Everybody's Free
(to wear sunscreen)

Mary Schmich - Chicago Tribune

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of 1997: wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be IT.

The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice NOW.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.

You are NOT as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance.
Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

...but trust me on the sunscreen.

1. Forgiveness.
There is no hope for any of us after death if we do not have Jesus. Without Him, we will bear the awful load of the everlasting punishment of the wrath of God for our sins.

2. Meaning.
Without Jesus, life, for deep thinkers and shallow, is ultimately meaningless. We need to know our Creator, and we need His guidance and love in our lives.

3. Love.
Only Jesus can really give us the power to love God, others and ourselves. Only He can fill our hearts with love as we pray.

4. Spiritual Connection.
Jesus is our only personal connection to God.

5. Wisdom and Spiritual Gifts.
His Word gives us wisdom. His Spirit gives us understanding.

6. Blessing.
All of God's blessing comes only through Jesus.

7. Healing.
God still can heal us. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

8. Hope.
Because of Jesus we have the guarantee of Heaven.

9. Peace.
He is the only true spiritual peace on the earth. There is no peace for unbelievers.

10. Joy.
Genuine joy is only found in the purity of Jesus.

11. Protection.
Jesus guards our hearts and minds and bodies as we walk with Him.

12. Provison.
God, the heavenly Father of believers in Christ, provides us with everything we need physically.

13. Grace.
Jesus is the grace of giving.

What is the worst sin? Are some sins "worse" than others? Aren't all sins the same?

Contrary to the fervent belief of many Christians, some sins *are* worse than others. Jesus said that the one who handed Him over to be crucified was guilty of a "greater sin."

Jesus said that some cities deserved greater condemnation on Judgment Day because of the preaching they had received.

So, some sins are worse than others.

Which sin, then, is the worst?

The devil's sin.

What is the devil's sin? What is the sin that keeps every "good" decent and moral person away from Jesus?

What sin prevents us from growing in grace and being any good at all?

What sin?

Pride.

1. Creation:

life from non-life is a miracle

consciousness

conscience

the human brain

intelligent design of nature

the favorable distance of the earth from the sun

the existence of the universal moral law

the existence of absolute moral truths

2. Sin: the moral law has been broken by all humans: evil exists

3. Death.

4. Punishment by your Creator for evil things you have done: Hell

5. Messianic prophecy--fulfilled accurately

6. Your disbelief is an "experience," also

7. We all have the same logic and evidence, the difference is in the INTERPRETATION that we put on it. Our interpretation is based solely on the *presuppositions* that we hold by personal faith--there is no other alternative

8. The inerrancy and endurance of the Scriptures for thousands of years

9. Fallibility of other religions, their founders, and their scriptures

10. The agreement of core beliefs by Christians: God is the Creator, the Bible is His inspired Word, Jesus is God and man, Jesus did miracles, Jesus was sinless, Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world, Jesus was buried, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, Jesus is coming back again, you are saved by putting your faith in Jesus to forgive your sins.

11. "There is no God" is an unprovable absolutistic statement.

12. Heaven or Hell awaits you one minute after your death.

13. The good done by believers in Jesus for almost 2,000 years

14, The presence of the love and goodness of Jesus in some churches

15. God's Spirit and the Gospel can go anywhere in any country and save anyone.

The most important truths:

"...the Word (Jesus) was God..."

"...the Word (Jesus) became flesh..." >>John 1:1;14.

"He who believes in the Son (Jesus) *has* everlasting life;

and He who does not believe the Son (Jesus) shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." >>John 3:36.

For by *grace* you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the *gift* of God, *not* of works, lest anyone should boast. >>Ephesians 2:8,9.

Believe in Jesus: that He is God, that He died on the cross for all of your sins, that he physically rose from death on the third day--and you will be saved forever, and go to Heaven the minute you die.

"Be faithful unto death and I will give you a *crown* of life." The crown of life does NOT symbolize salvation. All crowns are *rewards*. Salvation is NOT an earned reward, but a ***free gift***.

You can learn or be reminded of universal truths from other faiths or the movies.

Don't have faith in your faith, have faith in ***Jesus***.

Open your heart to God: surrender, and be honest with Him about how you feel, what you think, who you are.

You are holy, righteous and blameless in Christ: a new creature.

Our desires and goals can be within the will of God, done to the glory of God.

Money can be a blessing of God.

"Turn the other cheek," but if someone is trying to kill you, or trying to rob your house, defend yourself and protect your property.

Tithing is NOT a law for the New Testament believer.

Mental and Emotional Abuse is not less damaging than physical abuse.

Unless you forgive, you cannot have a relationship with a human.

It's not about the strength of your faith. It's not about your mental understanding.
It's about WHO your faith is in: if it is in ***Jesus*** and not your good works or anything else--for salvation, then you are saved forever.

God promises to help you and take care of you--always.

God works in mysterious ways.

God says to pagan nations, essentially, "You reject Me as Creator, you will never see Me as Savior. -C

People may "placate" you and say they believe in Jesus just to get you out of their face. --Doug

Put your trust in Jesus, not in your good works, your faith, your church, your baptism, Mary or anything else.

Listen to Scripture, not to Internet religious crazies.

You become certain of your salvation based on Scripture and the Holy Spirit alone. This same Scripture is the source of the scare of "Hell."

Philemon owed his salvation to Paul, through whom God worked.

Deception about salvation toward the unsaved is Satan's number one priority. Doubt toward the believer may be the second priority.

Make a salvation call in every service. -Doug

Sin, Hell and damnation--preach it.

Listen to Scripture: faith comes by hearing.

You are in error because you do not know the Scripture.

Even to Atheists, parts of the Bible are right: rain falls from the clouds, murder is wrong, Jerusalem is in the Holy Land, day follows night. So even Atheists cannot reject ALL of the Bible as being wrong. Use this on them.

Salvation is not predicated on life-long faithfulness.

Salvation comes from a one-time act of faith, like looking at the bronze snake of Moses. One act of faith prevented them from dying of snake poison for the rest of their life. One-time-action with continuing results. Aorist tense.

He that believes and is NOT water-baptized is also saved.

Water baptism is not part of the Gospel, message, said Paul the apostle.

All verses in the Bible support eternal security, and none oppose it. This is how we know it is a true doctrine--the whole counsel of God affirms it.

The Lord's Supper is a "remembrance." How can you "remember" Jesus' body and blood if it is right there before you on the table?!

Words. Meaning. Distinctions.

Memorize Scripture *precisely*.

Give your fear and doubt to Jesus.

Pray specifically.

The sign of Christ in the end times, is *Christ*.

Never read a Bible Verse by itself--get the context.

Jesus is our spiritual 'First Love."

The number of miracles of Jesus that are recorded in the New Testament: ***35***.