"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
  -- Matthew 5:48, NIV

I suppose if anyone could get an award for doing or having absolutely everything in place or coming close to achieving Jesus' command to "be perfect", the Jewish Pharisees would run away with the prize. In fact, one could almost visualize the surprised and startled expressions on the disciples' faces when Jesus announced; "Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom" (Matthew 5:20 [MSG]). How in the world could Jesus say that? Didn't He realize that they had "right living" down to an exact science? Surely He must have been mistaken!

But later on He made it very clear that there was much more involved in becoming "like their Father in heaven". He said to the Pharisees & scribes; "You give God a tenth of the spices from your garden, such as mint, dill, and cumin. Yet you neglect the more important matters of the Law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the important things you should have done, though you should not have left the others undone either ... You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, while inside there is nothing but greed and selfishness ... You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of a cup, and then the outside will also be clean ... Outside you look good, but inside you are evil and only pretend to be good" (Matthew 23:23-28 [CEV]).

"These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn't in it ('Their hearts are far from me' [NIV]). They act like they're worshiping me, but they don't mean it" (Matthew 15:7-9 [MSG]).

So just what is it God wants from us, anyway? More Here...

Johnny Cash has a new CD in stores. (Yes, he died over six years ago. No, that has not stopped other musicians in the past.) The Onion’s AV Club has a review, and if you want to sample the album before picking it up, you can hear the whole thing thanks to lala.com.

I took a listen, and here’s my take.

In this set of songs we hear a man in his 70s, and with pain of losing his wife very fresh in his life, he sounds quite frail. There’s a lot of talk about death on this album; it’s a topic that had obviously been creeping into his thoughts for the years leading up to his own passing. Somehow, though, this is a peaceful, hopeful album that looks to the past and its memories, but also to the unknown future without fear.

The Onion’s Keith Phipps writes:

American VI: Ain’t No Grave arrives billed as the last fruit of that pairing [of Cash and producer Rick Rubin]. It’s drawn largely from the same sessions that produced American V: A Hundred Highways and recorded at least partly after the death of Cash’s wife, June Carter Cash, as his sight dimmed and his own body failed him for the last time. It’s no surprise that Ain’t No Grave is focused on death and loss. But as usual, Cash uses his Christian faith as the ultimate rebuttal to life’s disappointments. “Ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down,” Cash sings, as the musical setting of the traditional title track sounds ominous tones. Hope was his last act of defiance.

By Justin at BeDeviant

In light of the fast approaching St. Patrcick’s day holiday, I thought we’d take a look at luck. Ok. We’re not talking magic here, but is there any merit to luck on a biblical level?

You and I both know people who seem to consistently fall effortlessly onto a cushion of good fortune. Conversely, we also know people who can’t seem to buy a break. Sure, attitude is a large part of one’s reaction to their given circumstances, but is there something else to luck?

UK psychologist Richard Wiseman thinks so. He launched a study on luck. Here’s his description of the survey:

I placed advertisements in national newspapers and magazines, asking for people who felt consistently lucky or unlucky to contact me. Over the years, 400 extraordinary men and women volunteered for my research from all walks of life: the youngest is an 18-year-old student, the oldest an 84-year-old retired accountant.

The findings [of the study] have revealed that although unlucky people have almost no insight into the real causes of their good and bad luck, their thoughts and behaviour are responsible for much of their fortune.