Buying A Coat for Chicago Winter?

Question:
I am moving to Chicago soon, and my friend who already lives there advised me to only buy a Northface coat- she says any other coat, even though it has a down filling and feathers, will not be good enough. Any suggestions to if she is right or what other coats can I wear? I saw a nice Calvin Klein coat that looked warm but she thinks I will freeze to death in it. Is she right?

My Reply:
I've lived in Chicago most of my life…some winter days will get really cold, some not so bad, but your friend's probably cautioning you for the worst (or really bad for somebody used to warm weather).
I'm not too familiar with Northface, but I hear they're pretty good...and expensive!  I bought a really nice down coat from Old Navy a few years back for a good price, and it's still a great coat.
Either way, though it does have to do with the coat, the secret to keeping warm in Chicago mostly has to do with learning to dress in layers. When I say layers, I mean a tucked-in, skin-tight shirt, another tucked-in shirt over that, sweater over that, sweatshirt, turtleneck, or hoodie over that, then the heavy coat. For your lower body, wear 2 pairs of socks and long underwear under your jeans. It’s also good to buy gloves a little bigger than your hands so you may put those knit, 1-size fits all-gloves under them (one winter, I even lined my pockets with plastic sandwich bags to help block the wind)! Buy a scarf and/or performance face-mask, and a hat.
When looking for that heavy coat, be sure to buy one with a fleece—insulated hood.  Long coats, or the kind that come just below your butt, are nice, too, for they help to block the heavy winds. And you want it to zip up to your chin. A good coat to shield you from the wind-chill is one with some sort of plastic-like coating…something that will keep the wind from penetrating the coat...wool works well, also.

Honestly, I'm not trying to scare you, but I'm also not exaggerating here.  Some DAYS really do get down to -20 F with a colder wind-chill (what the wind feels like when it hits your skin). I once stepped off a curb to cross the street and I felt like my kneecap was going to shatter, it was so cold.

If you don't buy it online, then in order to buy a good coat for really cold weather, you’d be better off buying one when you get there.

---Pastor Andy

I found some coats on Amazon worth checking into, and that would DEFINITELY help you survive Chicago winters:

         

   

Social Importances (serious and silly)

Question: What is more important?  Looks, body, brains, personality??

My Reply:

I believe that personality is most important for it's all about community.  For instance:

• Looks: If you're ugly, then you can still be friends with other "ugly" people.
• Body: If your body's bad, well, you're not the only one, and you can be friends others regardless. (Also for these 2, it's really all in the eyes of the beholders)
• Brains: If you're smart, you can be friends with other smart people.  If you're dumb, you could make friends with other dumb people, and if you're in between, then you're average, and can make friends with anybody.
• Personality: But if your personality sucks, then nobody wants to be around you.  :)

---Pastor Andy

God really isn't the "Ultimate Being" is he?

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Question:

God really isn't the "Ultimate Being", is He?  God is described as being all powerful, all seeing, all knowing. He is the ultimate being and is greater than everyone in any way imaginable.  Yet, I have a few religious friends who tell me that God cannot be around sin, which is why people who do not accept Jesus (who would cleanse them of their sins) go to hell - even though we know that apparently God LOVES US AND WOULD NEVER WANT HARM ON US.
OK, so if God has to live by this rule where he can't be around sins, he's not exactly the head Honcho, is he?  And while we're at that note, if God apparently loves us, why does he allow the creation of those who live only to hurt others? If he's all-knowing, he would have saw this from a light-year away and stopped it. Or maybe God is above "Logic" and what makes sense for him is to be a hypocrite.
What are the point of Midgets? Do you think God finds them hilarious also?

My Reply:

Actually, your friends are a little backwards...it's not that God couldn't approach us because of our sin, but that sin was preventing US from approaching God. We know this for many reasons, one being that it wasn't God that needed to be cleansed before approaching us, but us before entering the high holy place (Old Testament priests).
Second, God is all knowing, and does love us. But He allows creation to run its course...God's not going to force anybody to accept Him. Instead, He did what needed to be done, and left the decision up to us as to whether or not we want to be with Him for all eternity (in Heaven) or not. Real love doesn't force us to do anything...real love leaves it up to us to accept or not.
You're right to say that God is above logic. The scriptures tell us that the "wise" ones become fools when they try to understand the Gospel, since their logic can't understand it. But it's great wisdom for those of us who are being saved (I guess us stupid people) ;)

As for Midgets, I hear they like to be called "Little People"...and they're just as much a blessing as those of us tall (or average-sized) people, under just as much a curse as us, and offered the same salvation as the rest of us. If you want to ask about God's sense of humor, why not try figuring out God's "logic" for the platypus?

Summary: Yes, God is the ultimate being...heck, He created EVERYTHING that exists, and if it doesn't exist, He didn't make it.

---Pastor Andy

Why is there hate in this world?

Question:

You would think that such precious life would be carefully nurtured, yet people still have HATE in their hearts. Is it because of over-population and mass media delusional imagery that we have become lost in the illusion we created and that this illusion breeds hate and fear, when we can live in honest love if we just had the capability to escape this illusion? Who created this illusion, why did he/she/they create this illusion, and what do you call this "illusion"?

My Reply: 

I was reading through Matthew 13 today, and believe that one of the parables Jesus tells can help understand your question.

He mentioned in verses 24-30 that "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
" 'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "

My original question during my study was, "who are the weeds today?" But your question gives the answer, for there are bad people in the world, planted by the enemy, and they sow hatred.  And because the Lord has chosen to wait until the end to separate the bad from the good, we have to deal with people who spread their hate.

---Pastor Andy

Waiting For That One Guy

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Question:

I'm 17 and have been waiting for that one guy to lose my virginity to.

I dated a guy for three years and just wasn't ready yet or, comfortable enough to go any further, so he broke up with me…typical guy. Anyway I am now dating a guy who I have never felt so comfortable with and I do love him and want to further our relationship. But I've scared myself to death about sex. I'm just scared of the pain that comes with it, I guess you could say. I have eight tattoos and if I think that hurts pretty bad…you think I'd think sex would? People say it's horrible and it hurts but is it really that bad the first time? What should I expect my first time? Is it a pain that I can stand? And I'm totally clueless when it comes to this sex thing. I am a virgin, and at my age that's not very common, ha. I've talked to my boyfriend about how scared I am, and he always says we can wait and he's totally fine with that. I'm willing to wait as well, but it's going to happen sometime...so your help and advice is greatly appreciated!

My Reply:

First, I'd like to congratulate you for holding off from having sex for this long...you're right, virginity among teens is rare today. And good job on holding out on the last guy.
Here's what I'm thinking. Your current boyfriend is willing to wait, but you're freaked out. But why bother thinking about it now? You dated the last guy for 3 years and never had sex. You've just started dating this guy, so what's the rush?
I'd like to suggest another rarity: why not hold off until you're married? Seriously!  I mean hey, you want it to be special and with the man you love, right?  So who better to save your first time than the one you want to grow old with?  And if it's this guy, then waiting until the wedding night will be even more special. But if God forbid he's not the guy, then wouldn't it be nice to know you saved it for your husband?

---Pastor Andy

How do you know when there are far too many churches?

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Question:

So, what do you think? How do you know when there are far too many churches?

My Reply:

You know there are far too many churches when they begin to compete against one another.

---Pastor Andy

Proof of Jesus

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Question:

This question has been unanswerable by Christians, do you have the guts to give this one a straight answer?  Their are like (lets say) 1,000 different religions in the world (actually a lot more). Each religion is no more valid than Harry Potter. In other words, each religion is as invalid as any other religion.
Here's the odd thing, Christians believe that if you choose to believe Jesus, you're saved.  But if you choose another religion to believe in, you're doomed, disregarding all your virtuous acts!
It is the exact same thing as putting 1,000 tennis balls in front of you. The only difference is that each ball is marked with a different number. Only one tennis ball is the correct one (suppose ball 24), if you choose the wrong ball, you're doomed! So basically, Christians believe that by blindly choosing the right ball, you are saved! How hilarious!
And don't tell me that there's any proof to your bible. If you really believe there's proof, then Jesus would've just appeared for everyone to see, but he hasn't!  The truth is that you believe that the Bible is true and every other religion is false with no basis at all. You just choose one ball and make up your mind that it's the correct ball with nothing to back it up.

My Reply:

Interesting analogy with the tennis balls. You're right to say that one would have to be the right one, and all the others would be wrong...at least you acknowledge the existence of A truth. That's further than most critics.
But now, in the case of the balls, let's say #24 is the right ball. Christians aren't the ones blindly choosing the balls, everybody else who believes that all the balls are also true are the ones choosing blindly. We Christians believe the right ball has been revealed to us, and so go to pick that ball.
 Now, as for Jesus appearing before tons of people for them all to see: Jesus actually did, only you weren't there to see it. After His resurrection, He appeared to over 500 people at a time (I don't know if they were all clustered in one place or because He's omni present, He appeared in different places). But the point is, we can say, "Oh, well that's what the Bible says." Yeah, but when the apostles preached and wrote their letters about Jesus' resurrection, those 500+ people were still living, and could've disproved their story at any time. But they didn't. In fact, nobody was able to disprove their message, or even prove them wrong. They could only argue with them to confuse their listeners, which they did.
And it's not only Gospel writers who talk about this, but even secular writers of and just after their time have written about the resurrection, the faith, the followers, the beliefs, and the events that go with them.
Basically, if you don't want to believe in anything about Jesus, then base it on the evidence, not personal disbelief. But the evidence all points to Jesus' resurrection.

Check out Josh McDowell's book: "Evidence of Christianity". It's a long read, but no doubt has some of the answers to your questions explained.  Or if you want a shorter book, then check out Lee Strobel’s book, “The Evidence for Christ”.

---Pastor Andy

Christianity Borrowed from (Other) Religions?

Question:  What percentage of Christianity do you think is borrowed from older religions and belief systems? Why? Please keep your answer short.

My Reply:

OK, how's this for brief?  NONE of Christianity is "borrowed" from older religions and beliefs.  Although, Christianity is the fulfillment of Judaism, so if you want to consider it as "borrowed", Judaism would be the closest to the answer, I suppose.

---Pastor Andy

How to get copyrights for poems?

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Question:  I have written a few poems that I want to get copyrights for.  Do you have any ideas of how to get the copyrights?

  

My Reply:

You should be able to check online for copyrights (or one of the links to the right).
Although in college (back in about 1992), I did learn of a fast, easy, and almost free (and very legal) way of getting it Trade-marked (showing that you were the original writer/composer), and it's easier than you'd think:
1) Put your name on them
2) Copy them (photocopy would be best)
3) Place the originals into a manila envelope
4) Mail them to yourself
5) When it's delivered to you, store it in a safe place (don't ever open the envelope!).
 If you ever have to go to court about who wrote the originals, the postmarked date will prove the timeline for when they were written. Don't open the envelope until you're in the court session in the presence of everybody so they can see that it was sealed before the date marked.
 It's all legal, and legit.

---Pastor Andy

Q: Why do we carry on living?

My Reply:

Because we can...because we have a God who loves us and wants us to live for Him...because though this life is temporary, anything aside from it is permanent (and so if we ended it, we can't change our minds later)...

Life's tough, sometimes it sucks, but nothing we go through is anything that somebody else somewhere, some time didn't already overcome before us.

---Pastor Andy

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Aliens as advanced species

Question: Why are aliens (from outer space) portrayed as advanced species'?  Just a thought.  I think I know why but I want your opinion.

My Reply:

Because according to what we've seen and discovered so far, there are no planets with life on them, or at least no planets within a lifetime of traveling distance. So in order for aliens to arrive here, they'd have to be from a planet in another galaxy. And if from another galaxy, then they'd have to have advanced technology in order to make the trip here within a single lifetime.

---Pastor Andy

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OK Pastor, I Challenge You To A Debate!

Here’s my argument:

ANYTHING is perfectly okay before marriage as long as your virginity remains in tact.  God said not to have sex. He never said anything about hugging, holding hands, kissing, making out, touching, oral, masturbation... Note that all of those things keep your virginity in tact, and therefore cannot be sins, and if even thinking about sex is wrong, then every single person is going to hell.  Also consider; 95% boys masturbate, it is a sexual act.  In fact, even Christian boys masturbate, so if any sexual act is a sin, then masturbating must be a sin too right?  So all those boys are going to hell, even though they gave their life to Christ?  But they’re virgins until they get married, but since they masturbated they have to go to hell.  As for anything with your hands, its just touching another body part, besides God made us naked anyways, so why can't we see each other if we choose to without it being a sin?  So when a mother changes her baby's diaper, she's sinning eh?  Or when a couple holds hand, OH NO THERE TOUCHING THERE GOING TO BURN IN HELLLLLLLLLLL AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. No, they’re still virgins, sometimes it may be slightly sexual, but what isn’t slightly sexual?  So what do you have to say?  This is my statement and I'd love to hear your words. I analyzed your own Bible and your God's words.  Oh, and by the way, might I add that He is against birth control?  WHO IN THEIRE RIGHT MIND IS GOING TO HAVE ALL THOSE CHILDREN???? And He's against mutilation of a body.  Yet, he is a fan of alcohol…He is very contradicting and starting to sound in fact, hypocritical to me…


My Reply:
Honestly, I don't see what your purpose is. Are you trying to justify something you did? Are you trying to justify premarital sexual behavior? What's your purpose? What's your need to know? Why such a venting session on sexual behavior outside of marriage?


You said, "Anything is OK before marriage as long as virginity is in tact".

I think that one of the main problems is when we think of virginity as only physical. Notice, Jesus said that when a man thinks about a woman lustfully, he's sinned against her in his heart. And Paul said that if have sex with a prostitute, we merge our bodies with her. See, sex isn't only intercourse, and virginity can also be lost through oral sex, anal sex, etc. How? Because there's more going on than bodily sharing, and such intimacy was created only for a married couple.


When you have sex with somebody, there's more than emotional intimacy. You're also sharing your whole self with that person, and such an awesome experience was meant only for a married couple. Why? Because God created and designed it as a blessing to be shared in a committed relationship that was blessed by God. 


The next problem is when a couple who's not married wants to experience even a small part of this blessing outside of marriage. You know that annoying game siblings play where they're told not to touch the other? The parent says this so that nobody hits the other or whatever. So what's the other one do? They get as close to them as possible, totally in their face, maybe even centimeters from touching them, and claim, "I'm not touching you." True, they're not touching, but the reason for the rule in the first place was not to keep them from touching, but to keep them out of trouble.


God told us to only experience the awesome blessing and gift of sexual contact with our spouses. But our emotions, adrenaline, feelings, hopes, imaginations, hormones, etc. often take over and we want to do other things similar to what we were told not to do. So instead of having intercourse, we do other stuff (like fondling, licking, sucking, caressing private areas, etc.), and then we justify our actions by saying that there's nothing in the rule book saying we can't.

You seem really upset at God...have you told Him all this yourself? If not, why not? Try asking God these questions. Will He answer? Maybe not in the way you expect or hope, but He'll answer, and when He does, you'll know it.


Go on...even in the tone of voice you used in this question. Yell, "God..." Heck, He's God...He can take anything you dish out. And maybe the reason you haven't gotten your answer yet, the one you really want or need to hear, is because you haven't asked Him.

---Pastor Andy

Where is God when things go wrong?

Question: 

Where is God when things go wrong?

When everything fails in life, where is God?

 My Reply:

Holding you.

---Pastor Andy

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All Religions Are False!!!

All religions...are they true, or are they false?  What is the possibility that everyone's outcome (after death) relies only on their own views. Possibly, there is no right way or wrong way to worship 'God' (if you believe in him) or fear hell (if you believe in it).

 A lot of people say: "Well what about murderers"? Well, who's to say they won't live peacefully as well? The important thing is not that we're punished for our mistakes, but rather that we learn from them and progress. Surely God (or whatever's out there) is willing to forgive them for learning a lesson. Weren't we all sent here to learn lessons?

Please answer this question with an open mind.

  

My Answer:

You're right...all religions are false. I say this as a Christian, for Christianity isn't a religion, but a RELATIONSHIP with God through Jesus Christ. So the possibility of all being right is several billions (of religions) to 1. And I am saying this with "an open mind".

Religions are all about "what I need to do" in order to be "happy", at peace, or obtain righteousness from God or a god, to be a "good person", or to change. But the Bible tells us that righteousness can only be obtained through faith (which is also entering into a relationship with God through Christ), not works.  But religions are about works. So when faced with the Truth of God, anything else can only be false.
The Pastor at the church we're frequenting said it another way: "Religion tries to change you from the outside-in.  But Christianity changes you from the inside-out."

In terms of punishment, the important thing isn't that we're punished for our mistakes, for often times we're punished even in our innocence. What about murderers? We can ask about their salvation, but to say that we're punished for our mistakes is to say that the people he murdered deserved it, and if so, then the murderer shouldn't be punished, right? But he/she is, right?

We learn and progress, yes, and there IS a God out there willing to forgive them, yes, but they have to repent and accept His forgiveness. Sounds pretty easy, right? Yet so many choose not to and instead follow a religion.

Finally, why were we sent here? To glorify God. If you choose not to glorify Him, then why would you want to spend all of eternity with Him? Because that's what Heaven is...God's home. Good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, left vs. right, yin vs. yang, yes vs. no, heaven vs. hell. God didn't create hell for us, but for Satan and his demons. But as a loving God, He's given us the freedom to choose where we wish to go when we die. We could go to be with Him, or not.  Check out my blog for more on this topic.

---Pastor Andy

A letter to my aunt

Question: I miss my aunt, so I'm writing her a letter.  She's a great woman, and does a lot for her country.  We also have a great relationship, she's like my big sister!  What else should I put in the letter?

My reply:

That's awesome, I'm sure she'd love to hear from you!
Why not mention all the things that you admire about her...why do you see her as a great woman?
Express what you like about your relationship with her (you said she's like your big sister...explain that to her...what it means, and why it means so much to you).

---Pastor Andy

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How do you get people to like you without trying?

Question: How can I get people to like me without trying? I seriously know it's possible, but how?

My Reply:

You'll hear people tell you to change something about yourself or lower your standards. But I have to disagree. Instead:

1) Be yourself. Nobody likes somebody who tries to be somebody else.

2) Learn to communicate with people. I have a friend who would start talking with somebody he's never met before, but when you heard the conversation, you'd think they'd known each other for years. This can be natural, or learned (for him it was natural. For me, I learned from watching him).

3) Don't be mean or talk mean about others. You may not get the attention of the gossips, but others will respect you, and you'll have a better chance of being liked by people who admire that character and want to be like you in that way, or by people who are already like that, which is a much better group of friends than the first mentioned.

---Pastor Andy

Is 666 Nero, or just a curse towards him?

Question: Is it possible that the author of Revelations was just really mad at the ruler Nero, and that Nero is who he is referring to as "the beast" or 616 (and that 666 is a misinterpretation)? I've heard this before but haven't studied much on it.

My Reply:

Tradition has it that the author of Revelation was John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, also the writer of the Gospel of John.
There was a time when John was banished on an island (versus being killed off like the rest of the apostles), where he had the vision, which is what's written in the book of Revelation.
Was he mad at Nero, maybe, for Nero killed off Paul, Peter, and many more of the brethren in Christ. But nowhere in Revelation does he mention any personal commentary, but only recorded what he saw, heard, and replied. Although he does express confusion about what he sees, he never tries to interpret it. Even with the number 666 (or 616)...he tells us how to figure it out, but he never actually say it's Nero.  That was an interpretation by readers.  
As for the number 666 or 616, I've heard some of the argument, but I've also read the Greek, and it does specifically say "six hundred and sixty six".

I know Wikipedia doesn't have the best reputation, but they have some interesting comments on this topic.

---Pastor Andy

Type of Music In Heaven and Hell

Question: Is Christian music the only style of music that is played both in Heaven and in Hell?

My Answer:

We're told that in Heaven, constant praises to God will be sung.  I also like to think that there will be all styles of praise, like Third Day, Kutless, P.O.D., Deliverance, Pillar, Sinai Beach, and such, too.  :)
 
As for Hell, that's a place of complete separation from God. Also, Christian music gives hope...in Hell, there's no hope, only torment. Therefore, my guess is that even Christian music wouldn't be present in Hell.

But what type of music will you hear in hell?  That's a good question...a scratching record? Constant repeats of the B-52s? Maybe your favorite song cut off just before the best part?  Some say Lucifer was gifted with music, so maybe you'd be stuck listening to "Satan's greatest hits".  Either way, if there even is music in hell, it wouldn't be enjoyable.

---Pastor Andy

10 Commandments and Our Obedience

What do the Ten Commandments reveal about the responsibility of being human?

This is what I have: Humans have great responsibility in obeying the ten commandments, if they choose to do so.  The Ten Commandments require humans to conform to each and every rule, and in doing so, will demonstrate love and respect to God, as well as to one another.
Any thoughts to build on this??

My Reply:

The 10 Commandments are divided into 2 categories, both demanding the responsibilities of God’s people:

• Commandments 1-3 are about our responsibilities towards God (probably because in all aspects of our lives, God should be first).
• Commandments 4-10 are about how to treat other humans.

Look over each commandment in detail for the rest.

---Pastor Andy

Christianity-"Lite"

Question:  For example, say you're a good person deep down, you believe in the goodness of people, and you help people. But you don't live a restricted life, you drink occasionally with friends, you enjoy a nasty joke, and you have sex outside of marriage (in a relationship)? I am in college.  I joined a Christian group and they would crap their pants if they knew that about me. I like them...but they are such prudes! lol. Is it possible to be a "light" Christian?

My Reply:

There's this disease being spread in many of the churches and ministries today, and it's called "cheap grace". Cheap Grace says that you can be a "light Christian"...God loves you the way you are and because He loves you, He won't ask you to change a thing. Holiness is not a factor, and discipleship is a disinterest or considered unnecessary. There's no repentance, just acceptance. And people who have accepted Cheap Grace believe that as long as people are "good" in terms of the world's standards, then they too will be saved, and anybody who says otherwise (even quote scripture out of context to back it up) are closed-minded. 

Unfortunately my friend, it sounds like you've been infected with it, and if you don't take the antidote combination (which are Jesus Christ with Costly Grace), then yes, you will die.


Check out this ad for more information ;)

---Pastor Andy