WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT CHRISTIANITY

I have spent over four years researching and articulating my reasons for defending and promoting Christianity, resulting in writing a book titled "Expect To Win". I strongly encourage you to read this book if you really want to understand what "the big deal" is about Christianity and if you want to know the "details" (using scripture and other reputable resources) supporting this view . This page is a condensed explanation of why it is a big deal and why it is important I share with you the reason it is, at the risk of personal rejection by many who may view this web site. My definition of condensed may be different than yours so for a really short version click here.

I have no doubt there is a heaven and hell and there is only one way to get to heaven. I have come to this conclusion not because of blindly believing what I was taught as a child, but through examining a ton of evidence supporting the reliability of scripture (see chapter 3 of "Expect To Win" to learn about this evidence). I am obviously not the only one that shares this view as you will find countless highly educated individuals, including many that have achieved great things in their lives by anyone's standards, that have committed their lives to living by what is taught in the Bible because of examining the evidence.

Often evidence is not enough, we have to be honest with ourselves and if we are intellectually honest we will know that many people ignore evidence because they simply want to believe what they want to believe, in other words, they don't want to change what they are doing. This is why education is not always the answer to solving problems because you will find plenty of educated individuals engaging in destructive behavior even though they are totally aware of the long-term consequences of their behavior.

Does anyone really believe drugs and alcohol are the solution to problems, does anyone really believe that life is about what makes you feel good now, that life is all about self indulgence? Yet you always find well educated individuals embracing these type of lifestyles. At best they lead an unfulling life, especially when measured against having a positive influence on other lives, and at worse often ruin their lives and the lives of others because of their behavior. Maybe in the short-run they appear to get the most out of life but anyone with a truly open mind will understand their lifestyle cannot be classified as a quality life.

The answer to believing what is true is an open heart and unfortunately what it often takes to overcome our pride, the first step in having an open heart, is to have life beat us down to a point where we understand we don't know it all, we don't have the answers, we are not invincible. This is what it took for me to begin my quest for a deeper meaning to life, a quest for answers to what it takes to have a quality, content life, a quest for spiritual truths. What has removed any posssible doubts about God and scripture in addition to the evidence is many answered prayers, answers that could never be explained by mere coincidence, along with my observation of seeing God's truths proven in my own life and the lives of others.

So what is this truth I and other Christians have discovered? The truth is as good as we think we are we are never good enough to earn our way into heaven. This is what distinguishes Christianity from all other religions, what makes Christianity totally different, and what separates Christian world views from views that believe mankind can create some sort of utopia without the help of God. Chapter 4, "The Only Way" of my book covers this subject in great detail, but an honest look at ourselves should be all it takes to understand how selfish we are and how badly we miss the mark in being "good" according the the only standard that should matter - the standard of our creator.

A related truth, and a truth often ignored by those that simply want a ticket into heaven if there is one (I know there is but many just hope there is a heaven, or think there could be one), is that a relationship with God, a relationship where we want to serve and follow him, is what will give us an abundant life, a fulfilled life, a quality life, a life that will make a positive difference in this world.

The next obvious question that needs to be answered is - how do we have this relationship? The answer is so simple yet so hard for so many to accept. We only have to believe Jesus is our Savior and Lord. Our deeds have nothing to do with getting into heaven, it is simply a matter of having a humble heart and understanding we need Jesus as our Savior. In other words, we need to know we need to be saved in order to be saved.

If we truly believe then we will also want to follow him, make him our master (Lord). This is important because just believing he exists means nothing, yet many believe this is all it takes. The Bible points out in the book of James that even the demons believe Jesus is the Savior and it doesn't help them. There is an important reason this is in scripture. In order to have the abundant life Jesus tells us he came to give us, in addition to salvation, we need to believe all he says. Can we really partially believe in Jesus by believing he is our savior and not believing the standards he sets for us is for our own benefit? Isn't having a content fulfilling life something to desire, something for our own benefit?

How can we really believe him and not allow him to change our lives? How can we believe him and not believe that a changed life because of him is actually for the better? The answer is if we don't allow him to change our lives then we really don't believe in him, and this is a point we really need to think about, our eternal destiny will be at stake.

If what you have read is making you think maybe there is something more in life you need, and what you need is Jesus, then I beg you to pray for his forgiveness. This is how we prove we know we need him, by acknowledging we have "sinned" (not living according to God's standards) against God and we need him to forgive us. This is how we truly believe Jesus is our savior, by recognizing we need to be saved and knowing only he can save us, knowing we can't save ourselves. The next thing you need to do is pray that he becomes the driving force of your life, showing you truly believe following him is going to make your life better. Ask for his divine intervention in your life and believe with all your heart this is what is going to happen.

After doing this it will be important to nurture your faith by attending a church and growing in your faith. I can't emphasize enough how important this is. Find a spiritual mentor that you know cares about you and "feed" your faith by reading your Bible. If an athlete neglects their training their performance will suffer and likewise if a Christian neglects spiritual growth their relationship with God along with all the many benefits, will suffer as well.

If you have read this far then it is possible you will understand why I am willing to risk rejection and scorn (is it any surprise that there are those that will mock Christianity?) by talking about Christianity in this web site. A huge part of my faith is understanding how unimportant I am and how important you are! It is important that you are successful and content in life. It is important you have a life of value. What is not important is what anyone thinks of me! And how could anyone say they care about someone without doing what they can to help someone go to heaven, especially if they really know there is one and what it takes to get there. How could someone say they care without doing what they can to point someone to what it takes to get the most out of life? I hope and pray you believe I sincerely care about you, because I do.

Before I close this page I want to modify my statement about what anyone thinks of me. I love getting to know people, all kinds of people, even those that don't share my views so of course I want to be accepted by everyone and I would be a liar if I said I didn't want to be liked by everyone. So I do care what people think of me, it is just that saying what needs to be said for your benefit is more important than risking your rejection because of what I believe.

In addition I care what people think because I don't want anyone to use me as an excuse for rejecting Christianity. Knowing what to do and doing it can be a whole different ball game. I am as human as anyone and often fall short in living the life I should live. What I want you to understand is if (or more accurately when) I fall short it is because of my weaknesses and not because of any flaws in God's truths. So please pay more attention to the message than the messenger!

More than likely in person I will limit any face to face discussions I may have with you to photography and sports. I understand discussing religion and faith makes a lot of people uncomfortable and this is why my primary method for sharing is this web site - it is non threatening, you can simply ignore any and all discussions about faith. If ignored I will still continue to do anything I can to help coaches, parents, students, and athletes. If you would like to discuss any of the topics in this section or in this web site I would be more than pleased to answer, or attempt to find the answer, to any questions you many have.