and beautiful clothes, and an array of sparkly clutches. But enough to eat. In each case, having too much or too little affects the level of faith he has in God.

• If he has too much: he doesn't believe he needs Him anymore. 
• If he has too little: he doesn't believe he can afford to wait on Him anymore. 
  
  

Both of the above are spiritual issues that are linked to a carnal situation: the possession of money. Which is why "the love of money" is such a problem. If I didn't love money, those wouldn't be problems. When you don't love money, having lots of it is cool, but having none is okay too. It in now way affects how you treat God. But the Proverb writer knows himself so well in this situation that it affects his prayer life. He's praying to his faith level: Lord, this is what I need to be able to serve you...right now. And this is what I need you to keep away from me, so I can serve you right now.  Some people can't handle fortune. Some people can. Based on the list above...maybe I'm in the former category. Maybe I love the thought of money, and that could lead to the "love of money."

Whoever loves money never has money enough; 

whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. 

This too is meaningless. 

- Ecclesiastes 5:10

I like to link things together. If in the Proverb, the lack of "enough" leads to criminal activity which dishonors God, and if in Ecclesiastes, the lover of money never has "enough"...then the lover of money will probably always dishonor God.

But it goes beyond money. It goes to our obsessions, and to our inability to serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). If it's not money that's affecting your ability to serve God...what is it? What is your hang-up? And how do you pray for God to remove it from your grasp?


Just thoughts...

Race Results!

So today I ran in the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. If you read Run Without Stopping you know there was a time when I didn't think I could do it. But...I made it! The sweep truck didn't get me. And believe me they were legitimate sweep trucks! Like the ones that clean the street. They symbolically "sweep you away." If they reach you, you are "scrubbed" out of the race. Your time is up! Shame is your portion. Luckily, it was not my portion. And though my feet hurt, in fact, one toenail may be at the end of days... But despite that, I'm smiling (cheese!), because I finished. I accomplished what 3 1/2 months ago was impossible: I ran 10 miles without stopping. Albeit, very very slowly. Official time: 1:59:43.

What was really cool about the race was that it was kind of like a parade. There was music and singing. There were people playing the drums. There was a juggler (a running juggler!). People were clapping and cheering you on, holding up signs that said "You're Almost There" and "Don't Stop Now!" I even saw one that said "This is the Saddest Parade Ever..." which was funny! And everyone seemed so happy to see you complete the race. They were just elated to see you arrive at the finish line. These people who don't know me. They don't know who I am, or what I've done in my life. They just cheer because that's what you do at the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Around this time, approximately 2000 years ago (some would say April 9th 32AD), there was another "parade" type event. We celebrated it today in church and we call it Palm Sunday. I know what you're thinking: "Palm Sunday ain't no parade! (frownie emoticon)" But by definition a parade is merely:

A procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind.

People - scripture says that on this day there were "...crowds going ahead of Him [Jesus], and those who followed..." - Matthew 21:9

Along a Street - scripture says that "Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road." Matthew 21:8. This road was otherwise being used as a "road" prior to Jesus reaching the city, but when he came it was suddenly:

Costume/Marching Band/Floats/Large Balloons - AKA "A Big Deal!" Jesus, on this day, was the big deal. He was someone to be excited about, like a marching band, or the way kids react to a huge Snoopy at the Macy's Parade. And he came in style. Riding on top of a donkey and its colt. Which was an entrance of biblical proportions (Zechariah 9:9). But why is Jesus a big deal on this day?

"The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead... On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him..." John 12:9, 12-13

This is how my parade today, and Jesus' parade then are similar: the people are only there for the spectacle. They are only there for the spectacle! Palm Sunday has always rubbed me the wrong way (from a historic viewpoint), because the people are just pouring out all this love on Jesus: singing, cheering, crying HOSANNA! laying their coats and palm branches in the road...treating Jesus like the king they have no idea that He really is! And then, BOOM!, one week later, they are the same crowd screaming "Crucify Him!" I've always had a hard time reconciling that. How do you go from "Hosanna" to "Crucify Him"?

I wonder if they were surprised at their own reaction. I wonder if they looked at themselves and said: "we were just celebrating this dude, and now we're consenting to His death...crazy!" But, you know what? I get it now. They weren't believers...they were fans. They weren't followers...they were groupies. Jesus was popular for His miracles, and He'd just performed a huge one with Lazarus. And when you know and appreciate Jesus only for what He does, instead of for who He is, you can go from celebrator to hater. Fast. That's why the personal relationship with Christ is key.

You have to know Him for yourself. You have to know Him for who He is.  Your Way. Your Truth. Your Life. Nothing less. Anything less, and we might be fans...

John 14:6